OT: 22" of snow and counting

[Hilltopperny]

It's been a while since we've had such an accumulation of snow here. The forecast was for 12" to 18" as of this am, but has now been upped to 24" to 30". Good times! Might get the ecr out tomorrow or the next day. The snowmobiles are out and about so there may be some trails to follow.

[CNY rider]

Incredible storm here.
We are now around 30 inches and still pounding.
When I got to my car after work, it was just a hump in the snow with the side mirror sticking out.
Very fortunate I made it home. Subaru has a customer for life. Well, they already did, but today just confirmed it again. A Subaru with good snows is an absolute beast in the snow.

[dustyrider]

Just watched the entire local college cycling team blow through a stop sign while I walk my dog in a t-shirt, shorts and sandals. Winter will be over in 6 days!

[MattTuck]

I like these kind of big snow dumps, where you can just hunker down for a few days. Of course, I like them in january and february, not march. would rather be riding.

[Hilltopperny]

Incredible storm here.
We are now around 30 inches and still pounding.
When I got to my car after work, it was just a hump in the snow with the side mirror sticking out.
Very fortunate I made it home. Subaru has a customer for life. Well, they already did, but today just confirmed it again. A Subaru with good snows is an absolute beast in the snow.

My wife drives a subaru as well. She is also a subaru for lifer. Her impreza is the most impressive smaller vehicle in terrible weather I've ever driven. Very planted on snow covered roads. Hopefully this storm will be the last of it. I've been braving the cold, but the snow puts a damper on any road riding.

[monarchguy]

Just finished the second round of snowblowing 1+ foot of snow. Wanted to do some cross-country skiiing, guess my chance is here....

[carpediemracing]

Moved the Expedition down to the street (basically unplowed - about 8-12" on it) to clear the snow off of it. My driveway is 21%, uphill going back up. Although I'd just cleared it there was still snow on it. No problems with the snows, in 2WD. With the Expedition I leave it in 2WD to give me a sanity check, i.e. if it doesn't accelerate with gusto then I'm probably traction limited when stopping or slowing.

Any AWD vehicle with snows is going to rock. Many 2WD vehicles with snows will rock, and they will stop and turn better than an AWD with all seasons.

[Bruce K]

Predicted 12-15" and we got maybe 6" of the heaviest, wettest glop!

When it freezes later it is going to be really bad

But not as bad as you guys in upstate NY

Be safe

BK

[R3awak3n]

in the catskils we got hit pretty hard as well. Still coming down a bit. My cable is down but luckily we did not loose power.

[Ken Robb]

73F and sunny at the beach. :D

[R3awak3n]

yeah but how will you appreciate summer when its nothing special

[Hilltopperny]

We had the lights flicker a few times throughout the day, but luckily power stayed on. We got hit with crazy winds a couple weeks ago with lots of downed trees and lost power for a couple of days. I ended up buying a new generator, but I'd prefer not to have use it.

[Hilltopperny]

Dusty rider and Ken I envy your current weather conditions, but I do enjoy what the northeast has to offer.

[Ralph]

It was even miserable riding here in Central Florida this AM. Mid 50's, high wind, no sun.....and most of us were dressed for it to warm up to a sunny 70 or so. So cold had to turn back and head home after 5 miles. Almost wished for snow....a real winter.

[dustyrider]

Dusty rider and Ken I envy your current weather conditions, but I do enjoy what the northeast has to offer.

Born and raised in southern New Hampshire. I understand exactly what New England has to offer! Honestly I shouldn't rub it in. My vacation coming up may be in weather jeopardy if I'm not careful.

[Hilltopperny]

Born and raised in southern New Hampshire. I understand exactly what New England has to offer! Honestly I shouldn't rub it in. My vacation coming up may be in weather jeopardy if I'm not careful.

I'm sure it'll clear up.soon. it's finally starting to slow down here and hopefully warm up in the next couple of weeks:beer:

[shovelhd]

We got about 14" of heavy, wet snow in western MA east of the river. The drive home from work was dicey but the GTI with snows is well planted and predictable. No issues. I saw that Central NY got hammered by this storm backed by lake effect.

[Hank Scorpio]

Snowblower rookie mistake. I had extra belts but no extra shear pins. Doi!

[Hilltopperny]

At least the snow here was fluffy. Shear pins are your friend Hank:D

[parris]

We got slammed pretty good today. The county's under a state of emergency with a travel ban for non emergency personnel that's not expected to be lifted before tomorrow.

We're at 30+ at the house. some places have more a few have a little less. My back is not real happy right now!

We live in Vestal which is the town just to the West of Binghamton.

[Ken Robb]

I love visiting New England, upstate NY, Wisconsin, etc. especially in the Fall.

We do suffer from "Ho Hum-another lovely day in paradise" but I got over feeling guilty about that 40 years ago. :-)

[benb]

This storm sucked here for a "fun quotient" to the storm. No good for winter sports even if I had any patience left for them after all the cleanup.

We maybe got 12" of snow. Much less than the 12-18" we had forecasted. But we probably never had 12" on the ground at once. The snow got incredibly "wet" by noon yesterday and started packing down, with the moisture content steadily increasing as the day went on till it was kind of rain for a little while and then switched to freezing rain.

I cleaned up at just about the right time.. the snowblower was right on the verge of jamming/breaking as I finished. Took 2 hours to clear the driveway, running as slow as it can go in drive. (We have an 8HP 2-stage blower)

Woke up this morning and we've got about 2" of ice completely covering the driveway with 1/4" of snow on top of that. Had to chop the end of the driveway out again this morning with a spade. Snow shovel had no chance and a flat/straight metal shovel wouldn't even get through it. Pretty horrible back breaking stuff, worse than shoveling gravel or dirt IME.

Not real worried about the ice on the driveway as it's supposed to warm up over the next few days, our driveway is dead flat, and we have an Accord and a Subaru (outback) so no issues getting in and out even with the ice. Our driveway is on the north side of the house so melting is an issue, it'd be bad if it was hilly.

I went to work in the morning and then came home at lunch.. my Outback pretty much laughs at all these storms. I don't feel like we get enough snow to get snow tires for it but they'd be fun. It feels like cheating after living here so many years with RWD and FWD cars.. even when I sometimes had snow tires for those cars.

I say it would suck for fun as we've basically got rock hard snow with the crust on top. No good for skiing, maybe OK for snowshoes.

[GregL]

One thing I notice during this type of storm is the preponderance of drivers who think front wheel and four wheel drive means they don't need snow tires. IMO this is idiocy. You may be able to accelerate from a standing start, but your ability to stop and/or turn is still very compromised. I wish state/local governments would ban driving without snow tires during high intensity snow events. This is frequently done in the mountains of the western US.

Greg

[William]

Storm was pretty much a bust here. Probably about 4 - 6" on the ground before it turned over to rain. Then things got messy with some minor flooding. We had to make sure we got all the slush out of the way on our long driveway because I knew anything left was going to freeze up over night.

Funny hearing about the "Fake" weather reports this morning. I was wondering why the Darksky forecast was so much different then what was being reported locally. DS pretty much nailed it when the local reports were still saying 12" - 16".






William

[saf-t]

We maybe got 12" of snow. Much less than the 12-18" we had forecasted. But we probably never had 12" on the ground at once. The snow got incredibly "wet" by noon yesterday and started packing down, with the moisture content steadily increasing as the day went on till it was kind of rain for a little while and then switched to freezing rain.

I cleaned up at just about the right time.. the snowblower was right on the verge of jamming/breaking as I finished. Took 2 hours to clear the driveway, running as slow as it can go in drive. (We have an 8HP 2-stage blower)



Sounds very much like yesterday afternoon at my house. Needed Yaktrax to stay vertical while getting to the car this morning.

[572cv]

Looks as though we have about 24"/60cm here in northwestern VT. We are catching the wraparound from the storm, big time.

The interesting thing is that it is dry, light powdery snow, as opposed to the denser heavy stuff more common this time of year. It is still snowing heavily.

Those of you in the region who ski or were planning on a northern new england ski trip this coming weekend.... the conditions should be just fabulous.

[berserk87]

This describes our last few days:

[Hilltopperny]

My truck this morning.

[djg21]

I have more than 2 feet in southern Saratoga Co. My wife got ahead of the storm and drove to Stowe early yesterday morning. I'm stuck working for most of the day, and then shoveling and running the snow blower. Maybe I'll get out on my Nordic skis later.

[MRB]

rt.A Subaru with good snows is an absolute beast in the snow.

^ That they are. We've had a much higher than average snow fall in NW Montana as well. My Subaru will have claw marks when I have to part with it. :) They have their downfalls too, (parts can be expensive, and you have to check fluid levels frequently), but they can make Winter in Montana much more "do-able"

[benb]

One thing I notice during this type of storm is the preponderance of drivers who think front wheel and four wheel drive means they don't need snow tires. IMO this is idiocy. You may be able to accelerate from a standing start, but your ability to stop and/or turn is still very compromised. I wish state/local governments would ban driving without snow tires during high intensity snow events. This is frequently done in the mountains of the western US.


I know this is the all time favorite internet car rant for people to make but really.. those folks problem is driving too fast for conditions more often than what tires they have.

The whole Snow/All-Season is a red herring, tires exist on a spectrum. The Ultra High Performance All seasons that ship on "sports sedans" and such are pretty different than what ships on an SUV/Truck/etc..

[MattTuck]

Yeah, I lump snow tires into the same group as nutritional supplements. For most people, they are a giant waste of money, with dubious benefits.

I'm open minded, so please feel free to share some real evidence on the subject with me. You know, evidence that is not from the tire industry.

The mandatory snow tire law in Quebec (atleast based on numbers that I can find), seems to have reduced accidents by 5%. Given the amazing qualities of snow tires, I'm shocked (not really) that this law hasn't eliminated all accidents! Perhaps it is because humans drive cars and many of them make poor decisions, regardless of the tires they have.

I bet after 5 or so years, the tire industry in Quebec tricks them into thinking that studded snow tires are the answer, and that people can't get by anymore on just regular snows. Introduce a law, make money.

Also, if you're for snow tires to reduce accidents, why not mandating AWD or 4WD also? It is a slippery slope.

Note, earlier, I said for MOST people, they are a waste of money. If you are out on the roads in bad weather a lot, and have a profession that depends on you (like an emergency surgeon) getting to work in bad weather, then go for it. For the person who might drive a total of a few hours in the snow all winter, and is able to generally avoid driving in a blizzard, drive 10mph slower than you would normally and save the money.

[paredown]

Well I'm beat from shoveling. We got over 18"--but because we're a little farther south than Hilltopper, we got banding, so some sleeting in between good amounts of snow. And it all pretty much froze last night, so it was a bear to shovel--nice and heavy with a crust on top

I got a path out to the road last night, started first thing this morning helping a neighbor with his plow drifts (thought he was going to work, but he changed his mind) and then he wandered down to give me a hand. Car is dug out, so any more cleanup can wait.

We took a solemn vow that we will have our snowblowers operational for next year.

After two months of not doing very much because of medical problems, I can really, really feel that I was shoveling today...

[GregL]

I probably should have provided a bit more information regarding my opinions on snow tires...

- My experience is that proper application of snow tires makes a very large difference in the ability of a vehicle to operate safely in significant snowfall. By proper application, I mean narrower snow tires on appropriate rims. I prioritize snow tires over all-wheel drive in terms of winter vehicle safety. I certainly disagree with the sentiment that snow tires are the vehicular equivalent of nutritional supplements. In my area with 120+ inches of seasonal snow, they make a huge difference.

- I agree with the sentiment that people should use good judgment and stay off the road in blizzard conditions. Most employers in my area support this philosophy, allowing people to flex their schedules or work from home if possible. Nearly all my co-workers (including myself) left work early yesterday to avoid a rush hour induced traffic mess. The problem I noted on the roads was (in all likelihood) non-essential travel by individuals in poorly equipped vehicles. And yes, imprudent speed is almost always the cause or primary contributing factor in winter driving accidents.

Let's hope that all this snow discussion is soon a distant memory as weather improves and we can once again take to two wheeled transportation!

Greg

[saf-t]

Yeah, I lump snow tires into the same group as nutritional supplements. For most people, they are a giant waste of money, with dubious benefits.

I'm open minded, so please feel free to share some real evidence on the subject with me. You know, evidence that is not from the tire industry.



Disclaimer: Sample size of 1.

That said, my driveway has a fairly steep incline, and all-seasons leave me stuck in the street if there's more than a couple of inches of snow (FWD). Snows on, and no problem. At 18-20K miles/year, I also spend a lot of time driving on poorly cleared roads, and snows are worth every penny to me.

[benb]

You can say you're beat from shoveling but a little trainer action might not hurt.

I was really really close to throwing out my back this morning. I hopped on the trainer this morning and rode relatively easy and it actually really helped, I feel a lot better.

Pulling the snowblower backwards actually puts weird strain on my knees and pedaling a bike helps loosen that up too.

[benb]

Disclaimer: Sample size of 1.

That said, my driveway has a fairly steep incline, and all-seasons leave me stuck in the street if there's more than a couple of inches of snow (FWD). Snows on, and no problem. At 18-20K miles/year, I also spend a lot of time driving on poorly cleared roads, and snows are worth every penny to me.

It's all relative. I had a V8 Mustang. It couldn't get up a 1% grade with 1/2" of snow with all seasons. It would perhaps have still got stuck on your driveway even with snow tires. It was generally fine with Blizzaks if I was intelligent about not going out in the big storms though.

My Acura RSX Type S I had might have had a little trouble with all seasons up your driveway with 2-3" of snow.

It depends on the consistency of the snow but my Subaru won't even activate the traction control up a 10% grade with 6" of snow, without snow tires. I've driven it through upwards of 12" of unplowed snow before. No one is going fast in those conditions, if I control my speed the car can easily stay out of the way of another dangerous driver if I need to brake or turn quickly. If I moved to the mountains I'd get snow tires for it but it's overkill just outside Boston. More importantly the car is still WAY more fun than a FWD car with snow tires on a snowy day. It's almost the most fun conditions to drive the car in. :D

[Hank Scorpio]

This more than lived up to the eggs, milk, bread fear mongering.

http://www.surfline.com/surflinetv/featured-clips/exclusive-new-jersey-nuking_146061

[William]

Snoverblown here. :)




William

[stephenmarklay]

I feel for you guys. Up to this point here in Spokane WA, we had the most snowfall of the larger (150k population) cities this year. It was actually not a bad year and we have had way more. But it started and got cold pretty early on so there were no breaks. I started getting pretty irritated.

I am happy to pass the crown. One the last couple weeks I have been able to ride twice outside and today is going to be a sunny day and I am going to get a real ride in. Maybe 80 miles. I have not been great all winter so I have some work to do.

[morrisericd]

50" at Stowe today. Pulled the boy out of school and had a pretty awesome day. They're saving the gondola for tomorrow if anyone local (or even close) has the sniffles!