Weather forecast (or not)

[bribrius]

the visibility is awesome. And this is the dead center of the city. Going down the rural roads i was running into four foot snow drifts (or higher) and kind of "guessing" if i was on the road or not.

 

[runnah]

This is the highway. Slow going.

 

[Gary A.]

Yesterday, it rained here.

 

[bribrius]

This is the highway. Slow going.
View attachment 94205

wait till you get to the back roads... see what that subaru is made of. LMAO

 

[bribrius]

And they just upped our forecast to up to 30 inches...

 

[bribrius]

makes for a nice effect. the lake is behind this, course you cant see it.

 

[SquarePeg]

Even the post offices are closed and no mail delivery today. I'm glad they aren't out there. I have a few cousins who are mail carriers and it's a tough job at this time of year.

 

[bribrius]

Even the post offices are closed and no mail delivery today. I'm glad they aren't out there. I have a few cousins who are mail carriers and it's a tough job at this time of year.

No doubt. Most places are closed. Pretty dead out there, especially once you get off the main roads. The back back roads are kind of a make your own way kind of deal. Some plowed by the towns, some not. some covered in drifts so you really just can't tell if it was plowed yet or not.

 

[bribrius]

this cracked me up. One of the few cars i saw. I think they were surviving just on being on the main street in the city. But at the traffic light they got stuck . Kind of shocked they even ventured out.

 

[MSnowy]

Spot on in MA today Blizzard conditions, zero visibility , 16-24" of snow and winds gusting 50-60 mph

This was looking out my window this morning. I couldnt see 20ft

 

[bribrius]

 

[KmH]

It is utterly remarkable how accurate weather reporting is these days, considering how complex Earth's weather system is.

One thing that really helped weather forecasting was understanding how much Earth's oceans influence how weather develops in the atmosphere. Today, meteorologists basically model Earth's atmosphere and oceans as a single system.

 

[NancyMoranG]

This is the highway. Slow going.
View attachment 94205

WHAT WERE YOU DOING OUT ON THE ROADS?
You were supposed to be staying safe and warm.
Nancy

 

[SquarePeg]

@MSnowy I love the high key snowstorm shot. Perfectly captures what it was like here this morning.

 

[pgriz]

Winter driving skills:

• Get real snow tires installed. They work. They're a PITA each fall and spring, but when you are in the snowstorm...
• Do not spin wheels. Otherwise you just make ice. If you're in the snow-bank, you just get lower. And lower. Some people forget the concept that when you find yourself in a hole, stop digging!
• Do not brake. Well, very lightly. Because once the wheels lose traction, your momentum will keep whatever direction you had before you applied the brakes. ABS helps but does not replace intelligence. Winter teaches more people about momentum than all the physics classes combined.
• When turning with front-wheel drive, turn with power. If you do it any other way, you'll understand why.
• Do not assume that drift is "only" a foot high. It might be. It might also be 1" of snow on top of 11" of ice. Or it might actually be 2 feet deep. Your muffler will let you know if you've guessed wrong.
• 4-wheel drive does not replace intelligence. 'Nuff said.
• Given that you're not going to brake and you have minimal ability to turn, drive at half the normal speed. It's also a good speed to observe other people losing control and spinning out.
• If visibility is less than 100 meters (300 feet), use your headlights and flashers. They'll see your lights before they see you. Will it be enough? Depends on whether they suffering from weather-induced idiocy or not.
• Winter wiper blades work a lot better than the other kind, unless you think that wiping your windshield with blocks of ice is exciting.

I'm sure those of you who drive in winter conditions know all this stuff. For the rest of you, it's a learned skill that gets relearned every winter with the first snowfall.