OT - Snow Storm 2021

Submitted by 615Wolverine on February 14th, 2021 at 9:12 PM

Happy Valentines Day MgoBlog. I enjoyed that comeback from behind win against the Badgers but now my wife and kids are inside getting ready for this snow storm. It is 16 degrees here in Nashville, TN. The snow just started to drop and the roads are icier then our teams shooting today in the first half. It looks like most of the country is hit with an ice storm or getting ready to. No matter where you are, I hope everyone is safe on this chilly night. Drive safe if you are out there on the roads, Go Blue! 

rob f

February 15th, 2021 at 12:34 AM ^

Old-fashioned studded tires are about the only way to get around on a sheet of ice. I think most states banned them decades ago because of the road damage they cause.

Staying home is the only safe option during an ice storm. A fueled-up generator should be enough to get most folks down south through it all until the ice melts away. 

blueheron

February 15th, 2021 at 7:49 AM ^

Underrated remark, DHughes.

A certain kind of northerner likes to think he can drive better than all southern folk, and as winter goes that's probably generally accurate. But (speaking as an Upper Midwesterner), the worst conditions I've ever personally experienced were in ... Dallas (ice storm of a couple of days).

Carpetbagger

February 15th, 2021 at 9:44 AM ^

I've only been here 3 winters now, but we still haven't had measurable precipitation in that time. This ice has made it a no-travel zone for about a day or so now, but I think I could go to Walmart if I needed to. If they were open, which is not guaranteed down south. Snow predicted today, but I think there was last night too.

We lived in Chattanooga for several years as well, and we had 6 inches of snow there twice one winter, an no other measurable precipitation the whole time there. It's a crapshoot.

bronxblue

February 14th, 2021 at 9:45 PM ^

Wish everyone luck the next couple of days.  And I know this shouldn't need to be said but if you do need to drive, use common sense.  I get not everywhere salts properly and it can difficult driving in slippery conditions if you aren't used to it, but it's always jarring seeing these 100+ car pileups in places that aren't used to snow and reports pointing out they were caused by people driving too fast on the roads.  

yossarians tree

February 15th, 2021 at 10:43 AM ^

My concern for all you southerners is the cold. Snow and ice and big car pile-ups get all the headlines, but I've gotta imagine a lot of people way down south do not have heat in their homes. One cold night is one thing, but multiple days in a row of single digits in places like Louisiana or Mississippi has got to be very dangerous. The weather guy was standing there in OKC in a blizzard at 4 degrees with minus 17 wind chill. I said to my wife shit that is a really bad winter storm for Michigan.

Blue@LSU

February 14th, 2021 at 9:45 PM ^

The "real feel" temperature is 24 here right now and dropping. Gonna drop to 16 degrees tomorrow night. That's pretty damn cold down here. My house is pier-and-beam style, so all of the pipes are exposed under the house. I covered the open crawl-space with visqueen today and have to leave the faucets dripping tonight or the pipes will freeze. Also have an outdoor shelter set up for some neighborhood stray cats--I really feel for the animals and people that don't have any shelter in this weather. 

Can't wait for Tuesday for the temps to get above freezing again. Stay safe and warm, y'all!

outsidethebox

February 14th, 2021 at 9:46 PM ^

Forty years ago, in my late twenties, we lived in Americus, GA for a couple years. They would cancel school and shut down the town if snow was predicted-really, they would...happened a couple times...never was there any accumulation. (I have never seen HS football played with that skill or intensity-neither before nor since-OMG!)

Now in South Central Kansas-it has been between -5 and 15 for a week...another week to go per the predictions. There are rumors that the world is about to end...it's not all that dissimilar to Americus. 

My wife is from North Dakota. 

blueheron

February 15th, 2021 at 7:55 AM ^

I was just thinking of the potato joke, which goes something like this:

At a military conference a Russian general reported that his men were supplied with 2000 calories per day on battlefields. An American general countered that his men got 3500 calories. The Russian said "Impossible, no man can eat that many potatoes."

blueheron

February 15th, 2021 at 8:00 AM ^

Yeah, I know. Same here. I'd suggest that you're missing the point. In several areas of the country they're getting "out of spec" winter weather.

It wouldn't make sense for a Deep South town to have multiple snow plows ready for something like this. It's "black swan" weather to some degree for them and it's going to be difficult.

befuggled

February 15th, 2021 at 9:18 AM ^

Exactly.

I would add that it sounds like a lot of areas are getting a lot of ice, which is hard to prepare for even in the North. I'm in Toronto now, which was paralyzed for a couple of days by an ice storm several years ago. Trees fell and power lines were knocked out all over the city.

Salt trucks can't help with that, and it's not like they have a lot of them in the Deep South.

ih8losing

February 14th, 2021 at 9:57 PM ^

Just got back from ski weekend with the family at Caberfae. Yes, today was very cold out on the slopes but the kiddos were troopers and loved getting out there. Happy to get home and see a Michigan win to close out a great weekend! 
 

stay warm and safe everyone!

NittanyFan

February 14th, 2021 at 10:01 PM ^

Texas has 254 counties.  EVERY SINGLE ONE of them was under a Winter Storm Warning as of this morning.  From El Paso to Amarillo to Houston to Brownsville and all places in between.

Definitely a historic weather event.

Jack Hammer

February 14th, 2021 at 10:11 PM ^

Had about a foot of snow fall in Seattle this weekend.  Already melting and should be gone quickly.  Enjoy having snow for a couple days then not having to deal with it for long.  

xtramelanin

February 14th, 2021 at 10:19 PM ^

Pretty jealous you all are getting a nice snow.  We’ve been gipped up north this year.  Be safe though, enjoy it.

LSAClassOf2000

February 14th, 2021 at 10:32 PM ^

I grew up in Metro Detroit, and my wife is from Chicago, so we see this forecast and just shrug our shoulders before running out to get a couple bags of salt and making sure the shovels are on standby.