How do you yankees handle this?

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louisgodwin

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A freakish winter storm has all of the Dallas area frozen. We don't know how to drive in this white powdery crap that's falling out of the sky. Our highways look like junkyards. Help!!

(I just came back inside after feeding my horses and am just starting to regain feeling in my hands.)
 

kmm8n

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Ha Ha...we were supposed to get 3-4 inches here in NYC yesterday, but only got a sprinkling. All the kiddies showed up for school. I was there, of course, because we never close school for snow in NYC (or rarely). But, the bonus was that opposite side of the street parking was suspended for the day, so I was able to find parking. My best advice for driving in snow, is watch out for the drivers who don't have much experience driving in it!

Oh, and go with the flow, unless you are going to hit something really big.
 

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louisgodwin said:
A freakish winter storm has all of the Dallas area frozen. We don't know how to drive in this white powdery crap that's falling out of the sky. Our highways look like junkyards. Help!!

(I just came back inside after feeding my horses and am just starting to regain feeling in my hands.)


Louis! Stay home! Leave snow driving to the Yankees. Trust me.
 

louisgodwin

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kmm8n said:
My best advice for driving in snow, is watch out for the drivers who don't have much experience driving in it!
Yeah, but the thing is I'm one of those people!
 

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As a former Yankee, I can tell you, Louis, (and I'm here in this mess with you)--it's not the experience that's lacking so much as it's the snow tires. When I first moved down here we had a freak ice storm and I did just fine. (My snow tires were still on my Mustang; I didn't know they're illegal down here.) The only problem was watching out for all those people on the road without the studded tires...
 

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1.) Don't drive at all unless you have to.

2.) If you have to drive, keep a safe distance between your car and the car in front of you. Keep a steady pressure on the gas peddle. When coming to a stop, don't slam on the brakes; brake really gently. If you go into a skid, DON'T SLAM ON THE BRAKES; gently steer into the direction in which you are skidding, then you can recover control of the car. Depending on the kind of car you drive, it may help to put some extra weight in the trunk, like some bags of kitty litter or the body of an enemy. Keep a shovel, snow brush, extra gloves, some whiskey, and maybe a blanket in the car in case you are stranded. The kitty litter or a few carpet pieces can come in handy for gaining traction if you ever get stuck in the snow.

3.) Don't ever move up north until you know how to drive in the snow.

Good luck!
smile.gif
 

Lantern Jack

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louisgodwin said:
A freakish winter storm has all of the Dallas area frozen. We don't know how to drive in this white powdery crap that's falling out of the sky. Our highways look like junkyards. Help!!

(I just came back inside after feeding my horses and am just starting to regain feeling in my hands.)

I live in Buffalo. It's 22 right now. I just came in from a five-mile run in my shorts, a t-shirt and running shoes, and nuttin' else.

As for advice, I have only this to say: Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha Taste the chill, baby, taste the chill!!!!! ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha....
 

Lantern Jack

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Three hours later:

...ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha...
 

Lantern Jack

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...ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha...
 

kristie911

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It's twelve degrees and snowing here. I walked outside and got the mail in just a sweatshirt and jeans...coats and gloves are for pansies! Leave the driving to the snow lovers with 4 wheel drive. I love winter!!
 

Lantern Jack

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...ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha...(puff from the ole asthma inhaler)...ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha...(my, this is therapeutic)...ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha...
 

threedogpeople

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Dallas is not a fun place to be when winter weather happens to find it. My best advice is:

1) only drive if you have to

2) if you drive avoid other cars at all costs ... too many of those Texans don't know how to handle snow and ice. If you happen to meet someone else on the road I would assume that they are going to do something terribly stupid.

3) slow down - the freeways in and out of Dallas are like speedways (big trucks and SUVs going 80 mph) on most days, but now is the time to slow down.

4) enjoy the city being completely shut down, it will all melt in a day or 2 but in the meantime, the roads are pretty empty and it will be very, very quiet at the office.

Judy

PS - I don't think Dallas even has snow handling equipment and they only have a few sand trucks so the roads won't be passable for a day or two.
 

TemlynWriting

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It's 32 degrees (Farenheit) in Houston right now.

I'm going to be spending Christmas in Dallas with friends, and I can only hope they get a snow flurry while I'm there. Last year my friends sent pictures of their snowy yard--they had recreated a Calvin & Hobbes-style scene with homicidal snowmen. It must be a combination of my friend working in a funeral home, and the Calvin-esque sense of humor that she has.

I grew up in New York, so I kinda miss the snow. It's the child within. :)
 

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20 degrees in Austin. Last night as I was driving north on I-35, the state patrol was in the process of closing the southbound lanes. It wasn't as brutal as I'd expected, though.

The tough part, since I grew up in MN and learned how to drive in this crappy freezing rain, is watching how people who only come across this once or twice a year try to drive. I just shake my head and stay off the road. I told my boss yesterday that I'd be in around noon after the locals finished playing bumper cars and spinout. He thought I was kidding. Ha.
 

TemlynWriting

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Update: The weather guy just said that the "feels like" temperature in Houston is 20 degrees. The temperature is dropping, and is currently 28 degrees.
 

Jaycinth

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Up here ( down? whatever....) Maryland, we are lucky in the fact that our ice storms tend to be tempered by snowfall which makes the getting around easier...if you have all season radials. Amen for cat litter amen for carpet pieces and you can always get chains.

The body of an enemy doesn't work because although the clothes give traction, the body actually serves to exacerbate the problem. And eventually you have to replace the enemy. Can you say time consuming?

Best bet is to stay inside and drink the whiskey until spring thaw. . .
 

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it's funny- up here in canada (i'm in toronto) the entire driving population forgets how to drive in the snow. the first snowfall (ours was a few weeks ago) netted something like 200 accidents just in the greater toronto area. about 5 years ago we had such a horrid snowstorm our silly mayor at the time called in the ARMY! the rest of the country hasn't let us forget that!

so although our cities spend millions clearing snow every year, we often are not much better at dealing with winter than our southern counterparts!

hehehe- snow in dallas...reminds me of that "king of the hill" episode when arlen gets a snowfall...
 

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Texans used to be so much Smarter -

I remember a snowfall in Austin (once upon a time)

Only the Yankees dared go out and play in it. Doing donuts in the Safeway parking lot -

If I'd been really smart, I could have picked up extra cash delivering pizza to the homebound....sigh...

What ever you do (and the advice has been very good)

Do it s - l - o - w - l - y. Think. Then act. Don't React. Stay off the Brakes. If you start to slide - wait a second or two. Sometimes your tires will find a grab; correct then. If it's impossible to wait....the >CRASH< effect is a lot less damaging if you are going slow.

ETA: Oh, yeah. Almost forgot. R o l l across those bridges and overpasses. Don't brake and don't accelerate. Just let it roll, baby.
 

louisgodwin

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Lantern Jack said:
...ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha...(puff from the ole asthma inhaler)...ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha...(my, this is therapeutic)...ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha...

Yeah, yeah. Yuck it up. :D lol

Thanks everyone for the advice. I just called in today. I live an hour away from work (without ice or traffic) and have recently traded in my old Blazer for a 2005 Pontiac Vibe and don't feel like wrapping it around a tree.
 

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The kids were very disappointed that they only got a 2-hour delayed opening instead of a day off of school today. There is no visible snow outside, and an ice problem only on some residential streets where we are (north of Dallas). Still, hubby stayed home (he works in Dallas) and it's a nice change in routine. The sun is shining brightly, and the thermometer creeping back up.
 

WerenCole

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As a Yankee living in the moderate south (grew up in Maine and live in Virginia) I don't mind the snow in any way shape or form, that is, in the pure matter of frozen crsystallized liquid falling from the sky. What I don't like the folks who freak out in the snow and cause accidents by overreacting to minor skids and the what not. . . the only real advice I could give is that when you are driving stay in the ruts made by other peoples tires and when you skid out, don't freak out.. . . the car is smarter than you, it will be just fine if you don't start turning the wheel hard and slamming the breaks. . .

as for my own personal thoughts on it snowing in Texas. . . . I agree with Lantern.. . hahahahahahahaha. . . or whatever. . . I like to see the southerners suffer, it brings me pleasure that only a Red Sox victory of the Yankees can match
 

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I'm a born Yank (Iowa-Minnesota area), lived in Dallas for a few years in the 1980s, now dwell in the Real North (Alaska). But while I was in Dallas we had three or four minor snows (a couple of inches at most), and several more bad frosts. The biggest problem with Dallas drivers was an utter lack of comprehension of the desirability of SLOWING DOWN, and the notion that on curves your vehicle tends to want to go straight. Bridges ice over faster and worse than ground-level roads, another mystery to your average Dallasian, even when signs are posted warning of that issue.

Plus, the abundance of small rear-wheel drive pickup trucks with no weight in the rear. Up here we have experienced an abundant immigration of Texans, working for the oil industry, who along with teenagers still favor such idiotic vehicles, and the results on any slippery day are predictable.

caw.
 

Cathy C

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I'm between Austin and Dallas. We got a major dip in temperature (down to 11 overnight), but no snow. But, I'm from Colorado, so it was nothing terribly exciting to me. Just had to drag out the winter coat (which thankfully, I still HAD! :D)


Here are a few tips for when this happens again (which, according to the Weather Channel, will be mid-next week! FYI...)

1. If you are driving with the heater on and you can see oncoming headlights (day or night) reflected on the roadway, it is NOT WATER!! THIS IS ICE and you should slow down immediately by releasing pressure on your accelerator. Do not apply your brake, or you'll wind up in the path of the oncoming car.

2. If you see what appears to be water in your own lane (even if you can't see any oncoming vehicles), but you CANNOT HEAR the sound of water under your wheels, this is also ICE and should be treated with utmost respect. Turn off the radio when driving in cold weather until you're familiar with the sounds around you.

3. If snow is sticking on the pavement of the shoulders, the ground is cold enough that even if you can't see ice, it is probably pretty close to filling in between the chip and seal rocks (really common on roadways here in Texas, instead of traditional asphalt or concrete). The road may look normal, but there won't be any traction for the tires.

4. If you have on the heater and notice any moisture in the air outside (fog, drizzle, light mist around trees), even if there's nothing on your windshield, treat ALL bridges as icy.

5. If you notice black lines about the width of your tires on roadways you're familiar with when it's cold, the tar is probably icy. Nudge over to the lighter colored asphalt toward the shoulder, or toward the center line (provided there are no oncoming cars). You'll have better traction on the lesser used portions of the road, if you have to suddenly brake for deer, etc.

6. If you notice ANY of the above, give several extra car lengths between you and vehicles you're following.
Just a few tips from a former Coloradoan! Drive safely! :)
 

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I was absolutely floored at how many vehicles I saw on the way to work, smashed up in the ditches. Three were upside down. Either the drivers of those upside vehicles or the idiots who hit them were going way too fast.

It took me 90 minutes to drive 15 miles. I should have stayed home, and would have, if I weren't temping. No show = no pay, even on a day like this.

Hopefully the drive home only takes me an hour.
 
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