Portland has NO Infrastructure for snow (move to, deal, places)

[hamellr]

Originally Posted by rass33

All over ice and 3 inches of snow?

Don't forget the quarter to half inch of black ice that is smooth as glass.

[Steve Pickering]

Originally Posted by hamellr

Don't forget the quarter to half inch of black ice that is smooth as glass.

It's all gone now .....


..... But it could be back. This is only the middle of February. Just ask Atlanta.

[oldtintype]

Originally Posted by rass33

I'm from Chicago and I just couldn't believe how dead Portland was this weekend because of the weather. All over ice and 3 inches of snow? you're gonna need snow up to your neck to close down the city of Chicago. And even then, you'll see hundreds of street sweepers and plow trucks on the street clearing the roads for both drivers and pedestrians. I know Portland doesn't get a lot of snow but you would think that the city would invest in a little salt for winters like these.

It was more than 3 inches. And then the freezing rain is what clinched it. Salt doesn't clear streets--we don't have the man power or the plows to plow anything but main arteries as it snows once every few years, not every winter, all winter. Not cost effective.

[urbanlife78]

Well we are getting about a foot of snow on top of frozen snow we already have now in the NYC metro. You guys are welcome to have some of it if you want.

[turquoise1]

That's what I've heard - east coast is having a terrible winter. I guess that's the only thing I don't miss.

[belmont22]

I feel like it's sort of ridiculous that we have no infrastructure for snow. Even if it doesn't stick much, it snows at least a little almost every year, and some years can get as much as 20". It's freakin' irresponsible to have nothing, it's not like we are San Diego or something.

It's the same with summer too, hardly anywhere has adequate AC, making summer here feel more miserable than places that have much hotter summers.

[belmont22]

Originally Posted by danwilsonbsee

Wait, what's that? A city that receives recordable snowfall every 6-10 years doesn't stock up on salt and plows like towns in Michigan and Minnesota?!?!?! OUTRAGE, RABBLE RABBLE RABBLE.

Actually for the 2000s, 6 years (2001-02, 2003-04, 2005-06, 2006-07, and 2008-09) all recorded significant snowfall. 2003-04 had 12.3" and 2008-09 had 24.2" - the latter comparable to a typical winter in New York City. And of those years, only 2002-03's winters received absolutely no snow at all, the other 3 recorded a trace.

[JXBC]

I have the infrastructure for snow, though: a 2014 Subaru XV Crosstrek with Symmetrical AWD.

I got down my big ass hill in the Murray neighborhood of Beaverton and all around the city without zero issue.

I'm not sure why everyone in this state doesn't have a Subaru.

[i_love_autumn]

Originally Posted by midwest61021

Still a cakewalk compared to the damn snow sticking around all winter up to april sometimes. I forgot what grass looked like.

Boy,you got THAT right!

[wanderbygrace]

Originally Posted by yamsnno

There was a snow storm in Portland starting last Thursday. The city was almost totally shut down for almost 4 days because there are no snow plows, they didn't use salt on the roads and not enough deicer! It was so silly, no one could drive, but for those of you who love the idea of no cars, the trains and buses were shut down part of the time too. So with all the people moving to Portland, may want to boost up the safety a bit! Just a comment.

I see from your other posts that you aren't fond of PDX, so not sure why I'm responding....

I'm from northern Ohio, so let's do a comparison about handling winter weather:

Portland: averages about one day per year that the city is brought close to a standstill, courtesy of winter weather. My area of Clackamas County had a GRAND TOTAL of four inches of snow in the first two winters I was here, but this year, we had one snowfall totaling 8" at my house to date this winter. For the record, aside from Saturday, when I stayed inside all day, I was mostly unaffected by the weather - in fact, the commute on Friday morning was ridiculously easy, because everyone else stayed home. The MAX trains were only offline on Saturday evening. By Sunday afternoon, all lines were operating on schedule, and Sunday morning, all lines but the Green one had been mostly restored.

Ohio: averages 48" of snow per year; a minimum of 2-3 days per year when all the schools are closed. On a number of occasions, Cleveland's Rapid (MAX equivalent) would be delayed and it's RTA system (buses) would be very delayed. That's ANNUALLY, not every few years. EVERY year, you are guaranteed to extend your commute to the 'nth' degree, courtesy of snow-covered roads. Figure you spend no fewer than 10-20 hours per year shoveling your sidewalks, driveway, etc. Again, all that info is PER YEAR, not every few years, as is the norm for a winter event in Portland.

Truth be told, for a place that is supposedly better equipped for snow (Ohio), you spend FAR more time dealing with that poor weather than you do in a city that isn't equipped for it (Portland).

Sorry, but when you really look at it, having one crappy weather event every few years for a couple of days is far better than getting hit routinely, even in a place that knows how to deal with it.

PS: My folks back in Ohio have said that they've seen little of the ground this winter. In Portland, the snow started on Thursday afternoon and was ENTIRELY gone by Tuesday, even after over 14" fell in some places. When Ohio gets 14" of snow, it's usually on the ground for weeks.

PPS: I've seen it snow in Ohio AFTER Mother's Day and before October 1st. That is absolutely unheard of in Portland. Heck, that would be considered an unusual snowfall at 11,000' on Mt. Hood.