Totally OT: Paula and snow

[Black Forest]

Paula digging out her car after the first major snowstorm of her life. Where we live we don't often get heavy snowfall. 10cm is a lot for us to get at one time. This storm dumped between 40 and 50cm on us in one day. We have enjoyed it because we have the time this year because of the corona situation our horse business is closed. Pretty much all last year we were closed. It has been a lot of work for the three of us due to the lack of outside workers and help. We have learned a lot in the last year.
https://youtu.be/_0-Eb-ZhCMw

[Paul Alciatore]

Looks like a normal winter day in Iowa. South Iowa at that!

I can remember days when I had to shovel my way through four or five foot drifts just to get to my truck which was only 15 or 20 feet from the door; no show blower, so a full half hour job. I lived next door to work and many times was the only one there before noon.

Enjoy!

[dian]

actually the lab should be doing the work (lawinen-training).

[Black Forest]

actually the lab should be doing the work (lawinen-training).

The Lab is just a cheerleader! We did bury things in the snow and have her find them. She did just OK. We don't have high enough hills here to worry about an avalanche.

[jmm03]

I don't miss digging the car out like that at all. we used to put an old shower curtain across the windshield to keep the snow and ice off overnight. Jim

[mickeyf]

This is why I moved from Ottawa years ago to tropical Canada. Also, I prefer my water sports to involve liquid water (swimming & sailing, as opposed to skiing and snowboarding).

[old mart]

They had about that much snow in Madrid the other week, imagine that in a city of that size, and not being geared up for it.

[plunger]

From someone from S Africa i dont think you guys realize how bizaare that looks. Doesnt your car get damaged . How long can snow stay like that before it melts away. Isnt your car going to struggle to start in so much snow. Could you not freeze to death if you break down on a deserted road. What happens to livestock?

We get snow but i would have to travel about 350 km inland and wait for winter and wait for a cold front and if lucky it might snow in the highest lying areas but maybe only 6 inches deep. Where I live it has never dropped below 8 celcius ever. Okay Im lying .It did in the last ice age.

[MattiJ]

From someone from S Africa i dont think you guys realize how bizaare that looks. Doesnt your car get damaged . How long can snow stay like that before it melts away. Isnt your car going to struggle to start in so much snow. Could you not freeze to death if you break down on a deserted road. What happens to livestock?

I can only imagine how it looks

I don't think there is enough snow anywhere to damage cars. Buildings collapse sometimes under snow load. Here in Finland a typical house is designed to withstand 200-300kg/m2 of snow load on the roof. Small house with 150m2 roof can have 45 tons of snow.

Snow probably doesn't stay that long where Blackforest is living, here in southern Finland its gone typically in early may. Northern Finland has still snow on mid-may. Most northern lakes are often still partially frozen during june even if daytime temps can climb to +30c.

Cars sometimes struggle to start, you need to keep your battery in good shape and diesel cars need to change to winter blend in advance. Arctic diesel works down to -44C, after that you are out of luck. Yes, you can freeze to death just like you can dehydrate to death in middle of desert. With some common sense its pretty unlikely. Usually when you go somewhere even with car you are dressed up somewhat to get in the car and can survive couple of kilometers walk outside if needed.

I have slept outdoors in -28c weather in down sleeping bag. Hardest part is keeping your nose and head from freezing.

[jmm03]

snow like that was a regular event when I was growing up in New Jersey. As the years went by we seemed to get less but it was just as cold. When I got out of the service I stayed in California, I don't miss digging out at all. Jim

[old mart]

If we get 2" of snow where I live, I'm staying indoors.

[Baz]

We had 2" of snow in London on Sunday - first time it didn't spell total gridlock and disaster, barely a comment on the news.

[darryl]

When I was in Africa, I worked for a music store after leaving the guitar amp factory. There were a few locals working for the store, and they had never seen snow and didn't know what it was. Once they got used to me being there, they would ask me questions- one was 'what is snow?' We had a fridge there, so I got a dish and loaded it up with scrapings from the freezer. Went outside and threw some around. Those guys were impressed to say the least.

[Paul Alciatore]

I may be in much the same position as you are. I was born and raised in the New Orleans area which is near the Gulf of Mexico. Snow there is a once in ten years thing and even then, it melts quickly. Enough to build a snowman is rare. But I also spent 16 winters in Iowa where the winter shows were quite frequent and often deep. So, I know snow.

Your questions:

Snow damage to autos? I think there is more damage from the efforts to remove snow and especially ice from the vehicles than from the snow or ice itself. Getting a 1/4" (6 mm) thick coating of ice off a windshield is not an easy task when the outside temperature is below zero F (-18 C). I have seen my thermometer bottom out at -30 degrees F (-34 C) and stay there for over a day. Also there is a lot of damage (rust) due to the salt that is used on the roads.

How long before it melts? That depends on the weather. First the temperature must rise above the freezing point and that will probably be a daytime thing only with lower temperatures at night. And sunlight which helps a lot; but I have seen weeks with no sunlight, just cloud cover. Nothing melted then. The snow can remain until the next snowstorm which then piles it on top of the old stuff.

Cars struggle to start? Well, in the past at least, they are designed and built in Detroit, MI, a northern climate. So they are, at least somewhat designed with winter weather in mind. With my time in Iowa and other years in northern climates, I did not find that starting problems were much worse in the cold winters. Some preventative maintenance is a good thing here. Antifreeze is an absolute must in the radiator. And even a little water in the gas can be a real problem.

Far, far more cars and trucks get stuck in the snow or slide off road. Ice is worse than snow here and it can be worse the day after a snowfall if it starts to melt but re-freezes overnight. I once tried to go to work on the morning after a heavy freeze. The ice was starting to melt, but not by much. There was a very slight slope for a couple hundred feet on the side street I had to use. It was a private road so the city did not salt/sand it. My truck, which was not four wheel drive, would slide sideways if I tried to go any faster then the engine's idle speed. It took me over an hour to go just that short distance. I watched several others who were not as patient as I was slide into the ditch. I later traded in that truck for one with four wheel drive.

Freeze to death? Well, yes you could. But most roads in the US at least are cleared of snow as quickly as possible after a snow storm. Some people on the lesser roads in the countryside may have to wait a day or two, but sooner or later a snow plow comes around. I had a friend in Iowa who was in that situation. He was the company maintenance man and was responsible for the building. He sometimes called me to check on one thing or another when a bad snow hit. One thing that most people in the northern climates do is to keep a blanket or two in their cars in the winter time. I certainly did. There are stories of people being stranded for weeks on a little traveled road, but they are rare and most survived.

Livestock? They evolved in the outdoors and usually can handle the low temperatures. Some will gather in closely packed herds. They have their ways. But, yes some can freeze to death. A wise rancher will take precautions (barns) or have other shelters for them. The pig raisers will often have small shelters which will hold one or several pigs (two sheets of plywood on an A frame, open at both ends).

People and animals have ways to cope.

From someone from S Africa i dont think you guys realize how bizaare that looks. Doesnt your car get damaged . How long can snow stay like that before it melts away. Isnt your car going to struggle to start in so much snow. Could you not freeze to death if you break down on a deserted road. What happens to livestock?

We get snow but i would have to travel about 350 km inland and wait for winter and wait for a cold front and if lucky it might snow in the highest lying areas but maybe only 6 inches deep. Where I live it has never dropped below 8 celcius ever. Okay Im lying .It did in the last ice age.

[garyhlucas]

I was in Iowa once and wondered about the roads raised up a couple of feet around the surronding area. I was told that it was so the snow would blow right off the roads.

We used to get lots of snow here in NJ, almost nothing the past few years. Put the Snowblower in the garage ready though.