Snails - Response on Threads Part 3

[AttyPops]

lol. I was only teasing you CES...

Yes, it's real eventful by you. At least 13 deaths blamed on the storm from what I just saw.

The roads are still...parking lots. What a mess!

 

[AttyPops]

The comments on the news sites are....strange.

Like..."Don't they have an evacuation plan?" (Of course they do, it involves driving cars on roads though........)

And "who messed up?".

The National Weather Service changed their status from "watch" to "warning"....at 3:00 am ish. Well, that's the timing of the storm. Of course, everyone got up and drove in. And.........well, you know the rest.

I think it's mostly a timing thing. :/

But what do I know?

 

[Stoneface]

Good morning CES

The comments on the news sites are....strange.

Like..."Don't they have an evacuation plan?" (Of course they do, it involves driving cars on roads though........)

And "who messed up?".

The National Weather Service changed their status from "watch" to "warning"....at 3:00 am ish. Well, that's the timing of the storm. Of course, everyone got up and drove in. And.........well, you know the rest.

I think it's mostly a timing thing. :/

But what do I know?

I can't stomach reading the comments section You have more fortitude than I...I do watch Washington Journal many mornings on CSPAN. That's enough commenting from the general public for me

 

[CES]

So, the watch wasn't even in place at 9am, i looked before i left for work. The watch was extended here by the time i got to work and it turned to a warning at about 10am, but the roads were below freezing and the snow came fast, so the roads were messed up by 10:30 am when schools started being dismissed. Other places were closing down between 11am and 12 pm. Inexperienced drivers contributed, but it also turns out that jackknifed tractor trailers caused a few of the big problems on the interstates. The ice melted as vehicles drove over it and immediately refroze as ice that was covered by snow. At 11:30 am, cars were having trouble getting up even a 10-15 degree grade. Experience helps in snow, but staying off it is the best thing to do for ice.

 

[AttyPops]

Yeah. That's what's weird (the timing).

Al Roker said last night on the news that TNWS changed status at 3:00 a.m. in forecast. So IDK.
But yeah, it's all in the timing.

It wouldn't have been 1/2 as bad had it hit earlier...people would have stayed home...right?

 

[Stoneface]

It seems that the heavy equipment is a determining factor in all of this mess. It takes quite a lot to stop things here, I think the last time NYC shut down because of snow/ice was in the 90s...

 

[CES]

Yeah. That's what's weird (the timing).

Al Roker said last night on the news that TNWS changed status at 3:00 a.m. in forecast. So IDK.
But yeah, it's all in the timing.

It wouldn't have been 1/2 as bad had it hit earlier...people would have stayed home...right?

I don't know what the timing was for Atlanta, or when the watches and warning went up there. Here they blew the forecast, including the NWS. If we were under a warning most schools would have closed. Granted out politicians get some heat for how easily and often they close down for the threat of severe weather...but i think they'll have a year or two before people start complaining about that again.

Staggering when people left work would have helped, but once the schools started closing, parents were on the roads to go get their kids.

 

[AttyPops]

I'm not even sure they have many salt trucks down South. They don't usually need em.

Us...we have a bunch up here. And we'd have been out ahead of the storm salting. IDK what the temps were either...below about 12 degrees F the salt doesn't melt the ice.

So yeah, Stone. Equipment matters. That's what Brian Williams said too...not many salt trucks.

People don't realize that just scraping the snow won't solve the black ice problems.

 

[CES]

It seems that the heavy equipment is a determining factor in all of this mess. It takes quite a lot to stop things here, I think the last time NYC shut down because of snow/ice was in the 90s...

They'd sent what little heavy equipment we have south, since it wasn't supposed to be bad here. There were a few problems on the upper east side of NYC when the plows skipped the area for a bit recently, yes? So, yeah, i think you're right.

Experience makes a difference too- i've forgotten how to drive in snow, so i tend to stay home. I don't want to be part of the problem, but i'm also lazy and like excuses to stay home

We were in the 20's. I dunno if we have enough salt to pre-treat. we're definitely out of salt now, using sand and gravel.

 

[AttyPops]

Good point CES. My Bad. (sic)

He was probably talking about Atlanta rather than Birmingham AL.

I just tend to think of it as all one big storm front going over the South. So...yeah.

 

[Stoneface]

I'm not even sure they have many salt trucks down South. They don't usually need em.

Us...we have a bunch up here. And we'd have been out ahead of the storm salting. IDK what the temps were either...below about 12 degrees F the salt doesn't melt the ice.

So yeah, Stone. Equipment matters. That's what Brian Williams said too...not many salt trucks.

People don't realize that just scraping the snow won't solve the black ice problems.

In this last storm, I think they may have salted too much, IMO. There's a white film on everything here now. You're absolutely right that the ice will form, and it does here too. It seems to me that we have so many vehicles on the road that the heat from the exhaust helps melt a good amount of it. I could be wrong...that's merely observational.

They'd sent what little heavy equipment we have south, since it wasn't supposed to be bad here. There were a few problems on the upper east side of NYC when the plows skipped the area for a bit recently, yes? So, yeah, i think you're right.

Experience makes a difference too- i've forgotten how to drive in snow, so i tend to stay home. I don't want to be part of the problem, but i'm also lazy and like excuses to stay home

Yeah, there was a bit of complaining from the upper east side. It's tough to tell if it really was warranted, because some folks up there complain about a lot of things....and some of them are upset that the new mayor is "out to get the wealthy." The people in Brooklyn were grateful for the job that was done this time, so it looks like you can only please some of the people some of the time....

 

[CES]

Atlanta is only a couple of hours east of us, but they frequently get the weather after we get it. Atlanta may have had a bit more warning, assuming it hit us first...but i was really only watching regional radar, so i don't know. The timing suggests it was close to simultaneous.

 

[CES]

In this last storm, I think they may have salted too much, IMO. There's a white film on everything here now. You're absolutely right that the ice will form, and it does here too. It seems to me that we have so many vehicles on the road that the heat from the exhaust helps melt a good amount of it. I could be wrong...that's merely observational.

that makes some sense, and if there's enough, it may not refreeze as fast. Do most people switch to snow tires?

Yeah, there was a bit of complaining from the upper east side. It's tough to tell if it really was warranted, because some folks up there complain about a lot of things....and some of them are upset that the new mayor is "out to get the wealthy." The people in Brooklyn were grateful for the job that was done this time, so it looks like you can only please some of the people some of the time....

and none of the people all of the time.

It's interesting watching all the 20-20 hindsight and finger pointing. Especially since it's sounding like there may have been some manipulation of the timing of events re the warnings. I was actually quite stunned to find out that the same thing happened in Atlanta...i initially assumed it was just us...who'd have thunk that a couple of inches of snow and ice would cause gridlock in two cities.

 

[Stoneface]

that makes some sense, and if there's enough, it may not refreeze as fast. Do most people switch to snow tires?

I know many of the commuters from Long Island, up north, and NJ do. I don't know if all of them switch, though. It's my assumption that not everyone who drives can afford it...tolls, gas, insurance (NJ is highest in the country, they say), and parking all add up in a hurry. I gave up my car when I moved into the city because it was just too expensive to maintain.

Yeah, there was a bit of complaining from the upper east side. It's tough to tell if it really was warranted, because some folks up there complain about a lot of things....and some of them are upset that the new mayor is "out to get the wealthy." The people in Brooklyn were grateful for the job that was done this time, so it looks like you can only please some of the people some of the time....

and none of the people all of the time.

It's interesting watching all the 20-20 hindsight and finger pointing. Especially since it's sounding like there may have been some manipulation of the timing of events re the warnings. I was actually quite stunned to find out that the same thing happened in Atlanta...i initially assumed it was just us...who'd have thunk that a couple of inches of snow and ice would cause gridlock in two cities.

It seems to me that part of the story is that they didn't want to believe that the storm would happen.

We are so used to daily gridlock here that if it gets worse with the weather, it's not likely to be reported...

 

[AttyPops]

That tears it.

Screw all the other research (almost...other than neurological...)
We need a full project to get those flying cars (and a new physics model) working. And I don't mean with big turbines either. I mean...Higgs field or anti-gravity manipulation or whatnot. A breakthrough.

Or cable cars and mass transit.

 

[Stoneface]

That tears it.

Screw all the other research (almost...other than neurological...)
We need a full project to get those flying cars (and a new physics model) working. And I don't mean with big turbines either. I mean...Higgs field or anti-gravity manipulation or whatnot. A breakthrough.

Or cable cars and mass transit.

Part of me is all for it...the other part of me (that lives on the top floor) isn't

We've already had a dummy fly a personal drone into a building over here

 

[CES]

Mass transit would certainly help.

However, my vote is for research into teleportation.

 

[CES]

what does one do with a personal drone? (other than bounce it off buildings)

 

[Stoneface]

Mass transit would certainly help.

However, my vote is for research into teleportation.

Haven't you seen The Fly???

 

[Stoneface]

what does one do with a personal drone? (other than bounce it off buildings)

So far, take video...and crash...

But I'm not looking forward to dodging them everywhere...bird crap is enough for now

This drone thing doesn't bode well for someone wanting to wreak havoc in a densely populated area, IMO.