Okay, I joke about it because that's what I do, but it's time to get serious about the weather. It's horrible out there. Not "let's make jokes about milk and bread" horrible, but honest to goodness, you're taking your own life into your hands if you go out horrible.
Between the snow that already fell and what came down yesterday there are several inches on the ground. At some point yesterday it turned for a time into rain/sleet, so there's now a coating of ice that was followed by more snow, some of which is still falling. Now the winds have picked up, so snow is drifting--over a layer of ice.
Roads are drifting shut; as of about midnight Monday night US 33 in western Noble County is down to one lane in several areas, let alone the county roads. With drifting, drivers often encounter sections of road that seem fine, only to suddenly come across snow covered areas--in this case, over ice. Stopping times will be severely effected. Four wheel drive is fine in snow, but in these conditions it can be worse than useless, giving drivers a false sense of security. White-out conditions are also being reported.
(County Highway crews will be out in the morning, but I don't know what time--and with the continued winds, I don't know how effective they can be. INDOT will be having the same problems.)
Add to that the fact that temperatures are going to get so low that ice melting materials will stop being effective.
We haven't even talked about wind chills. Strong winds will blow that snow around for the next couple of days, and temperatures will hit record lows--that means not only getting pulled off the road but stuck in drifts, and getting out to dig could mean frostbite in just a few minutes.
Take it seriously. Do not go out unless you have absolutely no choice (I'm afraid I can't do anything about work requirements). If you do have to travel for any reason, have a full gas tank and emergency supplies, and remember that if you get stuck, it might take awhile for help to get to you.
A forecast for Thursday says "not as cold. Highs near zero." That should tell you something.
We've already had days this winter where the temps have dropped enough that road salt is pointless.
ReplyDeleteYeah, we've had a few of those too ... as I always say, surely not as many as you have! But these last few days have been remarkable by anyone's standards--and for a lot of people.
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