First Big Storm of Winter

[nachtjaeger]

My daughter was just lamenting that here in NY today. Half-frozen slush gives less traction than packed snow. "Back in the day" the process of plowing and sanding the roads created a mix of packed snow and sand on the road surface. And people used to run snow tires- usually studded- in winter. If too much hardpack snow built up on the roads, the road crews used graders with special blades to shave it down. Now, we have a "bare road policy" that isn't really achievable when we get heavy snow. People get spoiled driving on bare pavement, and then when it comes down heavy they aren't prepared.

Nowadays, except in areas that get frequent Lake Effect, a lot of DOTs aren't prepared for the amounts of snow we got "back in the day." All the big V-plows have been relegated to yard decorations at the shops, and the new trucks aren't speced heavy enough or set up to carry one. Last trucks NYSDOT bought set up to carry a V were the '86 Fords IIRC. I think we have a few specialized trucks up in the Tug Hill area that will carry a V. The new one-way plows are undersized, and the new "patrol wings" are fine for normal snow, but can't be used to cut back banks when they get over two or three feet high.

I wish PennDOT would learn to plow like you guys do, and leave a layer of snow on the road for traction. Down here they insist on scraping the road bare and then you really have to watch for black ice.

[kham]

Lack of skill is also a factor. For a certain age group, they have no clue what it is to drive a vehicle without all the modern technology that decades of hard-learned lessons and testing have given them. I learned to drive, in the winter. On a car with RWD. And ABS was just a cool sci-fi idea. Traction control? I forget what they called it then, but it was usually on muscle cars. Full -time AWD or 4WD? Jeep. Watch any given ep of this seasons Canada's Worst Drivers; the emo assholes there, I'd just beat to death with a fucking tire iron, If I couldn't take their licences for life.

[Mynock]

I miss my old Subaru when it snows. That car was so easy to drift on snowy roads. I can do the same with the Jeep but with the higher center of gravity it's got a much bigger pucker factor.

[kham]

Skies clearing, wind dropping
For, maybe today
Partly
There's someone I need to talk to about these Colorado Lows, since the weather "from Canada" meme is beaten dead ...
Another squall and storm coming tonight , through Sat, maybe another up to 20 cm of new snow. Frigid air persists through Tue. And even then, still below zero.

[PM2K]

Skies clearing, wind dropping
For, maybe today
Partly
There's someone I need to talk to about these Colorado Lows, since the weather "from Canada" meme is beaten dead ...
Another squall and storm coming tonight , through Sat, maybe another up to 20 cm of new snow. Frigid air persists through Tue. And even then, still below zero.

Yeah.... with those Colorado and Texas Lows, we get picked on a lot more, I think...

[Duncan Edwards]

It's 67F outside right now at 8:00 pm. The low tomorrow night, and I am not making this up, is forecast to be 17F. A fifty degree swing in 24 hours. Welcome to Middle Tennessee.

[kham]

That sort of swing is made to get you sick. Colorado, they had 60 , then zero. Bad enough. For someone fighting flu....
Stay indoors unless absolutely necessary. I had to go to drug store today, and making the truck driveable was enough of a chore. Roof and box cover can wait some. Until not snowing. Or milder. Or use a steam hose to get it off

[Fred588]

About the same here. Its was something over 60 a few hours ago and is forecast for about 11 by morning. I guess that is about the same swing from a base a few degrees colder, due to the altitude probably.

It's 67F outside right now at 8:00 pm. The low tomorrow night, and I am not making this up, is forecast to be 17F. A fifty degree swing in 24 hours. Welcome to Middle Tennessee.

[LordMuck]

Lack of skill is also a factor. For a certain age group, they have no clue what it is to drive a vehicle without all the modern technology that decades of hard-learned lessons and testing have given them. I learned to drive, in the winter. On a car with RWD. And ABS was just a cool sci-fi idea. Traction control? I forget what they called it then, but it was usually on muscle cars. Full -time AWD or 4WD? Jeep. Watch any given ep of this seasons Canada's Worst Drivers; the emo assholes there, I'd just beat to death with a fucking tire iron, If I couldn't take their licences for life.

350Z since 2008. Just drive it; I'd rather have that than some awful front wheel drive abortion- It's got a throttle, a clutch and a steering wheel (TC to OFF); what more do you need?

[kham]

Posi-Trac, that's it. Was a GM thing

Well, considering the snowflakes think drifting was only a thing that crappy car movies invented, it's no surprise they shocked! that old heads know all about handling like that. For a long, long time.