PNW "Snowpocolypse"

[Norse]

I know most of the country East of the Rockies are saying "so what?!?" and "big deal!" about the snow the West Coast is getting. But when you are born and raised where the worst weather is a rain storm, snow can stop everything.
Now this California boy moved to Washington to retire and enjoy that rain. I was never taught how to drive in snow (and Ol' Momma Norse left Buffalo, NY BECAUSE of the Winters).
So here's a couple of pictures of my Imp in my driveway, in it's current state.

 

[Opticon77]

Yup. That's snow. All my friends and family own a second set of wheels/tires for each of their daily drivers specifically designed to traverse that crap. Makes it far less hateful. Sometimes even fun.

 

[XfbodyX]

Cant imagine you getting snow being so far south in the states.

Have the gov. start taxing snowfall and it will stop snowing.

 

[volare 77]

Snow here too but only a few inches today.

 

[7T8 Custom]

We got over a foot here last night just a little north of you where it also almost never snows. Supposed to be up to another 6 inches on it`s way for tonight as well.

 

[Oldiron440]

You just need a switch that turns on the front axle and tires that growl going down the road and the white stuff is fun stuff.

 

[Aspen500]

Cant imagine you getting snow being so far south in the states.

Have the gov. start taxing snowfall and it will stop snowing.

LOL!!!!!!!!!

We got at least 6" yesterday (forecast was for 1-3) and, oh joy of joys, they say there's another 8-12" coming tonight and into tomorrow. At least it's above zero and not -30 like a couple weeks ago so, I guess it could always be worse.

I wouldn't even think about driving in winter without my dedicated winter tires (Firestone Winterforce). They make all the difference in the world, even when your truck is 2 wheel drive like mine. The thing people forget is, 2wd, 4wd or AWD, they've all got 4 wheel brakes and 2 wheel steering. I always kind of laugh because it seems the majority of vehicles you see in the ditch are 4WD or AWD. Over confidence I think.

 

[7T8 Custom]

I always kind of laugh because it seems the majority of vehicles you see in the ditch are 4WD or AWD. Over confidence I think.

Darwin at work. I`ve got AWD so I can still drive really fast in snow and ice.

 

[Oldiron440]

Every one forgets you can go better but stopping is no better, this morning I took the boy to school and then went to the dollar store on edge of town for coffee. I got up to 40 mph and then went to slow down and noticed I didn't here the tires howling. The road was ice not clear at all.

 

[Opticon77]

The problem around here is AWD folk thinking drive configuration makes you invincible. It doesn't. OE all-season (no season) tires don't grip anything ever. Now AWD + NOKIAN HAKKAPELIITTA ... Yeah that makes you pretty much invincible.

 

[7T8 Custom]

The biggest problem around here seems to be that just because you can afford to lease an$80-100,000 dollar performance SUV, doesn`t mean you actually CAN drive it .

 

[Oldiron440]

I have to admit it is fun driving around in 12" of fresh snow when the rest of the town is not moving.

 

[7T8 Custom]

I have to admit it is fun driving around in 12" of fresh snow when the rest of the town is not moving.

Ever tried drifting a fully loaded one ton van. I usually try it out every time I get a new service truck just so I can figure out the weight distribution and how it will react in a slide. Plus it`s kinda fun.

 

[Aspen500]

We've got 8" of snow so far in this storm and it's still coming down really heavy. Traffic on the Interstate, what little there is, is going about 25 mph. It's (I-39) like 100 yards from my front door and they're just creeping along. None of the surface streets around my area have been plowed yet and I couldn't even get to the end of my street. Makes it worse because of the packed, icy stuff under the fresh snow and even winter tires don't have a chance (on a RWD Dakota). Managed to back up and get the truck back in the garage and called work to say there's no way I'm going to make it there. Might be different if I worked a couple miles from home instead of 15 miles with limited options for a route. Screw that, it's not worth risking your life. My boss is great so, it's all good.

 

[Oldiron440]

When I moved to town in 85 I lived one half block off highway 18 as it went through town, in 87 I bought a house two blocks off the highway. At that time the highway was part of the main route from the twin city's to St Louis so there was plenty of state plows cleaning up the snow and ice.
This ment if I could make it two blocks I was at work on time ten miles away. Now in the early 2000s the feds built a new four lane two miles south of town that connected I35 to St Louis so my rout to work was taken over by the county, now your lucky to get there by noon and the feds don't take care of the new road worth a poo.

 

[Aspen500]

I've seen the plows out on the freeway this morning but it's impossible for them to keep up with it today. It's so strange seeing it almost deserted and so quiet outside. Usually the traffic noise is almost deafening. One thing that's always kind of cool is I just saw them doing all 4 lanes northbound (and I imagine all 4 southbound as well) in one shot. They have a plow in each lane, kind of staggered and the snow just flies. One downside is when they plow the off ramp at the end of my street (especially when they do the multi-truck thing and plow both lanes of the ramp to one side) when the snow is deep, it goes over the retaining wall and falls 10-15 feet to the frontage road below, which is only a couple feet from the wall. Sucks if you're a car that happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Speaking of snow, that crap just won't quit. I shoveled a path out to the shop, came out 1/2 hour later and it was over an inch deep again already. The 8-12" prediction is falling by the wayside. There's at least a foot so far and it's supposed to snow like this until late afternoon before it becomes just "light snow". HELP!!!!!!!! lol

 

[Oldiron440]

It was supposed to be 6 to 9" for us and we got four, I got a call at 5 am that there's no school today so we slept in.

 

[Norse]

I will take a moment to be very grateful to the daughters of a close family whose father was a fallen firefighter. They gave me his '99 Suburban for they knew I'd take care of it and it would take care of me.
I know that 4-wheel drive does not mean 4-wheel stop.
Black ice is evil.
And that this California boy will take it slow-and-easy while all the dumb asses in their lifted "bro trucks" pass me in the slush. I'll stop to be sure you are okay when you spin out a mile down the road.

 

[Aspen500]

I've been in that situation. Driving along at a safe speed of say, 30 mph and someone passes me doing 60. A little farther down, you see them in the ditch on their roof. First thought is "karma is a bitch, you got what you deserved idiot" and to just keep driving but then the other side of me says stop and make sure they're OK and assist if I can, so I do.

 

[Oldiron440]

I just keep driving because they don't want me to stop, I'd tell em what I'm think'n.