The Coffee House

[tirediron]

We have hills (midwesterners would likely call them Mountains), and we have mountain ranges (Pacific Coast Range and the Cascade Range) and high dessert flatlands, and mountain passes that may accumulate up to 20 to 30 feet of snowfall on them during winters, and where "the pass" in one region (there are multiples from Washington to Oregon) is often closed for months at a time, and the eastern half of tboth of these two states is closed off for months on secondary roads, and it can be 100 miles just to get to a pass that is open and which has only 1 to 9 inches of snow on it.

People laugh about snow driving here, but in the span between December 24 and New Year's Eve, we had nine people die in traffic accidents, most on one snowy highway, Highway 97, which connects Bend with Salem, and the I-5 corridor. Pretty sad, but oregon Department of Transportation did a Facebook PSA that included the statement, "Don't do stupid things," in it. Yeah...like drive on an undivided, un-sanded,un-salted, no-guardrail mountain pass Highway 97.

Something else that's important to remember about coastal snow is that it's much wetter than snow in the interior. I grew up in the south-east corner of BC and a typical winter there was 4-6 of snow on the ground. Driving had to be done cautiously, but life didn't really slow down much. That was dry snow... Here in Victoria, even 1-2 inches of snow can mess things up beyond all recognition because the wet snow is like driving on grease.

 

[snowbear]

I see a lot of LEO shooting announcements on fb and wonder if there is actually an increase or if it's more that things are reported faster and more often. I suspect the same for a lot of the news. I should try some research when I get home.

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[snowbear]

For snow: we (DC region) will pretreatment and salt the roads, but we still can't drive in it. Bread, milk and toilet paper will be gone from the shelves, as well as ice melt and rock salt. At least the Feds realized you have to stagger early closings so the roads don't get clogged.


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[limr]

I see a lot of LEO shooting announcements on fb and wonder if there is actually an increase or if it's more that things are reported faster and more often. I suspect the same for a lot of the news. I should try some research when I get home.

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LEO shooting announcements?

It depends on how you define "mass shooting."
A visual guide: Mass shootings in America - CNN.com

Though that's as far as I'm going to go in this thread. Just wanted to share a link with you that focuses on simple statistics and definitions. The last thing I want is a descent into gun talk, not to mention I'd have to report myself

 

[snowbear]

Law Enforcement Officers - cops getting shot.

 

[snowbear]

I see a lot of LEO shooting announcements on fb and wonder if there is actually an increase or if it's more that things are reported faster and more often. I suspect the same for a lot of the news. I should try some research when I get home.

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LEO shooting announcements?

It depends on how you define "mass shooting."
A visual guide: Mass shootings in America - CNN.com

Though that's as far as I'm going to go in this thread. Just wanted to share a link with you that focuses on simple statistics and definitions. The last thing I want is a descent into gun talk, not to mention I'd have to report myself

Agreed, this isn't the place for detailed discussion on this. I'll go over this at home when I have a real computer; phone screen is too small to do a lot of reading.

 

[Designer]

That action figure only comes with 6 cats! Seriously - not impressed. I don't call that "crazy;" I call that just getting started.

Misprint. Should be 36 cats "starter kit".

 

[Derrel]

I thought you meant LEO shooting announcements for Facebook, of things like blocked highways, car accidents, and one I watched last nigth from the Lincoln Country Sheriff's dasocam: last winter a two-year old boy was spotted by a deputy, the child was runnign right down the centerline of the highway!!! The officer stopped, and rushed out, and grabbed the little boy right in front of the cruiser! This was big, big news here. he escaped as his parents were claning up after an event, and sprinted out the door, and right into the highway.

We're starting here to see Facebook Live for new events; my neice as KBSW is doing FB Live for things like the Monterey Film Festival,etc.. We are starting to see more police departments shooting on-site videos on their phones, as well as spot news segments from regular folks who sell/give that footage to the network news stations.

[QUOTE="tirediron]" Something else that's important to remember about coastal snow is that it's much wetter than snow in the interior. I grew up in the south-east corner of BC and a typical winter there was 4-6 of snow on the ground. Driving had to be done cautiously, but life didn't really slow down much. That was dry snow... Here in Victoria, even 1-2 inches of snow can mess things up beyond all recognition because the wet snow is like driving on grease.[/QUOTE]

Fer sure on the wet, soggy snow along the west edge of the continent at lower elevations! In low-altitude western BC, western Washington, or western Oregon...we usually get snow from coastal marine air, in large volumes of moisture that originates at low altitudes, and is very high in water content. The last TRUE powder snow we had in the PDX area was 13 years ago...normally we have a high water percentage in this marine-origin snow, which creates the great "snowpack" we use for summer water supplies. Here in western Oregon, a snowball can almsot always be made from snow, even with gloves on, it is sooooo wet,and mushy! In real powder snow, the ice crystals are so dry that it cannot be made into a snowball unless held in the hands, and with gloves or mittens on? No dice, no snowball. The bad thing is a western/valley snowball is VERY heavy, and hurts like a SOB when it hits you!

We measure snow here by water content, on the part of the USGS, they have sophisticated measuring techniques to tell how much WATER is in a typical 15- to 30-foot deep mountain accumulation, for water use/storage forecasting.

 

[snowbear]

At Tulsa Int'l Airport. Pretty quiet and no lines but my flight is delayed 20 minutes. I've been told I should have no problem making the connector.

 

[Gary A.]

We keep our snow up in the mountains where it belongs.

 

[limr]

We keep our snow up in the mountains where it belongs.

Bah, what fun is that?

 

[limr]

Well, the latest storm is pretty much a non-issue for us in the Northeast, though I am quite enjoying the drop in temperatures. Not only do I like it anyway, but it also makes a huge difference driving on my snow tires. Just a few days ago, it was in the high 40s and it felt like I was driving on jelly doughnuts. I was so annoyed - I did NOT buy a brand new Mazda just to be the one poking along in the slow lane because I constantly feel like I'm seconds away from drifting off the road!

But temperatures make a big difference and once it dipped back into the 20s and low 30s, driving became fun again

And for the record, the Mazda's name is Oliver when he's being pokey and recalcitrant. She turns back into Alice when she goes zoom zoom (Yes, my car is gender-fluid )

 

[minicoop1985]

Man it's still cold as the f*cking Antarctic.

Had a pretty good day at work. Had some REALLY cranky people, of course, but that's retail after Christmas.

 

[JonA_CT]

Well, the latest storm is pretty much a non-issue for us in the Northeast, though I am quite enjoying the drop in temperatures. Not only do I like it anyway, but it also makes a huge difference driving on my snow tires. Just a few days ago, it was in the high 40s and it felt like I was driving on jelly doughnuts. I was so annoyed - I did NOT buy a brand new Mazda just to be the one poking along in the slow lane because I constantly feel like I'm seconds away from drifting off the road!

But temperatures make a big difference and once it dipped back into the 20s and low 30s, driving became fun again

And for the record, the Mazda's name is Oliver when he's being pokey and recalcitrant. She turns back into Alice when she goes zoom zoom (Yes, my car is gender-fluid )

I mean, still not really an issue for me because I'll do what I need to do regardless...but our forecast has been creeping up by the hour it seems. They were talking nothing on Wednesday, maybe an inch or two yesterday, and our latest forecast was for 8 inches of snow (and maybe as much as a foot).

I am supposed to be about 30 miles north east of here for most of the day tomorrow. If I still have to make the drive, my wife's Subaru allows me to turn on my classical music, crank the seat heater, and relax the entire way.

 

[limr]

Well, the latest storm is pretty much a non-issue for us in the Northeast, though I am quite enjoying the drop in temperatures. Not only do I like it anyway, but it also makes a huge difference driving on my snow tires. Just a few days ago, it was in the high 40s and it felt like I was driving on jelly doughnuts. I was so annoyed - I did NOT buy a brand new Mazda just to be the one poking along in the slow lane because I constantly feel like I'm seconds away from drifting off the road!

But temperatures make a big difference and once it dipped back into the 20s and low 30s, driving became fun again

And for the record, the Mazda's name is Oliver when he's being pokey and recalcitrant. She turns back into Alice when she goes zoom zoom (Yes, my car is gender-fluid )

I mean, still not really an issue for me because I'll do what I need to do regardless...but our forecast has been creeping up by the hour it seems. They were talking nothing on Wednesday, maybe an inch or two yesterday, and our latest forecast was for 8 inches of snow (and maybe as much as a foot).

I am supposed to be about 30 miles north east of here for most of the day tomorrow. If I still have to make the drive, my wife's Subaru allows me to turn on my classical music, crank the seat heater, and relax the entire way.

Maybe because you're closer to the coast than I am? The forecast fore here says a 40% chance of snow flurries for about 3 hours or so tomorrow afternoon.

I almost got a Subaru.