Ice Storm Tales -- Read and Share your Best Ones

[PNW Judy]

Such a light dusting. Did this make all of Louisiana go nutty? How long did it last? I'm guess about an hour? We woke up Friday morning to such a light dusting ourselves. Odd at this time of year. It was gone as soon as the clouds cleared at about 10am.

Foy, I missed reading your story before. It is a real hoot. I'm absolutely chuckling.

[lhuff]

It actually went on for 5-6 hours. We were worried that bridges were going to start closing, so lots of places closed up shop early. The stuff pretty much melted as soon as it hit the ground since it had been so hot the day(s) before. They said we actually got about 2 inches out here, but you'd never have known it from what stayed on the ground.

[PNW Judy]

For that? LOL....you guys are funny! Was there any real ice under that dusting of snow? That would change things a tad bit.

[lhuff]

It was sleeting and snowing on and off all day. The real concern is the bridges around here. Many of our roads are built off the ground and tend to freeze very fast when there's cold weather. You've got to remember that there are little creeks and bayous and rivers all over the place here. I've seen I-49 freeze and stay that way for two to three days. Also, we might have one sand truck that I think the city forgets about.

I know it sounds silly to people who live where it actually snows and freezes on a regular basis. But it's a sub-tropical climate here. We're used to the heat and humidity, not snow.

Laura

[PNW Judy]

We rarely get snow here. When we do, people freak a bit. But we are used to ice. Ice is far more common with all our rain. What's worse is what we call black ice. It's such a thin sheath you can't see it. Even if the temperature is in the 40's, we can get it. It might be on roads where the trees or a big dip keeps the sun from getting there.

We don't have snowplows here either. Except for the DOT for the state highways. We do have trucks that dump sand or gravel though. So I guess we're a tad more ready than you guys are.

What's scary to me is all the folks with big 4x4s who think this means they can keep traveling at posted speeds, or even higher, when it's icey. I can't tell you how many times I've seen them slip and slide around, endangering other cars, because they think they're invincible. Drives me batty. I'm very sure of my own driving in these conditions. I'm very suspicious of everybody else. :)

[UKCraig]

What's scary to me is all the folks with big 4x4s who think this means they can keep traveling at posted speeds, or even higher, when it's icey. I can't tell you how many times I've seen them slip and slide around, endangering other cars, because they think they're invincible. Drives me batty.

Don't take this the wrong way but the driving standards in the US are very often woeful when it comes to tricky weather. I have seen all manner of kamikazi driving when it starts to rain so the idea of being on the roads after it' snowed or during icey conditions would worry me intensely.

I'm very sure of my own driving in these conditions. I'm very suspicious of everybody else. :)

That is the only way to be. In any condition. But especially during bad weather when everyone is intent on sitting at the wheel with the cruise control stuck on...

[Foy]

Foy, I missed reading your story before. It is a real hoot. I'm absolutely chuckling.

Glad you enjoyed it, Judy. It's 100% true, too, right down to my favorite album playing in the 8-track and the fact that I never got more than two words out of Mary Powell again. Well, perhaps 3. Seems like she finally said something like "Leave me alone" to end our last conversation. Oh well.

Foy

[Mark Sedenquist]

The third comment was, however, the only music a defeated Road Warrior could have heard in solace: "How in the hell did you DO that?".

That comment alone would have peaked my interest in Mary Powell -- too bad it didn't work out.... Great tale -- I have had one or two in similar vein -- but your description was very, very engaging -- made my fingers sweat with the visualization of the experience.

Mark

[rohan.ub]

I am originally from Delhi, India and remember clearly when selecting my university in America for my undergraduate studies that I wanted to be somewhere cool. Got admission in SUNY Buffalo and Arizona State Univ. and my dad said choose ASU as the weather is not extreme there but me being a fan of cold weather chose SUNY Buffalo. Although now after 5 years and graduated I don’t regret choosing Buffalo especially after being stuck in 2 massive snow storms. My first encounter was when one fine day in October I walked to the university in my flip flops on a pleasant sunny afternoon and what followed had me jumping like a monkey ( not by the excitement of seeing the biggest snow mountain in my univ. but by skipping and hoping just to avoid jamming my legs in the pile of snow which were effectively protected by my flip flops BTW!!) Fortunately I saw a bus coming to take me home and as I was standing at the bus stop, caught fellow students giving me the "whats wrong with you look" with my feet socked in snow.
Anyways so I got back home and before I could bring back my feet and the whole body to normality, the electricity goes off. What followed and to cut long story short I and my roommates were without electricity, heat, hot water for 4 days and even food because the super markets had to throw all their supplies due to lack of electricity.

My second encounter with the white monster happened when I had to drive urgently from Providence, RI to Buffalo, NY. Saturday morning it is and I switch on the weather channel just to see how the weather in Buffalo is and to my unsurprising shock there was a huge storm covering area from Buffalo, NY – Columbus, OH. I had to leave anyhow and with god’s name and trust in my car I left. Slashed with heavy rains, my vipers were working over time right from Providence till Albany, NY through I-90. Luckily the rains As I moved along and stopped around Syracuse for gas, I asked the gas station attendant about how is the weather ahead. He asked till where I was going and I saw that “what’s wrong with you” look again in his eyes when I told him I was headed to Buffalo. After seeing the weather report and almost crapping in my pants and swallowing all the spit back in….I moved along. It was getting darker at around 6 pm and snow getting harder. As I hit Buffalo suddenly something happened and I thought I have been engulfed in this bubble of snow much like an avalanche. That was really a mind, eyes, heart, mouth and every body part opener. By this time the roads had been covered in snow and night already. As I moved along, it was getting much harder and all the cars moving along were kind of skidding around and making driving much harder. The snow was real heavy and all I could do is follow the tail lights to keep the track of the road. Saw plenty of cars and even trucks stuck in snow as they fell fof the road but I had to keep moving along. Following tail lights and keeping my eyes as wide open I could, after 100 miles I finally reached my Super 8 motel and to my amazement, I was invited with the car getting stuck in a pile of snow just before I was about to pull into the parking lot and I thought WOW!! Made it through the whole snow storm for 100 miles and nothing happened and now this!!

[PNW Judy]

Far better to get stuck at the hotel than on the highway somewhere though! Funny how that happened.