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Post by davidbeegah on Jan 8, 2014 0:52:57 GMT -5
I live in Salem, Oregon about halfway between Portland and Eugene. So I cannot complain. Stay safe and warm everyone in Jack Frost's Path.  |
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Post by nondescript spice on Jan 8, 2014 12:22:28 GMT -5
it's 25 degrees here now. amazing how much of a difference that makes. still pretty frigid when i was leaving for work. i was walking across my yard and the grass felt like concrete.  ^ a bubble freezing at -10. |
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Post by dph on Jan 28, 2014 8:01:36 GMT -5
The polar vortex has come to Louisiana and the proverbial crap has hit the fan. By the look of the stores yesterday, you'd swear a Cat 5 hurricane was coming ashore, all for up to 3 inches of expected snow. Last Friday we got a few inches of snow, sleet, and freezing rain that froze all the bridges and hwys. I went out and tested the roads before daylight. That was the most butt-clinching ride of my life. I saw lots of vehicles in the ditches and medians. State police and tow services were so busy with accidents, that if your vehicle wasn't blocking the road and there were no injuries, your vehicle was abandoned until conditions improved. Remember when you see these pictures, that this is extremely rare for Louisiana, our DOT is not prepared for such an event and our roads aren't maintained for this kind of event. My guess is this guy is a driver from up North who thought we were over reacting, no realizing that DOTD hadn't done anything to prepare the roads for this. Witnesses said he passed up a vehicle at terrific speed, and as he tried to merge back to the right, he started fish tailing and jumped the levee into the field. He must have nudged the power pole because the crossarms on the next pole and one further down seem to have broken.   This bridge, like all others had iced over. Now I know what that sign means when it says "Bridge Ices before Road"  Snow staying on the ground for more than a few hours is unheard of here in those rare occasions that we do get snow.  Snowy field.  This is one of the worst roads I went down because of the light traffic.  This curve was rough, even in 4wd. Had to take the blind side.   This is the road I live down. I was afraid to do more than idle around the curve because of all the slipping. There is a clear ice sheen on the road.  Snow accumulation at my front steps.  After all was said and done, there were over 35 accidents in my parish. A dusk to dawn curfew was enacted. In the Acadiana Area (a group of Southwestern Louisiana Parishes considered to be Cajun Country) there were over 200 accidents and 3 fatalities. This all may not seem to be much to Northerners, but take these stats into account: -At this time of year, in South Louisiana, the average high is 65F -Friday, Lafayette, LA (the heart of Acadiana)the high temperature (in the low 20's) was lower than highs in Minnesota and even Anchorage, AL. As I type this, Sneaux Day, Part Deux has begun, and it is sleeting outside. I've got the order this time to stay put and NOT go to work. SNEAUX DAY!! |
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Post by TheNewMads on Jan 28, 2014 9:07:59 GMT -5
Just here, strummin' my old gee-tar in this dark room, singin' the polar vortex blues...  i agree with mod - the media has blown this into a monster. it is unusual for us to have temps this cold, but it isn't as if it hasn't happened before (i believe it was '85 for the last time). it's 9 degrees here, with a wind chill of -8. but when you get to a certain temperature, does it even matter what it is? cold is freaking cold. well in chicago it's like -40. i bet the difference is noticeable. you never know. i went out yesterday, it was about 34. felt like april. i went out today, it was about 10, with a 0 wind chill, and it didn't feel too bad. we've been hitting -5, -10 pretty regularly. I used to think, okay, anything under the teens and it's just too cold for words. but now that we've been at it a couple weeks, on and off, i'm starting to feel the nuanced differences between extremely cold and horrifically cold. |
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