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My Family moved to the Cleveland suburbs in the 70's when the Seattle economy tanked. The first few winters weren't all that bad but the late 70's were by far the worst winters ever seen around there before or since. We had some monster blizzards in the winter of 77 and 78, full white land hurricanes.
People including me still went out and about to work and school. My friends and myself didn't let killer blizzards stop us from going out if there were a good band like the Clash playing at a bar downtown, which they did in Jan 78.
I recall those years fondly even the winter weather as it was anything but mediocre.
My Family moved to the Cleveland suburbs in the 70's when the Seattle economy tanked. The first few winters weren't all that bad but the late 70's were by far the worst winters ever seen around there before or since. We had some monster blizzards in the winter of 77 and 78, full white land hurricanes.
People including me still went out and about to work and school. My friends and myself didn't let killer blizzards stop us from going out if there were a good band like the Clash playing at a bar downtown, which they did in Jan 78.
I recall those years fondly even the winter weather as it was anything but mediocre.
I used to love coming in from the cold into my Grandma's kitchen on W. 25th St. and the smell of her pierogies in the frying pan. She never would teach me how she made her pierogi and I've never found any as good as her's. Bacon, garlic and onions always smell good in her cast iron skillet!
She made the worst pineapple nut bread which was usually burned but I would give anything for a piece of it today.
I left Ohio January 1972, after our VW's engine thawed out enough to finally turn over. It took only 12 hours with a heat lamp on it to warm it up a little. At first getting out of the snow and ice was fun but by Christmas, I cried for a week I was so homesick. At the end of the day, it is the human connections that are stronger than any winter wind can blow.
I guess we all need to keep turning til we find our place.
My Family moved to the Cleveland suburbs in the 70's when the Seattle economy tanked. The first few winters weren't all that bad but the late 70's were by far the worst winters ever seen around there before or since. We had some monster blizzards in the winter of 77 and 78, full white land hurricanes.
People including me still went out and about to work and school. My friends and myself didn't let killer blizzards stop us from going out if there were a good band like the Clash playing at a bar downtown, which they did in Jan 78.
I recall those years fondly even the winter weather as it was anything but mediocre.
Wasn't the winter of 78/79 the one that shut down Buffalo, NY for 2 weeks?
Well you can't use this winter as a comparison because it has been extremely mild everywhere.
Here in Denver, it has been winter as usual, we are even up to our annual snowfall total (60 in), with just under three snowy months left.
The vast majority of time, it's business as usual when it's cold and/or snow. At the end of last week, we got a storm that dumped just under 2 feet on the city:
There is a sidewalk in the middle:
There's nowhere to put it, so they put it in our street, the pile is about 4 feet high, and extends well over 15 feet into the street! (That grassy plant in the lower left corner is in a planter, everything else is street!) We'll be lucky if it melts by April.
About once every other year, a get a storm big enough to start closing fast food joints/drive-thrus that are normally open. Wal-Mart never closes. Schools were closed, and many other people stayed home from work, which is nice, because there were tons of accidents on the roads. Denver International Airport cancelled at least 600 flights. It was pretty much business as usual for me though.
^
Look on the SNOTEL database for snowcover. Most areas are way down on snowfall compared to average. Denver is one of the few places that has received average snowfall! Cities like Duluth, Minneapolis, Kansas City, Cleveland, Syracuse, etc have all seen hardly any snow this winter compared to their seasonal averages at this point in winter.
There is no snow on the ground in Minneapolis and the highs are above freezing almost every day. We have only had about two weeks of real winter this year, it is unbelievable.
It is 45 and sunny right now.
Last edited by Drewcifer; 02-06-2012 at 02:48 PM..
^
Look on the SNOTEL database for snowcover. Most areas are way down on snowfall compared to average. Denver is one of the few places that has received average snowfall! Cities like Duluth, Minneapolis, Kansas City, Cleveland, Syracuse, etc have all seen hardly any snow this winter compared to their seasonal averages at this point in winter.
I know, I was just pointing out that it's business as usual around here.
Anything colder than Chicago? Especially a place like Minneapolis (I guess the coldest big city in the US, I imagine this question would be more pertinent for Canadian cities) I mean people still have to go to work, but do a lot fewer people go out for dining, entertainment etc? Or do they just all rug up but go out in similar numbers? Is it common for people to pass out drunk and freeze to death?
How is life for homeless folk? Are there a lot more shelters per capita? If for whatever reason they can't stay at shelters, are there public indoor areas open 24/7 where people can sleep during cold nights?
We do but we are prepared to deal with the winter weather no matter how severe overall. Obviously if there is a blizzard or the wind chill is going to be hazardous IF you happen to get stranded we would stay home. The only thing we really do differently is stock more items in the pantry and make sure we have a full propane tank before winter really gets cold.
As far as shelters go I really don't know about those. From what I have read and understand the shelter numbers don't increase and those who use the shelters are allowed inside after a specific temperature. Again I am guessing because I truly do not know.
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