Snow

[gregintenn]

As of right now, the road I live on is absolutely the slickest substance I have ever driven  on in my entire life! You simply cannot stand on it. You will be at best gently gliding in one direction or another.

[gregintenn]

18 minutes ago, MacGyver said:

We took 16 scouts and 7 adults. I hate the cold - but you have the opportunity to teach so many lessons you just won’t get to teach otherwise.

Starting a fire in the snow might save your life one day. You can’t teach it if you’re not out in it.

I was really surprised that we had that many go - because it was truly cold.  But I chalk that up to two things:

1. We’ve fostered an amazing amount of trust. Our parents know the ASMs and trust that we won’t put our scouts in situations where they’re in real danger.  To be clear - cold like that we had this weekend is truly dangerous - but everything we did had guardrails.  Being uncomfortable is fine. A lot of learning happens there.  But, you need to have comfort as a parent that those guardrails are there.  

2. After a week of snow - we had a bunch of parents who were like, “you need to be out of my house - right now.”

Everyone was in zero degree bags - some with liners.  We actually slept in a shelter - so sleeping temp was probably in the mid 20s.  Where the boys slept was likely a few degrees warmer than that due to the fact that they were packed in there like sardines. 

I remember those days. At least one kid would invariably show up wearing shorts and a t shirt. Good times!

[MacGyver]

Just now, gregintenn said:

I remember those days. At least one kid would invariably show up wearing shorts and a t shirt. Good times!

We have one scout who is absolutely all gas no brakes.

At one point yesterday I looked at him, and he was in one of our class B shirts - which is a dri-fit t-shirt. He was wearing snow pants - but he was sweating from all the activity. His metabolism must be roughly equivalent to a formula 1 car  

 

[gregintenn]

Just now, MacGyver said:

We have one scout who is absolutely all gas no brakes.

At one point yesterday I looked at him, and he was in one of our class B shirts - which is a dri-fit t-shirt. He was wearing snow pants - but he was sweating from all the activity. His metabolism must be roughly equivalent to a formula 1 car  

 

Little boys just don’t get cold. My parents used to beat my hind end just to get me to wear a jacket.

[Tom B]

Gotta say I had a good chuckle reading this thread, after living most of my life in CT.

 

For those that dont particularly like the way other folks seem to be moving here to TN (among other warmer, southern states) ,  picture the weather you have had for the past week or so lasting from November to April, only with a lot more snow. I remember a winter a few years before we moved that we seemed to get a blizzard every week in Jan and Feb. My mailbox was actually hidden by the snow for a week, had to dig it out when I was shoveling. The fact that I worked outside was the prime motivation for moving south.

 

Moving here was the first time I moved without packing a shovel and snowblower-lol.

For some strange reason my area only got a few inches of snow, I hear Knox got 10+ inches.

Edited January 21 by Tom B

[FUJIMO]

13 minutes ago, Tom B said:

Gotta say I had a good chuckle reading this thread, after living most of my life in CT.

 

For those that dont particularly like the way other folks seem to be moving here to TN (among other warmer, southern states) ,  picture the weather you have had for the past week or so lasting from November to April, only with a lot more snow. I remember a winter a few years before we moved that we seemed to get a blizzard every week in Jan and Feb. My mailbox was actually hidden by the snow for a week, had to dig it out when I was shoveling. The fact that I worked outside was the prime motivation for moving south.

 

Moving here was the first time I moved without packing a shovel and snowblower-lol.

For some strange reason my area only got a few inches of snow, I hear Knox got 10+ inches.

This was more a "valley snow" according to what Todd Howell on wbir reported. Apparently we were in the bottom of the valley as we still have plenty of snow. We went to Newport yesterday and there's no comparison. Strangest weather I've seen here in years

[Darrell]

Well, I live at a little bit of elevation, surely not in a valley, and we have 6" of frozen snow on the ground right now, and a passable but hazardous road to civilization. My expectation is that it will melt tomorrow and Tuesday... at least I hope so.

Edited January 22 by Darrell

[FUJIMO]

4 minutes ago, Darrell said:

Well, I life at a little bit of elevation, surely not in a valley, and we have 6" of frozen snow on the ground right now, and a passable but hazardous road to civilization. My expectation is that it will melt tomorrow and Tuesday... at least I hope so.

Sorry, I should have been more clear. For Knoxville and folks east of there. Crab Orchard and the Plateau is like the Bermuda triangle

[papa61]

1 hour ago, Tom B said:

Gotta say I had a good chuckle reading this thread, after living most of my life in CT.

 

For those that dont particularly like the way other folks seem to be moving here to TN (among other warmer, southern states) ,  picture the weather you have had for the past week or so lasting from November to April, only with a lot more snow. I remember a winter a few years before we moved that we seemed to get a blizzard every week in Jan and Feb. My mailbox was actually hidden by the snow for a week, had to dig it out when I was shoveling. The fact that I worked outside was the prime motivation for moving south.

 

Moving here was the first time I moved without packing a shovel and snowblower-lol.

For some strange reason my area only got a few inches of snow, I hear Knox got 10+ inches.

From the time I was around a year old until I was 16 we lived in Toledo Ohio, yes I have seen worse. But we aren't equipped for it here so those of us who can just stay home. I didn't know they closed school for snow until I was 16 years old. Blizzard that year . First got 6 inches or so then before the streets were cleared we had freezing rain followed by 17 plus inches of snow. It was a mess. I delivered the newspaper back then and not one of my customers missed a single copy. You just get used to it. Of course I was dragging my bag on top rather than carrying it as my weight went through the top layers to the ice. Perishables like milk were hard to come by for a few days and it took the National Guard a while to dig out the airport and some roads. The drifts buried an 18 wheeler on Airport Rd.. I could tell a lot more horror stories but y'all get the idea.

[gregintenn]

1 hour ago, Tom B said:

Gotta say I had a good chuckle reading this thread, after living most of my life in CT.

 

For those that dont particularly like the way other folks seem to be moving here to TN (among other warmer, southern states) ,  picture the weather you have had for the past week or so lasting from November to April, only with a lot more snow. I remember a winter a few years before we moved that we seemed to get a blizzard every week in Jan and Feb. My mailbox was actually hidden by the snow for a week, had to dig it out when I was shoveling. The fact that I worked outside was the prime motivation for moving south.

 

Moving here was the first time I moved without packing a shovel and snowblower-lol.

For some strange reason my area only got a few inches of snow, I hear Knox got 10+ inches.

Snow is one thing. Bring your Yankee brethren here and show me how to drive in this ice hockey rink of a road I live on. Hint: it is covered in shiny ice, but is in no way flat.

[aknifemaker]

Snow is one thing but this icy stuff, woff you need studded tires or chains

[Tom B]

28 minutes ago, gregintenn said:

Snow is one thing. Bring your Yankee brethren here and show me how to drive in this ice hockey rink of a road I live on. Hint: it is covered in shiny ice, but is in no way flat.

Not surprising, not many folks in New England know how to dive in snow and ice either-lol.

When I was a kid my father owned a gas station/repair shop. For all of Oct and Nov all we did was stud tires. 95% of cars back then were rear wheel drive. You werent going anywhere without studs.

[monkeylizard]

Nashville Channel 17 was interviewing a couple of younger guys in the West Nashville area (around Charlotte at 35th if you know those hills up to the tall & skinnies). One of them said something like "we're from the northeast so we know how to drive on snow but this is all ice. We can't get out of our driveway."

and I'm like . . . "yup".

[jpx2rk]

I live mid-way between Knoxville and 'Nooga, and my back yard is still a frozen wasteland, the snow is melting some during the days from underneath, not from the top down, so it's just like owl snot when I walk the dog.  Previous footprints have melted/re-frozen several times, so that's all the traction there is.  Dog with 4 leg drive even has issues.  LOL.  

Our SD road has been clear for a couple days, but our drive was a solid sheet of ice until yesterday at noon, and I went out with shovel and was able to bust up the ice for the most part and it's now clear so we can get out if we want/need.  We can see Hwy 68 from our house and traffic has been moving along pretty good for a couple days, but the driveway was iced over and I just didn't try to get out cause I didn't have to, so I didn't.  LOL  Temps to hit the mid 40's today, so everything will turn to mush from the melting snow, and then the 2-4" of rain coming this weekend will be different anyways.  LOL

[Sleep profit]

I am ready for spring I got driveway cleared but walkways solid ice roadways near me is treacherous until you get to main roads. 40 degrees will feel good  13 degrees now 

Edited January 22 by Sleep profit

[gregintenn]

DO they even still sell studded tires anywhere?

[Darrell]

This is the county road I must take to get to town, and my own driveway, which I cleared as best I could a few days ago. I know the county doesn't have the snow-clearing equipment to keep the county roads clear, but if it had been plowed right after the snow it would be fine now. Obviously, quite a few people are driving on it, but I'll wait another day.

 

Edited January 22 by Darrell

[Darrell]

And my ice-dam is getting close to collapsing:

 

[-boatman-]

47 minutes ago, gregintenn said:

DO they even still sell studded tires anywhere?

Here you go. https://www.discounttire.com/buy-tires/nokian-tire-hakkapeliitta-lt3-studded/p/103527

[jpx2rk]

48 minutes ago, gregintenn said:

DO they even still sell studded tires anywhere?

I believe they are outlawed except in the northern territories due to road damage, etc.

[jpx2rk]

1 minute ago, Darrell said:

And my ice-dam is getting close to collapsing:

 

I've got a 60 ft long ice dam on the east side of the house, I'm hoping the weight of the ice doesn't take the gutter down to the ground.  

[Tom B]

13 minutes ago, jpx2rk said:

I believe they are outlawed except in the northern territories due to road damage, etc.

Back then we were able to use them from Nov 1st to April something

[BigK]

My cul-de-sac has a decent grade to it and was still nearly a solid sheet of ice ice over an inch thick yesterday. When we left for church I slid to the bottom and barely avoided mailboxes on the way down. It was a lot safer going back up in 4WD than going down.

[gary_boom]

Where I use to work bought us Winter Walkers cleat like things to slip over our boots. They really help when walking on snow and ice. A lot of us are just one fall away from the nursing home.

[Erik88]

1 hour ago, gregintenn said:

DO they even still sell studded tires anywhere?

I'm not sure if I shared this but when we went to Finland in November our rental had studded snow tires. I was amazed at how much traction I had. They mandate snow tires there and do not use salt. They put down crushed gravel. Even the buses had no issue getting up and down snow covered hills. Never saw a single wreck. I'm a believer in studded snow tires. 

Took me 15 minutes to get my wife's car out of our driveway this morning even with traction boards. This storm taught me you really have to shovel the snow before it turns to ice. I won't make that mistake again.