Trains.com

nasty weather here

6593 views
40 replies
1 rating 2 rating 3 rating 4 rating 5 rating
  • Member since
    May 2003
  • From: US
  • 25,292 posts
Posted by BaltACD on Thursday, January 23, 2014 10:25 PM

garr

tree68

Meanwhile, in DC, they've got two inches of snow (with a little more coming) and they're closing up...

Two inches?  Sheesh.  We just leave a little earlier to get where we're going.  The only reason schools close (or delay) is because they have parking lots to clear...

If that is all it takes to shut DC down, I say we get some snow making machines, place them thru out DC and run 'em full bore 24/7/365 (366 in the leap years)!

Jay

The 'Greater DC Area' including suburban Baltimore got up to a foot of the white stuff and air temps have been in the single digits with breezes in the 10 to 20 MPH range.  Wind Chill and drifting!

When it comes to driving in snow, ones ability gets diminished by the near proximity one is to other drivers.  When you are driving by yourself and no one else is on the road - you can make a error in judgement and have the space to take recovery actions and not do any damage.  When you make that same error in judgement and other traffic is mere feet from you in every direction - you have no room to make recovery actions without hitting someone or something.

One would expect that with all the HOT AIR the comes from Congress the Capital Area would immunized against cold and snow.

Never too old to have a happy childhood!

              

  • Member since
    December 2001
  • From: Northern New York
  • 25,019 posts
Posted by tree68 on Friday, January 24, 2014 6:22 AM

Around DC they start closing stuff up based on the forecast of winter weather.  Was there two successive weekends some years ago when winter storms were forecast.  Not a flake of snow in the air yet (Thursday evening) and the schools had already thrown in the towel.

Here in the "northern woods," it takes a pretty serious forecast to cause such an action.  Usually the school transportation people head out about 4AM to see how things look.  As I've mentioned before, the biggest issue is usually getting parking lots cleared, not the roads.

LarryWhistling
Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) 
Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you
My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date
Come ride the rails with me!
There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...

  • Member since
    November 2005
  • From: Hope, AR
  • 2,061 posts
Posted by narig01 on Friday, January 24, 2014 6:34 AM
I know I shouldn't complain it's only 16 deg f this morning down here in SW Ar. It is basically cold.
Think warm everybody spring is just around the corner!!
Or to put it another way there is a lite at the end of the tunnel!
(But is it daylight or a train?)

Thx IGN
  • Member since
    March 2002
  • 9,265 posts
Posted by edblysard on Friday, January 24, 2014 7:43 AM

Below freezing, light sleet and rain which froze on the overpasses and ramps to the freeways…FWD trucks (four wheeled dummies) all forget that even if all four wheels are pulling, if none of the tires have traction, ya can’t stop once you start down the overpass…lots of spare truck parts near the freeways now, all ya gotta do is stop and pick them up!

¼ ice on most of the road surfaces that have any elevation, swamp folks have lost all common sense…heck, they can’t drive in the rain, much less on ice.

Gonna be a fun day!

23 17 46 11

  • Member since
    December 2001
  • From: Aurora, IL
  • 4,515 posts
Posted by eolafan on Friday, January 24, 2014 7:48 AM
Here in metro Chicago we've had snow about every other day or so and temperatures that drop down to major sub-zero lows at night (minus 12 last night) and highs in the single digits (high here in Aurora of plus 4 yesterday). This winter bites!
Eolafan (a.k.a. Jim)
  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
Posted by Anonymous on Friday, January 24, 2014 9:37 AM

edblysard

Below freezing, light sleet and rain which froze on the overpasses and ramps to the freeways…FWD trucks (four wheeled dummies) all forget that even if all four wheels are pulling, if none of the tires have traction, ya can’t stop once you start down the overpass…lots of spare truck parts near the freeways now, all ya gotta do is stop and pick them up!

¼ ice on most of the road surfaces that have any elevation, swamp folks have lost all common sense…heck, they can’t drive in the rain, much less on ice.

Gonna be a fun day!

 

 

Morning Ed....  It took me an hour and a half to make the 18 mile drive to work here in San Antonio.  It took a while to get my car chiseled out...saw 7 accidents on the way in...mostly overpass spinouts....including a 5 car wreck on US 90 just before I-10.

IF any of you are down in this part of Texas....please be careful if you absolutely have to go out.

 

 

 

  • Member since
    March 2016
  • From: Burbank IL (near Clearing)
  • 13,540 posts
Posted by CSSHEGEWISCH on Friday, January 24, 2014 9:59 AM

On the downwind side of the Lake, northwest Indiana and western Michigan are getting clobbered by lake-effect snow above what everyone else is getting.  The snow can fall in narrow bands with whiteout conditions not uncommon, which may have been one of the causes of the pile-up on I-94 just south of Michigan City.

The daily commute is part of everyday life but I get two rides a day out of it. Paul
  • Member since
    December 2007
  • From: Georgia USA SW of Atlanta
  • 11,919 posts
Posted by blue streak 1 on Friday, January 24, 2014 10:42 AM

The rail mags are going to have a real publishing bonanza with all the winter weather photos this season.  Ice in Texas will give a once in decade picture opportunity.

  • Member since
    June 2001
  • From: US
  • 13,488 posts
Posted by Mookie on Friday, January 24, 2014 4:43 PM

Yesterday we had a high of roughly 16 above. 

Today - in fact just a short time ago - it was 52...above

I raced out of the house at 12:30 to go trackside w/o a jacket.  Didn't even think to grab one. 

Sunny and light south wind. 

2:30 coming home - cloudy and west wind - but still 52.  No snow yet - so part of this dream is wonderful!

Gonna wake up soon and be back in the Land of Oz and Auntie Em!

She who has no signature! cinscocom-tmw

  • Member since
    April 2002
  • From: Northern Florida
  • 1,429 posts
Posted by SALfan on Friday, January 24, 2014 9:17 PM
It has been consistently cold here in almost-Georgia. By the time it ends next week, it will have been mid-20's to low-30's for lows and high-40's to high-60's for highs for about ten days straight, which is very unusual. Usually it rains, turns cold, then gradually warms up over the next five days or so. We have had dry cold fronts every few days recently. Ed, the FWD's in the DC area do exactly the same thing every time the roads get slick.

Narig01- Where in SW AR? We lived in Hot Springs and Russellville. Jay-If all of Congress starts blathering at once, all the snow machines in the world couldn't outweigh the hot air.
  • Member since
    December 2001
  • From: Denver / La Junta
  • 10,820 posts
Posted by mudchicken on Friday, January 24, 2014 10:35 PM

rvos1979
Well, a 20 mile stretch of I80-I94 was plugged solid today, Gary, IN, got nearly two feet of snow. I wisely decided to avoid the mess, IN DOT could not even plow the interstate, so many vehicles were stuck.......

Carl : Something really wrong - I wasn't sent to Gary to finish that job.

Mudchicken Nothing is worth taking the risk of losing a life over. Come home tonight in the same condition that you left home this morning in. Safety begins with ME.... cinscocom-west

Join our Community!

Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.

Search the Community

Newsletter Sign-Up

By signing up you may also receive occasional reader surveys and special offers from Trains magazine.Please view our privacy policy