blizzards? (Pittsburgh: live, yard, cars)

[bradjl2009]

I was caught in a pretty terrible white out in West Mifflin. It was truly zero visibility for a few minutes around the Allegheny County Airport. Probably have a little more than 3 inches in Lawrenceville.

[Craziaskowboi]

Originally Posted by shadowfax

Got caught in a whiteout on 519 in Eighty-four this after noon. Long long ride home this evening.



Downtown Canonsburg


Hickory Grade rd, Bridgeville



Very glad I drive a Subaru this evening.

That last picture looks like the pictures I've seen of blizzards in the Great Plains and upper Midwest.

[shadowfax]

Originally Posted by Gnutella

That last picture looks like the pictures I've seen of blizzards in the Great Plains and upper Midwest.

Yeah that road was really drifted over. It runs along a ridge that on a clear day overlooks a valley. Most of the road runs through open farmland so there is nothing to slow the wind down. This was actually one of the easier parts of the drive last night. At some points I had to pull over and wait for the snow to get less thick. Could not see where I was on the road at some points. An awe inspiring experience but kinda nerve wracking. An hour earlier the roads had been completely clear.

[SteelCityRising]

That white-out early yesterday afternoon was truly incredible. I haven't seen it snow that hard anywhere in years---and I'm not exaggerating, either. I swear parts of the city had 2"-3" of snow in under an hour from that. It seems like the city was caught totally unprepared, too, because the roads continued to be awful for hours and hours afterwards, and I only saw a fraction of the salt trucks out that I normally see during weekdays. Our business volume increased by 50% at least as couples decided to not risk going out to restaurants.

[sskink]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

That white-out early yesterday afternoon was truly incredible. I haven't seen it snow that hard anywhere in years---and I'm not exaggerating, either. I swear parts of the city had 2"-3" of snow in under an hour from that. It seems like the city was caught totally unprepared, too, because the roads continued to be awful for hours and hours afterwards, and I only saw a fraction of the salt trucks out that I normally see during weekdays. Our business volume increased by 50% at least as couples decided to not risk going out to restaurants.

I hope they tipped accordingly.

[bradjl2009]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

That white-out early yesterday afternoon was truly incredible. I haven't seen it snow that hard anywhere in years---and I'm not exaggerating, either. I swear parts of the city had 2"-3" of snow in under an hour from that. It seems like the city was caught totally unprepared, too, because the roads continued to be awful for hours and hours afterwards, and I only saw a fraction of the salt trucks out that I normally see during weekdays. Our business volume increased by 50% at least as couples decided to not risk going out to restaurants.

I think the NWS did a terrible job at warning the public about those snow squalls. They waited until about a hour before they came through to issue an advisory while many areas around Western PA had advisories up despite getting close to the am0unt of snow we did.

[Kippy]

I like reading the scientific discussion on Weather Underground. It is updated at least three times a day, and usually provides fairly accurate predictions. I can't remember the technical terminology for the model or scale used, but on Friday, they said that snow squalls were pretty much a sure bet for Saturday afternoon.

I think the best part about the scientific discussion is that they are honest. When models disagree, they usually mention it, and when they aren't sure what is going to happen, they say as much.

[sparrowmint]

Originally Posted by sskink

I hope they tipped accordingly.

I don't understand the mindset. "The roads are too dangerous for me, so I'm going to make things more dangerous for others who have to be out by requesting others get on the roads to bring me food." Maybe some drivers don't mind because they still need money for the day, but I think it's terribly selfish in general. The roads should empty as quickly and safely as possible in weather that extreme (I couldn't see my back fence, nor the house across the road from me, which is set close to the road).

(And yes, in response to the reputation I got... It goes without saying that of course if one IS going to order food during a white out or any other bad weather, an extraordinarily large tip should be given to the person who has risked their health and vehicle to bring you food).

[shadowfax]

Originally Posted by sparrowmint

I don't understand the mindset. "The roads are too dangerous for me, so I'm going to make things more dangerous for others who have to be out by requesting others get on the roads to bring me food." Maybe some drivers don't mind because they still need money for the day, but I think it's terribly selfish in general. The roads should empty as quickly and safely as possible in weather that extreme (I couldn't see my back fence, nor the house across the road from me, which is set close to the road).

On the opposite side of the coin, when people order delivery, you only have a few delivery vehicles on the roads when it is bad out rather than the hundreds or thousands that might show up to eat their food on location. And that one car is being driven by someone who drives professionally and probably has a much higher level of skill in handling the bad roads than your average person. If a delivery driver does not feel they can safely drive they should choose not to work that night or their employer should close up shop. Not really a great choice for the business.

Once the whiteouts were through conditions were not so bad that a skilled driver with a good vehicle could not handle it.

[fleetiebelle]

Originally Posted by shadowfax

Once the whiteouts were through conditions were not so bad that a skilled driver with a good vehicle could not handle it.

I don't know about that. I live on a pretty steep hill, and the trucks didn't come by for about 4 or 5 hours after the snow stopped. I spent the afternoon watching chuckleheads in compact cars trying to drive up the hill (some succeeded, many didn't) and hoping that they didn't lose control and end up in my front yard or living room.