Northeners- want a laugh? Snow in ATL

[JTsMom]

I don't know why this still cracks me up so much, but as a Pittsburgh transplant, it does. About once a year, we get snow here. The entire city comes to a halt. School is canceled, businesses close, grocery stores run out of bread- it's a major ordeal! I just got a call about J's music class being canceled tomorrow. There isn't even a speck accumulated yet! Now I realize that people here aren't used to driving in it, don't have snow tires, etc, but come on!

http://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta/atlanta-snow-more-schools-268471.html

" The latest forecast calls for up to 1 inch of accumulation in the metro area and 2 inches in the mountains."

[Reyadawnbringer]

Ahahaha, thats like my plant manager informing me that the whole plant will be shutdown for the weekend due to cold weather.... these guys worked in 110 degree weather and they are shutting down because it is supposed to drop below 30! NO SNOW, mind you... just plain old cold weather with wind gusts. All the contractors from PA are cracking up at the absurdity. :hysterical:

[arivecchi]

It is hysterical. We are expecting a foot of snow in Chicago today and we keep on truckin'.....

[lchang25000]

Same as when I used to live in Ft. Worth, TX. It snowed about once a year and we would have "snow days" where school would be canceled.

[JTsMom]

Ahahaha, thats like my plant manager informing me that the whole plant will be shutdown for the weekend due to cold weather.... these guys worked in 110 degree weather and they are shutting down because it is supposed to drop below 30! NO SNOW, mind you... just plain old cold weather with wind gusts. All the contractors from PA are cracking up at the absurdity. :hysterical:


The first year we were here, we had some similarly cold days- may have been in the 10's or 20's. The news would flash this big dramatic graphic with terrifying music- much like they do for hurricanes in FL, with updates all day- then it would say, "Severe Weather Warning!" So now that's our joke- DH and I will call each other and say, "Severe Weather Warning!!!! It's very cold outside!!!!" Today I "warned" him that tiny little melting white flakes may hit his windshield when he was driving home. ;)

[infocrazy]

It is hysterical. We are expecting a foot of snow in Chicago today and we keep on truckin'.....

Yes, we are only 3-5 inches tonight and as much as I desperately hope for a snow day for DS1 tomorrow...it will not happen.

[Cam&Clay]

I grew up in southeastern Virginia, where the world shuts down when snow falls. It's much the same here in northern Virginia now. What you Northerners don't realize is that we HAVE to shut down in situations like this. Our cities/counties do not have the equipment to clear the roads. It doesn't make financial sense for Norfolk, VA to have the same amount of snow removal equipment, sand, and salt as Chicago. When you add to that the inexperience of the majority of drivers as far as driving in snowy/icy conditions, it's a disaster.

For example, I love Obama but was pissed when he made a comment this time last year about DC shutting down over a few inches of snow because Chicago would've kept on going. It's not the same at all. He was comparing apples to oranges!

I know you all like to laugh, but it's more practical in the long run.

[Carrots]

I know FL has been having some cold weather, but I watched a news report from Miami FL yesterday about a man who was bitten by a shark in his boat. The reporter was dressed in a wool coat and a Burberry scarf.
My friend in Ft. Lauderdale said it was in the 50's yesterday. I dream of 50 degree weather! :tongue5:

[arivecchi]

I grew up in southeastern Virginia, where the world shuts down when snow falls. It's much the same here in northern Virginia now. What you Northerners don't realize is that we HAVE to shut down in situations like this. Our cities/counties do not have the equipment to clear the roads. It doesn't make financial sense for Norfolk, VA to have the same amount of snow removal equipment, sand, and salt as Chicago. When you add to that the inexperience of the majority of drivers as far as driving in snowy/icy conditions, it's a disaster.

For example, I love Obama but was pissed when he made a comment this time last year about DC shutting down over a few inches of snow because Chicago would've kept on going. It's not the same at all. He was comparing apples to oranges!

I know you all like to laugh, but it's more practical in the long run. We know that's the case, but we still like to poke fun! :30: You gotta give Obama a pass on that one, Midwesterners are particularly hard core about winter. :jammin: Even NYC is super wimpy when compared to Midwest cities and major snowstorms!

[alexsmommy]

We know that's the case, but we still like to poke fun! :30: You gotta give Obama a pass on that one, Midwesterners are particularly hard core about winter. :jammin: Even NYC is super wimpy when compared to Midwest cities and major snowstorms!

Gotta agree - it's not just snow, we have to laugh and make a little fun when you all freeze when it's below 32 degrees.

Let's be honest, it's our way of coping. We are bitterly jealous in some ways. There has to be a wind chill of 32 BELOW for things around here to even consider slowing down. Believe me, I would have gladly had a snow day today instead of digging out the snow pants, finding the waterproof gloves, cleaning off the car that had been out of the garage all of ten minutes, leaving early because you know rush hour will take 2-3x as long....
And our reward for hauling our tushes out in the snow - frigid temps coming on the heels of the snow. 19 degrees is feeling good right now!

[cindys]

I used to live in Northern Va and work in DC...

I work for AT&T and we never shut down...I think the only time we closed down in a snowstorm was in the early 80's and we were allowed to leave 1/2 day AFTER the Federal Govt closed down (they always closed down).. A normal 1 1/2 drive took me 10hrs...That was the same day the plane crashed into the Potomac River.

I live in ATL and still work for AT&T and you can best believe I am sitting at work because although every where else shuts down in ATL we dont.

PS..I grew up in Michigan and Massachusetts...

[arivecchi]

We take our kiddos out in frigid weather and snow. Just the other day it was about 7 degrees (don't know what the windchill was, below zero for sure) and we walked to a breakfast place. The kids were bundled up and not phased by it much. DS2 did have a plastic cover over the stroller to shield him from the wind (we live right by Lake Michigan and the wind is brutal), but DS2 walked all by himself and was a-ok!

[AnnieW625]

It's like that here in LA when it rains. People just don't know how to handle it, it's probably the most annoying thing about LA. We get severe storm watches from an 1" of rain, and 20 mile per hour windstroms!

[Melaine]

Trust me, if there were extreme weather conditions, you wouldn't want to be driving around the southeast either. People drive crazy in the sunshine so when it gets remotely icy I try to stay off the roads and away from the idiots.

[gatorsmom]

Gotta agree - it's not just snow, we have to laugh and make a little fun when you all freeze when it's below 32 degrees.

Let's be honest, it's our way of coping. We are bitterly jealous in some ways. There has to be a wind chill of 32 BELOW for things around here to even consider slowing down. Believe me, I would have gladly had a snow day today instead of digging out the snow pants, finding the waterproof gloves, cleaning off the car that had been out of the garage all of ten minutes, leaving early because you know rush hour will take 2-3x as long....
And our reward for hauling our tushes out in the snow - frigid temps coming on the heels of the snow. 19 degrees is feeling good right now!

:yeahthat: It is all about jealousy. We still have snow on the driveway from the last time it snowed and it was piling on today. Oh, and without the windchill it was 4 degrees. So I had to laugh when the UPS guy trudges through the snow back down to his truck and yells back, "It almost feels like winter, doesn't it?"

To which I responded, "Yeah but the summers almost make me want to live here. " :)

[BabyMine]

I know FL has been having some cold weather, but I watched a news report from Miami FL yesterday about a man who was bitten by a shark in his boat. The reporter was dressed in a wool coat and a Burberry scarf.
My friend in Ft. Lauderdale said it was in the 50's yesterday. I dream of 50 degree weather! :tongue5:

I live in Tampa, FL and for the past couple of nights the low has been around 26 and the high has been 40. Saturday we may get snow flurries. I hope things don't shut down around here.

[MamaMolly]

Ahhhh, snow in Atlanta.Good times. As an Atlanta girl born and bread I have to point out that is isn't the snow that is the problem as much as the ice. Ice on the trees, on the roads, etc. Everything shuts down because a lot of the metro area is really hilly and dangerous with the ice. But I agree about the general panic thing. My personal rule of thumb is when you see 3 flakes you have to buy beer, bread and ground beef. Then hold up in your house making chili and veggie soup until it clears. In about a day and a half ;) My MIL from Canada thinks I'm insane and totally wimpy. Until summer comes and I'm fresh as a daisy and she's melting in the 90+ degree heat with 90% humidity and not a cloud in the sky. Then I get to make fun of her!

Just an FYI but OP, seriously, if you are in Atlanta the title of your thread should read 'Yankees- want a laugh?' Go native, girl!!!!!

[m448]

I'm a Florida girl living in NC for the past 9 years but did a stint in Jersey as a kid. So that's neither here nor there.

BUT to be fair, the driving conditions in the southeast with snow are much more slushly/icy than the powdery stuff you guys just shovel off the roads up North. However, what this florida girl finds hysterical here in NC is the day before the weather they interview the northern transplants who are griping about the milk+bread people at the store as if they couldn't drive. Fast forward to the news the following day and the people that the news crews are interviewing off the side of the highway are those same northerners who THOUGHT they could drive in the slush/ice but are now being rescued by DOT/NCHP while we wimps are home cozy and warm. ;)

[swrc00]

Trust me, if there were extreme weather conditions, you wouldn't want to be driving around the southeast either. People drive crazy in the sunshine so when it gets remotely icy I try to stay off the roads and away from the idiots.

Totally agree. I live in the ATL and I don't want to be driving tomorrow morning. People around here can't drive in the rain let alone a few flakes and some ice.

[Nooknookmom]

I grew up in the Chicago area and my parents lived there for over 30years, they now live noth of ATL and are also expecting "snow".

My oldest DD just came back Tues from visiting and we were hoping that it would snow before she left!! As a Cali-girl, she's never seen snow fall.

All she got to see was 19 degree weather, which suprisingly, she did not complain about!!!

[KpbS]

We got the lightest dusting imaginable on Monday and schools were canceled. All evidence of "snow" was gone by about 10 am, which was sad. I was hoping for real snow! DS1 was old enough to remember when it snowed about a foot a couple of years ago. I told him then, enjoy it, it won't be this deep here for another 10-15 years.

[dukie41181]

Yes, we are only 3-5 inches tonight and as much as I desperately hope for a snow day for DS1 tomorrow...it will not happen.

I see you're in MI...whereabouts? I am in MI too in the Detroit metro area.

[cindys]

ATL ice...Yup, thats what scares everyone!

[NewMom2007]

Oh, ATL. When it rains, people drive with their hazards flashing. It's the most bizarre thing. I will not be on the roads tomorrow to see how they cope with the dusting of snow we have. Though, it is really pretty to look at.

I'm also a transplant from the Midwest and have been through some bad weather - shoveling a car out from under several feet of snow. Ice storms - seriously, needing to put on ice skates to get the mail. Ha!

[shawnandangel]

We were supposed to get 1-3 inches here in Nashville today but I think we saw maybe 1/2 inch? All the schools closed except for my college. So I drive across town and it wasn't too bad. On the way home was a different story because all the melted snow turned to ice. I had fun on my road tonight. I felt like a 10 year old again. I went outside and "ice skated" on my road. It was SO MUCH FUN!!

Oh and I'm also a northern transplant. Originally from NE Ohio.

[doberbrat]

last year we got "snowed in" by a 3in storm in NC while visiting my cousin. if I recall correctly, it snowed on Monday. Sun afternoon, everything shut down. The Y, the museum, etc. a full 12+ hours in advance of the first flake. Day of the storm EVERYTHING was closed. not a shovel or snow melt in sight btw. no plows, apparently, they just wait till it melts.

we "shoveled" the driveway with a hoe and kids' plastic sand shovels.

Schools were closed through Wed. 2 days AFTER the storm passed. My cousin was livid b/c they had to make up the time w/days from spring break.

We got close to a foot of snow out of the same storm and everything was open except the schools on the day of the storm.

[TonFirst]

I grew up in southeastern Virginia, where the world shuts down when snow falls. It's much the same here in northern Virginia now. What you Northerners don't realize is that we HAVE to shut down in situations like this. Our cities/counties do not have the equipment to clear the roads. It doesn't make financial sense for Norfolk, VA to have the same amount of snow removal equipment, sand, and salt as Chicago. When you add to that the inexperience of the majority of drivers as far as driving in snowy/icy conditions, it's a disaster.

This, exactly. There was a 29-car pileup on a major interstate this morning - that alone keeps me off the roads when they're icy and the infrastructure is ill-equipped to deal.

That said, my husband is currently en route from ATL to Columbus - he said the side streets are a mess, but the interstates south of town are tip-top. But damn, it's cold! I know y'all are colder in the midwest (but only by about 10 degrees), but I live down here for a reason! If I want to see snow, I want that snow to be in Tahoe, and include unfettered access to a hot tub.

[lizzywednesday]

What do you think happens to all the snow on the roads after they brine them up here but don't send out the plows? SLUSH! (Ew. And don't get me started on when it freezes...)

Driving on the Garden State Parkway when it's dry out is one thing; when the road's wet or slushy, totally another thing ... darn road is twisty & turny, has those weird stone overpasses and drivers who are convinced that (a) you are a mind-reader and (b) their signals are just decorations ... and nobody knows how to merge, change lanes or use an exit ramp. Oh, how I love my daily commute ...

As for today, I am so glad that (a) we didn't get much and (b) I telecommute on Fridays. Also, it's supposed to be warm & sunny today, so there's a good chance a lot of it will melt and dry out before it gets really cold this weekend.

I'll give you credit for staying home in ice, though. Ice is dangerous. Around Christmas, the year before we got engaged, DH was on his way home from work & hit a patch of black ice on the road not 2 miles from our apartment ... and flipped his Explorer. He got out with minor scrapes & a bump on the noggin.

The car, on the other hand, was totaled.

None of this changes the fact that my friend Sara (who spent her last 2 years of high school in NJ, one of which included a nor'easter that shut down the school for 2 days, after growing up in the South via Austin, TX; Panama City, FL and Birmingham, AL) and I still call all the Austinites calling for the apocalypse when it snows "wussies" ... it makes us feel so superior! (At least we know how to drive in it. We had hills and a reservoir by us, so sand was used instead of salt because of the damage salt could do in the reservoir upon melting.)

[JTsMom]

We know that's the case, but we still like to poke fun! :30:

:yeahthat: It makes sense to close things down when the city can't be reasonably expected to be prepared for a once a year (maybe) event, it's just funny when meanwhile you're hauling your booty out through the drifts higher than you every day. :)

It goes both ways though. In FL, we'd laugh as we sat in the sunshine, knowing everyone up north was a popsicle the same day. ;)

I will say, the ice is pretty bad. When the snow started, it wasn't that cold, and then the cold front came through, which is bad news. Driving home last night, there was black ice everywhere- plus I had some genius tailgaiting me.

[JTsMom]

Just an FYI but OP, seriously, if you are in Atlanta the title of your thread should read 'Yankees- want a laugh?' Go native, girl!!!!!


LOL! I thought the same thing after I posted it!

[MontrealMum]

My aunt and uncle moved to Atlanta (from MI) about 10 years ago now and their first year there they got "snow". I put that in quotations because of their reaction, not mine. They originally thought, 'no biggie" but after driving to work and back realized it was a huge deal. And both vowed never to drive in snow down there again. Between the lack of plowing and salting, and neighbors who had no idea how to drive in the conditions, they were terrified.

It's my understanding that you guys down there have no, or very few plows. It's one thing to drive in snow each and every day from mid-Nov. until April when you live in a city with the largest snowclearing budget in the world (Montreal). We have the equipment and knowledge to deal with it. It's quite another to go out in what must be a free-for-all. And I totally agree with the pp about investing in equipment when you must get one, if that, snowstorm a year. That's a lot of money for equipment that won't be used much.

I heard on the weather last night that it's colder in Fla. than it is in Newfoundland! Now that's seriously wack!

[lizzywednesday]

...
I will say, the ice is pretty bad. When the snow started, it wasn't that cold, and then the cold front came through, which is bad news. Driving home last night, there was black ice everywhere- plus I had some genius tailgaiting me.

Ugh. I hate tailgaters even in good conditions.

I woulda brake-checked him, but, of course, with black ice, that'd risk a spin-out. Booo!

[TonFirst]

Just an FYI but OP, seriously, if you are in Atlanta the title of your thread should read 'Yankees- want a laugh?' Go native, girl!!!!!

Yankees? AT TARA??!?

[jayali]

I have lived in the NYC area almost all of my life and went to school just south of Buffalo. I moved to Atlanta in 1987 and lived there for two years. I am not proud to say that when it "snowed" in Atlanta even I was afraid to drive. For some reason - lack of salt I think - driving was horrible. Even if there was only an inch on the ground it was a white knuckle trip for me. The first snow storm, my friends (who were all from upstate NY) laughed and got in the car to drive to a friend's house. After two spinouts and almost two accidents we arrived safely, but very shaken to our destination (approximately 3 miles away). We stayed hunkered down there for the rest of the day because we were afraid to get back on the road.

I will say that I find it funny today, where we had less then an inch - in the NYC metro area - that the lead story on my morning news cast is "Stormwatch". Are they kidding me? For some reason, not just in Atlanta, weather is a news maker.

[khalloc]

My DH is in Atlanta right now for work and he called me this morning to laugh about how everything is stopping down there for like 1/4" of snow. We are in VT with 3 feet of snow. And the people at the site he is at asked him if he would be OK walking to the hotel, or if he wanted a ride (its 2 blocks away!)

[lizzywednesday]

I have lived in the NYC area almost all of my life and went to school just south of Buffalo. I moved to Atlanta in 1987 and lived there for two years. I am not proud to say that when it "snowed" in Atlanta even I was afraid to drive. For some reason - lack of salt I think - driving was horrible. Even if there was only an inch on the ground it was a white knuckle trip for me. The first snow storm, my friends (who were all from upstate NY) laughed and got in the car to drive to a friend's house. After two spinouts and almost two accidents we arrived safely, but very shaken to our destination (approximately 3 miles away). We stayed hunkered down there for the rest of the day because we were afraid to get back on the road.

I will say that I find it funny today, where we had less then an inch - in the NYC metro area - that the lead story on my morning news cast is "Stormwatch". Are they kidding me? For some reason, not just in Atlanta, weather is a news maker.

LOL ... slow news week. I love newscasters, but I don't often get too excited because my uncle is a meteorologist for NOAA out on LI. (And a friend of mine from high school is a meteorologist for NOAA in Las Vegas. I feel well-connected.)

You shoulda seen the Philly stations' graphics when it stormed in December ... HILARIOUS! But it makes me miss NYC broadcasts even more intensely. (I am "technically" in a Philly suburb but grew up in North Jersey, which is where my dad and my mom's parents still live. When I was in high school, we used to park in Hoboken & take the PATH to NYC to hang out because the PATH had longer hours than the bus ... and even with parking fees, we'd still come out ahead!)

[shawnandangel]

Just wanted to add a picture update of Nashville :)

Last night DH went to pick up DD from MIL's house and it took him about an hour to get there and back. They live less than 10 minutes away. On his way home he saw 4 people stuck on hills, just spinning. A little funny: I asked him if they were trying to rock out of it or just spinning and he said "What does that mean? Rock out of it?" I told him it was when you put your car in reverse and then into first and repeated slowly until you were out of where you were stuck. I offered to show him how in our driveway and he looked at me like I was a crazy person.

Anyways, went out this morning and the roads are ice. Took a few pics for you guys!

http://inlinethumb52.webshots.com/43443/2634630490053327869S500x500Q85.jpg (http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/2634630490053327869KnTFnr)

http://inlinethumb07.webshots.com/42886/2180747730053327869S500x500Q85.jpg (http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/2180747730053327869vyrlLa)

http://inlinethumb34.webshots.com/45985/2019280720053327869S500x500Q85.jpg (http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/2019280720053327869gKAAWV)

http://inlinethumb13.webshots.com/33292/2774608220053327869S500x500Q85.jpg (http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/2774608220053327869fVYCrN)

As you can see we maybe got an inch of snow. All the schools and some colleges were closed again today. Luckily I don't have class on Friday so I don't have to go out in it!

[JTsMom]

Yankees? AT TARA??!?
:ROTFLMAO: Bless your heart! ;)

[JTsMom]

Angelina, thanks for the pics- that's about what we have here too. DS is on his way out to build a snowman! LOL

[JTsMom]

I will say that I find it funny today, where we had less then an inch - in the NYC metro area - that the lead story on my morning news cast is "Stormwatch". Are they kidding me? For some reason, not just in Atlanta, weather is a news maker.

The news is at least half of the funniness in these situations. They whip everyone up into this huge, totally out of proportion frenzy. Seriously- stocking up on groceries for an inch of snow?! Even if you don't leave your house until every single flake is gone, do you really need multiple loaves of bread for 3 or 4 people?!?!

[egoldber]

LOL! DH and I have a running joke about all the people eating egg sandwiches and drinking milk while sitting on the toilet during a snowstorm. ;)

[Melaine]

Ok, the stocking up on groceries, water, etc. is INSANE. I do laugh about that when it comes around.

I'm SO sad we had not a single flake on the ground this morning. SO disappointing.

[JTsMom]

LOL! DH and I have a running joke about all the people eating egg sandwiches and drinking milk while sitting on the toilet during a snowstorm. ;):hysterical:

[NewMom2007]

Check out what the weather is doing to Iguanas in FL. Freaky!

http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=9502814

[MamaMolly]

:ROTFLMAO: Bless your heart! ;)

Dang, you beat me to it! :)

[lizzywednesday]

Check out what the weather is doing to Iguanas in FL. Freaky!

http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=9502814

I heard about that!

People are finding them under their cars in the a.m. because they crawl there when it's warm ... it's like stray cats up here, but with more risk of a nasty infection!

[mommylamb]

I live in Northern Virginia now but grew up in New England, and I am afraid for when DS is school-aged because they shut the darn schools so easily here. Today there was a 2 hour delay and there was pretty much nothing on the roads.

Though when there is snow, it's awful because we really don't have the equipment to handle it. Two weeks ago when we got that bad snow storm, the "plow" that came to do my street was a pickup truck with a shovel strapped to the front basically, not a proper plow. And they did such a terrible job with grit/salt-- we were unable to leave the house for days (note, I do not have 4 wheel drive).

I will also confess that since living down here, my blood has gotten much thinner. I bitch and bitch when it gets down into the 30s for a day. Just think how unpleasant I am to be with since we've had cold weather for such a while and will for the foreseeable future.