Off Topic - Weather

[Snaggletooth]

Unusually cold weather in the south - we occasionally have brief spurts of single-digit weather, but it hasn't been above freezing in Tennessee for a whole week. I don't remember the last winter when this has happened.

What really is interesting is the forecast of snow for Thursday. Looking for one inch or thereabouts. The forecast has terrorized the entire region. Schools have announced shutdowns even before the first flake has fallen. Offices and plants alike become totally nonproductive because of everyone on cellphones with their families discussing strategy to deal with this catastrophic emergency.

The TV is full of Kroger "snowbird" reports. Why Kroger? Go in one of their stores and you'll see why. Women of all kinds cramming the isles, reaching around entire racks of bread and raking them en masse into their buggies. The conversation centers around being stuck inside their homes for a week or so. Visions of having to drive in this virtual blizzard, passing cars in ditches and unable to negotiate the highway while the earth is still visible under this half-inch blanket of snow.

My brother in Michigan would fall out of his chair laughing if he saw this on you-tube.
If you live north of Kentucky and had this on film, you would probably send it in to "America's Funniest Videos."

[Black Bart]

Hi neighbor,

What really is interesting is the forecast of snow for Thursday. Looking for one inch or thereabouts. The forecast has terrorized the entire region. Schools have announced shutdowns even before the first flake has fallen. Offices and plants alike become totally nonproductive because of everyone on cellphones with their families discussing strategy to deal with this catastrophic emergency.

Same here. It's still up in the twenties around here and not a flake fallen, but schools are announcing closings right and left. I also was thinkin' "What for?"

[FEDUKE404]

About those southern blizzards...

Well, you just have to understand the craziness that occurs in the southern regions when snowflakes occur. The TV stations have "breaking news" every 30 minutes or so, the correspondents are usually reporting from sides of the treacherous roadways, and everyone is in a rush to buy the obligatory milk and bread. (Some feel that an adequate supply of good Kentucky bourbon is a better alternative!)

I have a friend who moved from VT to NC then back, and he just loved to watch the chaos.

Of course, a couple of years ago there was a mid-afternoon ice/snow storm that left in the deepest areas perhaps an inch of more or less slush. Everybody hopped in their cars at the same time, and instant grid lock occurred. I remember it took me more than an hour to drive about half a mile - the roads were quite negotiable but with everyone backed up no one could move. Some kids were on school buses for hours - basically going nowhere - and many of the buses returned to the schools with the kids being put in a makeshift shelter there. Then you had all of their parents joining the fray to try to make it to the school and back with their darlings.

I'm in the Triangle area and we actually broke 40 degrees today, but the weekend is supposed to put us back into the deep freeze. The snow prediction for Thursday is perhaps two inches - read above paragraph!

FE

[geekgirldany]

Yep, I heard they are already closing the schools around here. I believe I read this is going to be the worst winter for the south since 1978. Which I really don't remember since I was about 5 years old. I really don't remember it every staying cold this long.

I have to bundle up like the kid from "A Christmas Story". Wrap my face and head up... put on the gloves... zip up the winter weather coat. Which I must say I don't like my winter weather coat. I mean it does the job but because it is so so cold I can't wear my more cute winter jackets

It will be chaos tomorrow I'm sure. Not really but there will be a few news stories showing Jasper, GA...."The first snow flakes have now fallen and it is accumulating quickly". I can see it on the news right now

[JohnH]

It's been cold here in Charlotte as well, and I'm sure things will get a little crazy here today since they're calling for some precipitation. Grocery stores aisles will probably be jammed with people. So what's the big deal if you don't have bread or milk for a few days? A can of tuna makes a fine meal even if you don't have bread on hand to make a sandwich. Besides, leaving off some of that white processed flour is actually a good thing for your health.

I always enjoy the conversations with my friends from the northern climates about how they do things back in NY, NJ, MI, etc. Yes, I know you roll out the snow removal equipment and get the job done. I've lived there and I've seen how efficient snow removal can be when you have the right equipment & plenty of operators. But I do't want to pay the high property taxes required to keep that stuff on hand and in good operating condition year-round just to scrape off a few inches of snow a couple of times every year or two. l'll settle for a few days of school closings (it's built into their calendar anyhow) and some business down time. Besides, lots of those people who stay home are government employees, so snow closings have an upside as well.

I just wish the people who don't know how to drive in the stuff would stay home - they make it doubly dangerous for everybody else. And somebody needs to get the word out that just because you own an SUV, that doesn't mean you know how to drive in the snow & ice. Keep the Escalade in the garage - it won't look nearly as sleek with the bumper torn off.

[Black Bart]

Bah, humbug

It's been cold here in Charlotte as well, and I'm sure things will get a little crazy here today since they're calling for some precipitation. Grocery stores aisles will probably be jammed with people. So what's the big deal if you don't have bread or milk for a few days? A can of tuna makes a fine meal even if you don't have bread on hand to make a sandwich. Besides, leaving off some of that white processed flour is actually a good thing for your health.

I always enjoy the conversations with my friends from the northern climates about how they do things back in NY, NJ, MI, etc. Yes, I know you roll out the snow removal equipment and get the job done. I've lived there and I've seen how efficient snow removal can be when you have the right equipment & plenty of operators. But I don't want to pay the high property taxes required to keep that stuff on hand and in good operating condition year-round just to scrape off a few inches of snow a couple of times every year or two. l'll settle for a few days of school closings (it's built into their calendar anyhow) and some business down time. Besides, lots of those people who stay home are government employees, so snow closings have an upside as well.

I just wish the people who don't know how to drive in the stuff would stay home - they make it doubly dangerous for everybody else. And somebody needs to get the word out that just because you own an SUV, that doesn't mean you know how to drive in the snow & ice. Keep the Escalade in the garage - it won't look nearly as sleek with the bumper torn off.

An optimist! How (pick one) depressing/uplifting.

[Gretel]

I woke up to -34 degrees this morning and yesterday the high temperature was 6 degrees. This is the coldest I ever experienced but it brings out the excited adventurer in me. People who have been living here all the time are just bored and it's nothing for them. All a matter of perspective.

I remember the chaos with a little ice or snowflakes when still living in Virginia. People just don't know how to deal with it and didn't learn how to drive in conditions like this, which makes them (not the roads) very dangerous. What I didn't realize until reading the posts today is how much chaos is created through the media. It's fascinating and at the same time make me realize that this is true for any subject reported on. Probably is best to turn off news altogether.

[JON]

From the land of many lakes

It is so cold here even the democrats have their hands in their OWN pockets for a change.

[FEDUKE404]

MUST be an illusion

It is so cold here even the democrats have their hands in their OWN pockets for a change.

But what about all of this global warming that is occurring ?????

FE

[RitaB]

I Know!

Schools have announced shutdowns even before the first flake has fallen.

I was looking at Facebook last night, and people were calling our superintendent all kinds of things because she hadn't called off school yet. Hello?

Well, I guess she has a Facebook account, too, cause she did it off last night. We still have yet to see the first flake this morning. If the snow misses us, those same people will be calling her an idiot...

So my kids are not learning Calculus today cause we're a bunch of scaredy-cats here in Tennessee.

I just had a client to call and say, "Hey, I was just checking to see if you were in today." LOL.

Jon and FE - you guys crack me up. Very funny. Also, love the visuals of ladies raking bread into their carts and Escalades with bumpers torn off, Ron and John!

[AZ-Tax]

Greetings from Warm Dry AZ.....

Hopefully this message will make you professional tax preparers residing in the current frigid air a little warmer.

Today high 70 degreess Tonights low 40. Last check, no snow : )

[JohnH]

But what about all of this global warming that is occurring ?????

FE

Leave it to the Alaskans to find a unique way to put it in perspective.

http://www.compeaus.com/frozen.html

[AuditorTurnedGood]

The TV is full of Kroger "snowbird" reports. Why Kroger? Go in one of their stores and you'll see why. Women of all kinds cramming the isles, reaching around entire racks of bread and raking them en masse into their buggies. The conversation centers around being stuck inside their homes for a week or so. Visions of having to drive in this virtual blizzard, passing cars in ditches and unable to negotiate the highway while the earth is still visible under this half-inch blanket of snow.

This happens here in MN too, actually. There needs to be more than an inch on the way, but I was one of the lucky who had to go to the store on December 23rd, when they were forecasting 18-24 inches of snow over the next three days. The level of chaos was beyond comprehension.

ATG

[Gary]

Keep Quiet

They might all want to move here.

[FEDUKE404]

For your enjoyment...

Title from article on local TV station's weather web page:

"Snowstorm could drop trace to an inch"

LINK: http://www.wral.com/weather/story/6757506/

(I can hear the laughter from the northern climes already!!)

FE