Does Kansas City is boring compared to major US cities ? (St. Louis: high school, tornadoes)

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by GraniteStater

No, just plan ahead, wear layers, and make sure to have winter gear in vehicle (ice scraper, shovel, extra coats, gloves, sleeping bag, etc). KC winter is very mild compared to anywhere that is in the northern US east of the Rockies. The unfortunate reality, however, is that KC often does act just like a southern city when it comes to winter weather and the general hysteria/unnecessary drama that goes along with it. You learn how to drive in winter conditions much better if you live in an area that expects snowfall amounts of 60-80'' a season on a regular basis, that is for certain.

Funny, my experience suggests the opposite.

I remember some Januaries where the daily high was under 10F for a while in several years growing up.

I think there's been only one that was that bitterly cold since I moved to Philadelphia in 1983.

Now, Philadelphia's south of New York, and Boston winters are definitely colder and snowier than those of either Kansas City or Philadelphia. But I consider this a Northeastern city too.

Not to mention that the jet stream usually dips to the south for a period of time during the winter. The Central Plains wind up to the north of the jet stream in those cases. The path usually runs along the coast just inland from it. Philadelphia usually lies to the east of that path. Thus it gets really cold in the Central Plains and not as cold on the Mid-Atlantic coast.

However: I do think the Panic Threshold - the forecast amount of snow in inches that triggers a run on the supermarkets - is the same in both cities, somewhere around four to six inches of snow. In Washington, that figure is one inch. In New York, I think it's six to eight inches, and in Boston eight to twelve. Syracuse has no Panic Threshold.

[TabulaRasa]

Originally Posted by Hartfordd

Is Kansas City winter really dangerous in term of cold temps ?

Dangerous? Maybe if you were caught unaware in a swimsuit outdoors.

I've been here almost ten years, transplanted from the upper midwest (feet of snow that sticks around all winter being the norm, where I went to college, people keep block heaters plugged in on their cars, etc.) I've yet to experience a winter here that is not generally mild, albeit with the odd snowstorm that blows in occasionally in between bouts of mildness. I've never consistently required a "proper" winter coat. The lighter coats I wear in, say, fall in Wisconsin, northern Illinois, or Minnesota work fine for most of the winter.

It only snowed once or twice last winter, and didn't stick (we were househunting, then buying, and moving, and the ONLY snowy iciness we dealt with all winter was the weekend we were moving, go figure). Winter of 2012-13, we had two back-to-back blizzards in February that kept things pretty snarly for about a week (I got snowed in at my then boyfriend's, now husband's, so it's memorable), and then a late one right before Easter, but the rest of the winter, I was running around with a thick hoodie on.

Things vary season to season, but based on both the last decade here and my previous life experience in significantly snowier, colder parts of the country, it's pretty mild. If you are from the tropics, you might not think so, so it's all in perspective.

In my experience, though, KC DRIVERS pose some degree of danger, because getting regular snowfall that sticks as a normal daily winter thing isn't so common here right now, and they don't deal with it on a daily basis. So while normal winter weather be dangerous in KC, it's mostly due to people who aren't great at safe driving skills in snow and ice due to lack of regular experience.

Another thing you might notice is that all it takes is snowfall, say, a normal degree of winter precipitation, being forecast to IMMEDIATELY get all KC area meteorologists to bust out their "WINTER STORM!!!!" graphics. In the world of KC meteorologists, any snowfall whatsoever equals "Storm! DOOOOOOM!" Geez, guys. It's winter. Snow is snow. It's not always "a storm" because it snows.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by MarketStEl

Funny, my experience suggests the opposite.

I remember some Januaries where the daily high was under 10F for a while in several years growing up.

I think there's been only one that was that bitterly cold since I moved to Philadelphia in 1983.

Now, Philadelphia's south of New York, and Boston winters are definitely colder and snowier than those of either Kansas City or Philadelphia. But I consider this a Northeastern city too.

Not to mention that the jet stream usually dips to the south for a period of time during the winter. The Central Plains wind up to the north of the jet stream in those cases. The path usually runs along the coast just inland from it. Philadelphia usually lies to the east of that path. Thus it gets really cold in the Central Plains and not as cold on the Mid-Atlantic coast.

However: I do think the Panic Threshold - the forecast amount of snow in inches that triggers a run on the supermarkets - is the same in both cities, somewhere around four to six inches of snow. In Washington, that figure is one inch. In New York, I think it's six to eight inches, and in Boston eight to twelve. Syracuse has no Panic Threshold.

Philadelphia has a large urban heat island, that keeps temperatures much milder (for lows) compared to even a few dozen miles outside the city itself. That has an impact on snowfall amounts. For the most part the I-80 corridor is a good dividing line in the US for areas that have a solid reliable winter precipitation events to areas south of there that get more sporadic winter weather events.

[nycrite]

Originally Posted by TabulaRasa

In my experience, though, KC DRIVERS pose some degree of danger, because getting regular snowfall that sticks as a normal daily winter thing isn't so common here right now, and they don't deal with it on a daily basis. So while normal winter weather be dangerous in KC, it's mostly due to people who aren't great at safe driving skills in snow and ice due to lack of regular experience.

Curious, what are good driving skills for snow and ice? I've never lived north of KC, but I consider myself a cautious AKA decent driver in bad conditions. Perhaps it's common sense, but I anticipate red lights and other stops and allow plenty of time to slow down. I don't tail people on dry roads and even less so on snowy/icy ones. I am mindful of reduced traction on elevated surfaces. I replace my all season tires before they're showing wear bars. What am I missing, or am I a decent snow/ice driver, as previously self-proclaimed?

[TabulaRasa]

Originally Posted by nycrite

Curious, what are good driving skills for snow and ice? I've never lived north of KC, but I consider myself a cautious AKA decent driver in bad conditions. Perhaps it's common sense, but I anticipate red lights and other stops and allow plenty of time to slow down. I don't tail people on dry roads and even less so on snowy/icy ones. I am mindful of reduced traction on elevated surfaces. I replace my all season tires before they're showing wear bars. What am I missing, or am I a decent snow/ice driver, as previously self-proclaimed?

Mostly overdriving road conditions/ driving faster than is safe on slick surfaces, esp. on highways. Tailgating drivers who have slowed to a safe speed. Not allowing extra stop time. Stuff that should be common sense.

Look at today, and we BARELY got a dusting...
Slick roads cause wrecks in Lee

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by TabulaRasa

Mostly overdriving road conditions/ driving faster than is safe on slick surfaces, esp. on highways. Tailgating drivers who have slowed to a safe speed. Not allowing extra stop time. Stuff that should be common sense.

Look at today, and we BARELY got a dusting...
Slick roads cause wrecks in Lee

Yes, and I wonder how well the roads were pre-treated prior to any precipitation falling as well? I know from experience that areas north of KC do a much better job of pre-treating roads prior to snowfall events as well as mixed precipitation events. That is a substantial improvement on roads for everyone, regardless of how adept they are at driving err no.

[TabulaRasa]

There was literally a dusting of a snow.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by TabulaRasa

There was literally a dusting of a snow.

Yes, that is definitely an issue then.

[kcmo]

Originally Posted by nycrite

Curious, what are good driving skills for snow and ice? I've never lived north of KC, but I consider myself a cautious AKA decent driver in bad conditions. Perhaps it's common sense, but I anticipate red lights and other stops and allow plenty of time to slow down. I don't tail people on dry roads and even less so on snowy/icy ones. I am mindful of reduced traction on elevated surfaces. I replace my all season tires before they're showing wear bars. What am I missing, or am I a decent snow/ice driver, as previously self-proclaimed?

First thing people should do and and do it often when they are in a safe place to do it, is test how slick the roads are. As soon as you pull out of your driveway, just tap or hit the brakes and see what you are dealing with. If you don't notice any loss of traction, be more aggressive with your breaks till you get an idea of what you are dealing with. Is it ice, is is packed snow? Is it just slush? Is it snowing, but the ground is 45 degrees and just wet? Figure out what the conditions are, and test them as you drive around. Then you can adjust your driving accordingly to the conditions. It's also a good idea to take your car to a parking lot and drive aggressively making turns etc and learn how to recover from loss of control in ice and snow. Hint, you don't do it with your brakes.

People drive way too fast on ice, too slow on snow, and way too slow in the rain.

Ice. You will lose control and will not be able to stop on ice no matter what kind of car/suv/truck you are driving. The best thing to do in ice is not drive, but if you do, drive very slow, but very consistent. You do not want to use the brakes in ice at all. Brakes are a last resort. Use your transmission and engine to slow down. If you use the brakes, you have to baby them or you will lose control. You are better off rolling through an intersection safely than trying to stop on ice which could put you in a ditch or get you stuck and not able to move again.

Snow is a different animal all together. Keep your distance from other cars, but keep your speed. Do not drive 5mph in the snow and get stuck and then be the one that causes hours and hours of delays for everybody else on the roads. Keep your traction, baby the brakes (not as much as ice). Again, use your lower gears and engine to slow down. If the snow is deeper, you will need more distance but will likely have to maintain a bit higher speed. When I say higher speed, I'm talking 25-30 in a 40. Approach intersections slowly so you don't have to stop at them (roll through a stop sign or time lights so it's green before you have to stop. Drive under the speed limit but not 5-10mph. That causes people to get stuck which causes congestion which causes plows to get stuck in traffic and then they can't keep up with the snow. End result it the total gridlock conditions because a few people that can't drive in snow triggered it.

Rain. Drive freaking normal! If you are a fast driver, you may have to slow down at highway speeds a little so you don't hydroplane, generally anything under 60mph is fine in the rain unless your tires are bald. People drive so stupid in the rain. And turn your freaking headlights on so others can see you.


It's good to hear that KC people are still obsessed with snow plowing. They would probably raise the sales tax to 15% just so the metro area can purchase 5000 new snow plows and use them for scrape the top level of asphalt off the streets every time it flurries. Much of the time, streets are better off with some snow on them than plowed and the remaining slush turning to ice. They should be treated not plowed if it's under a few inches. Having lived in central KCMO where they don't plow residential streets for small snows or don't get to them for days with larger snows (typical for large cities), I never had a problem. Same deal out here.

[Mathguy]

Originally Posted by TabulaRasa

There was literally a dusting of a snow.

Everyone in the KC metro drives like an idiot the first time there is a little snow or rain after a good period of time without it. (A likely US-wide issue)

*shrug*

Between the cell phones and the weather it's just one of the usual things we have to watch out for while commuting.

P.S. Be especially careful everyone, with the holidays there is a big spike in aggressive driving due to holiday stress. I've been seeing it a lot lately. Let them go nuts, just get home safe. Happy holidays.