[guinnessjim]

Originally Posted by kathycoe

Airports were closed because of lack of visibility not because of snow on runways. I came here from R.I. over 30 years ago and in that time they have never closed the schools because of the weather. CCSD did over react but 1 day in 30 years is not a big deal. Our kids walk to school in 115 degree heat. If it got that hot in NY you would shut down your schools.

right!

i can't believe this is even a topic of discussion. why is the OP so worked up over school closing in LV? why is it so hard to understand why places that see snow like this so rarely (e.g., LV) aren't prepared to deal appropriately with it?

i grew up in the mts (SNOW) and put my time in in Milwaukee (SNOW) and fully understand why there was a general freak out over the conditions (that isn't to say i didn't LMAO when our campus closed early because of it). not to rehash what others have said (but i will), desert cities are ill prepared for water from the sky, let alone for snow and ice from it. stuff gets extremely slick and ppl aren't ready for it because 99.99% of the time they don't need to be. while many of us here grew up driving in winter conditions, a large chunk of the population never has....couple that w/ roads that aren't 'winterized', no plows/salt/sand equipment, and a temp that hovers right at freezing (some stuff is ice, some stuff isn't). recipe for disaster. also included in that are a lack of vehicles equipped for towing ppl in slippery conditions. and the airport closed is a no brainer...no way to deice the wings or clear the runways...no way to function.

and...pretty certain sand doesn't act as an insulator. it gives traction, and during the day absorbs some light (therefore heat) to help melt the snow. you'd need a pants-load of sand to get a blanket effect...and even if that were the case, you would need a heat source under the 'blanket'. additionally, i think kitty litter works by also giving traction and then by absorbing water that has melted due to friction (therefore less ice/snow)...could be wrong on that though.

[dynimagelv]

Why does NY CARE what happens in Las Vegas.....It STAYS in Las Vegas so they dont have to worry.

[Cyborg13]

Originally Posted by Futcha

Don't tell me you guys have nothing to fight the snow with. You live in the middle of the desert. You have SAND surrounding you... FREE SAND. We have to buy it in bags or buckets.

...snow covered SAND, accessible only by driving on the snow covered roads that are to be treated with said snow covered sand. Where will they get the sand to put on the snow covered roads so they can access the snow covered sand to put on the snow covered roads? That sounds like a fantastic plan...send a fleet of dump trucks and backhoes out into the desert to load up on sand to treat the city's roads for the snowstorm that shows up once every 5 years.

Back to airport safety...Southwest 1248 at Midway airport in Chicago (which I am pretty sure could be considered "North"). Low visibility, snow was REMOVED from runway, only residual patches remained.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/53/Southwest_Airlines_Flight_1248_-1.jpg (broken link)

[dynimagelv]

Originally Posted by Cyborg13

...snow covered SAND, accessible only by driving on the snow covered roads that are to be treated with said snow covered sand. Where will they get the sand to put on the snow covered roads so they can access the snow covered sand to put on the snow covered roads? That sounds like a fantastic plan...send a fleet of dump trucks and backhoes out into the desert to load up on sand to treat the city's roads for the snowstorm that shows up once every 5 years.

Back to airport safety...Southwest 1248 at Midway airport in Chicago (which I am pretty sure could be considered "North"). Low visibility, snow was REMOVED from runway, only residual patches remained.

He was just following the signs to the Airport.

[airics]

Originally Posted by Handsome Stranger

Would you fly in or out of an airport with 3 inches of snow at an airport that doesn't have snow removal equipment? Crawl back into your igloo.

lotflmao, that's a rep!

[airics]

Originally Posted by Venom

Why bother learning calculus?

because my friend, you will need the textbook sooner or later, as a doorstop!

[Buzz123]

Let's go over this again for the guy in New York that has no clue, but as a typical New Yorker, thinks he has all the answers for everyone else.

"...the county's snow-clearing equipment, which consists of two snowplows, two snowblowers and two graders,"

Our county is one of the largest in the United States. It is the size of the state of Vermont. It is the size of New Hampshire. It dwarfs Massachusetts. BUT WE HAVE NO EQUIPMENT. WE DON'T NEED NO STINKIN EQUIPMENT except for one stinkin day every five years. That's when we take the day off, have our annual hot chocolate, and read a book, by our decorative gas log fireplace that we pretend gives us warmth even when we seldom ever need more heat. GET OVER IT. IT'S OUR BUSINESS.

No 3 inches isn't deep. That's the problem. It isn't deep enough to cover the slick blacktop underneath. It only makes it slicker. And can you imagine laying down a layer of sand on our thousands of miles of roads, and then the next day the wind comes up? JEEZ. Ever seen a desert sandstorm? Lay your camels down in the sand and pull your blanket over you like Lawrence of Arabia. Maybe they'll find your body before you suffocate.

Dude, you don't know anything about cities in the desert. Let it go. Go down on toity toid and toid and mug a tourist or something.

[dynimagelv]

Buzz that SOOOO deserves a rep and I gotta spread it first.....hope someone reps ya in my name

[acapr220]

Originally Posted by Cyborg13

...snow covered SAND, accessible only by driving on the snow covered roads that are to be treated with said snow covered sand. Where will they get the sand to put on the snow covered roads so they can access the snow covered sand to put on the snow covered roads? That sounds like a fantastic plan...send a fleet of dump trucks and backhoes out into the desert to load up on sand to treat the city's roads for the snowstorm that shows up once every 5 years.

Back to airport safety...Southwest 1248 at Midway airport in Chicago (which I am pretty sure could be considered "North"). Low visibility, snow was REMOVED from runway, only residual patches remained.

Whoa, what happened there?!?

[city_data91]

Originally Posted by Venom

Why bother learning calculus?

I would rather learn calculus than drive in the snow.