Venting.

[ThreadJack]

It's the same here--an ice storm, a little snow, or even excessively cold temperatures can close the schools (the last sadly due to lack of heating on the buses and some households not having proper winter gear for the kids ).  We just do not have snow removal resources.  The best we can do IF there is no rain before the incoming storm is salt the most important roads and cross our fingers.  If it ices over, you're just not going out.  And if it snows you can get out but you'd better fear the idiots on the road that don't know how to drive in it.  But when it comes to the lack of snow equipment, why would we have it when in a normal year it only snows or ices 2 times on average?  In a more severe winter (by our standards) that can mean running out of salt for the road, but I've only seen that a couple times ever.

Don't worry, people here magically forget how to drive in snow over the summer, even though we live in a state that gets a ton of it every year.

[Landen Se-Sentien]

Don't worry, people here magically forget how to drive in snow over the summer, even though we live in a state that gets a ton of it every year.

Same here.

Driver A: "Ack! What's this white stuff falling from the sky? I should drive 10 mph on the highway."
Driver B: "My truck can still go 85 in a 55 through this stuff!"
All other drivers: "Wow! Did you see that truck spin out, cross three lanes and totally wipe out the rear end of that slow car?"

[Darth Justicar]

Same here.

Driver A: "Ack! What's this white stuff falling from the sky? I should drive 10 mph on the highway."
Driver B: "My truck can still go 85 in a 55 through this stuff!"
All other drivers: "Wow! Did you see that truck spin out, cross three lanes and totally wipe out the rear end of that slow car?"

And then there's one for this area...

"OMG, ICE!  BRAKE BRAKEBRAKEBRAKE!"  ::fishtail, spin out:::

"Oh, it's above freezing, this elevated highway will be juuuust fine on this bridge that goes into a curve--"  ::fishtail, spin out, slam into barrier::

[ThreadJack]

Same here.

Driver A: "Ack! What's this white stuff falling from the sky? I should drive 10 mph on the highway."
Driver B: "My truck can still go 85 in a 55 through this stuff!"
All other drivers: "Wow! Did you see that truck spin out, cross three lanes and totally wipe out the rear end of that slow car?"

Driver in C: "Oh crap, it's snowing! I'd better drive to the tire shop RIGHT THIS MINUTE, and get these bald summer tires off!"

*Hydroplanes across all four lanes of highway, right into the wrecked truck and slow car.*

[Landen Se-Sentien]

Yeah, a good rule of thumb is to pay attention to the semis. First, their professional drivers. Most of them know what they're doing and can drive circles around us in comparable vehicles. Second, they have a lot of power and weight to be able to get through the conditions. So if they're slowing down or pulling over, then maybe the cars and truck should, too.

Again, just a generality, but it is a good one.

[Darth Justicar]

One caveat to that: it does make a difference which company said semi driver drives for.  When I used to drive extensively for work, I learned really quickly which semis were likely to be civil on the road and which ones were going to be aggressive jerks just by the company.

[Landen Se-Sentien]

Like I said, it's a general rule. If you notice the semis around you changing the way they drive, you probably should, too.

[Noctis]

That happens when we have heavy rain here.  Everyone FREAKS OUT, even though we have heavy rains several times a month ALL YEAR.  It floods quickly here and a lot of people think they can drive through flood waters and I'm just like . . .  :

They hydroplane, skid out of control, and cause a 10 car pile up.  It's VERY common and I am disturbed by this.

[ThreadJack]

Pennsylvanians have no concept of changing their driving to fit the conditions. Neither do New Yorkers, or New Jersians.....actually it's the whole East Coast.

[Vivectius]

Pennsylvanians have no concept of changing their driving to fit the conditions. Neither do New Yorkers, or New Jersians.....actually it's the whole East Coast.

This too is true.  Here they don't forget how to drive in snow between the seasons, they forget between snowfalls, sometimes even just while they're at work..  Even when the snow falls for days consecutively, people forget.  And I live in a city where there are two seasons, winter and Fourth of July weekend.

[ThreadJack]

This too is true.  Here they don't forget how to drive in snow between the seasons, they forget between snowfalls, sometimes even just while they're at work..  Even when the snow falls for days consecutively, people forget.  And I live in a city where there are two seasons, winter and Fourth of July weekend.

Yup. I see this, it's true.

[Noctis]

This too is true.  Here they don't forget how to drive in snow between the seasons, they forget between snowfalls, sometimes even just while they're at work..  Even when the snow falls for days consecutively, people forget.  And I live in a city where there are two seasons, winter and Fourth of July weekend.

Whereas we have summer and  "that one day sometime in January/February where there is ice for 5 seconds."

[Vivectius]

Whereas we have summer and  "that one day sometime in January/February where there is ice for 5 seconds."

I'll trade ya.

[Noctis]

I'll trade ya.

Everyone that says that spends a week here in August and is crying for their cold weather in a matter of hours.  With the humidity comes bugs that can kill you and tires literally melting onto the pavement.  Also, hurricanes, flash floods, and tornadoes.

But I won't lie.  I love it here and I'm okay with all of that because we have New Orleans and the rest of the world doesn't.   

[Drahcir]

In contrast people come her saying, oh the dry heat is so nice compared to back home and then they end up in the hospital because staying hydrated is something you actively have to do here. I can't tell you how many people have to be airvac'd out of here because they thought a few water bottles would be enough to sustain them for the day.