Wow! NC does shut down when it snows

[dejr_8]

We had about 4 inches on Friday night into Saturday. Some major secondary roads still are snow/ice covered (forget about side roads). School was cancelled today and the long time locals are suggesting no school until Thursday.

 

[lecach]

Yep - that's NC for you. I'm from here so I am used to it. We have a lot of people out of work today too. I came in 2 hours late. This is a retirement community so we never close.

 

[Muushka]

Wow! NC does shut down when it snows

It does indeed. And they do not know how to drive in it either.

 

[tluvstink]

I've lived here almost 14 years so I guess I'm used to it too I moved here from Northern Va so it took me a while to adjust but now I just go with the flow. I love living in NC


Terri

 

[hereyago]

I live in Virginia. DD11 had friday and today off for teacher work/staff days. Interesting to see what tomorrow brings. Our major roads are good and I went out today and the snow plows were still working their magic.

However, the secondary roads, not that great. My cul de sac is icy, but it is melting, but I am sure it will ice up again tonight.

 

[mumom95]

My sister lives in Durham and said they got about 7 inches. She is a dean at UNC and isn't going in until the snow melts. Which is funny, because she grew up in Cincinnati and learned to drive in the snow. She's been down south for about 20 years now.

 

[james'mommy]

We got a half inch in my part of Charlotte and there was no school today.

 

[pirateofthecarolinas]

I know school will be canceled tomorrow. Our neighborhood hasn't even been scraped yet.

I've had the neighborhood boys for 2 nights now. It's time for them to go to someone else's house.

 

[LJC1861]

We had a foot here in Asheville and of course there was no school today. I am fully expecting that school will be closed again tomorrow as they are calling for sleet and freezing rain here overnight. Then, to top it all off...there is MORE snow on the way for Friday into Saturday.

I work in a group home and we have awake staff working 24/7. When the weather gets bad it is SO difficult for our staff, who often NEED to be on their way in to or home from work in some very challenging conditions. We have a wonderful maintainance supervisor who does transport people if they feel they need it, but it is still a big challenge. We have had staff bring stuff and stay over, rather than risk being out in the weather.

Linda

 

[matthew&haleysmom]

I am in VA. We are shut down. We got 7 inches here. I am sitting here wondering if we will have school tomorrow. The kids are loving the snow.

 

[Darcy03231]

DD is in NC going to college (Raleigh-Durham area). She can't beleive how everything is shut down (we're from NH).

 

[SamRoc]

My sister moved from New Jersey to Statesville NC. She says there are very few people on the roads when it snows. She doesn't mind it all as she drove in so many snowstorms in NJ.

 

[MrsPete]

Before y'all laugh at us too much, consider this:

Up North y'all have snowplows, materials for de-icing the roads, snow tires, etc. You have to do it. If you didn't, you'd be snowed in for months -- and that's not realistic. You clear your roads, and that's WHY you can drive in snow. You pay $$$$$$ in taxes so that these things can happen. In addition, you own heavy coats, snow suits, and other winter wear. You pay extra for snow tires, chains, and all-wheel drive vehicles so you can keep going in the snow. Again, you have to do it.

In contrast, we get snow here 1-3 days PER YEAR. Some years we get none. I own about 45 acres in two different counties (some in the county, some in the city), and my all my property taxes together are just under $2000/year. Our taxes are low because we don't pay for all those snowplows and salt -- I'll take the inconvenience of shutting down the world occasionally to save that much on taxes. My heavy coat is probably what you wear in October. In our circumstances, IT MAKES SENSE to shut down the world for a couple days, make it a holiday, and stay home by the fireplace!

 

[luvmy3jewels]

Mrs. Pete is right. A few years ago our city sold its snowplows because it wasn't worth the cost of maintenance considering how infrequently it snows here. I have lived in this part of NC all of my life and the last time we saw this much snow was during the blizzards of 1980 (we had two back to back). So, no many of us aren't used to driving in these conditions (and I am including myself). I stayed off the roads over the weekend but had to go into work this morning. Schools were cancelled here and I expect a 2 hour delay (at a minimum) tomorrow.

 

[Luv2Scrap]

Sounds like heaven to me!

I can't even begin to describe what we have to endure to qualify for a snow day!

 

[dejr_8]

Before y'all laugh at us too much, consider this:

Up North y'all have snowplows, materials for de-icing the roads, snow tires, etc. You have to do it. If you didn't, you'd be snowed in for months -- and that's not realistic. You clear your roads, and that's WHY you can drive in snow. You pay $$$$$$ in taxes so that these things can happen. In addition, you own heavy coats, snow suits, and other winter wear. You pay extra for snow tires, chains, and all-wheel drive vehicles so you can keep going in the snow. Again, you have to do it.

In contrast, we get snow here 1-3 days PER YEAR. Some years we get none. I own about 45 acres in two different counties (some in the county, some in the city), and my all my property taxes together are just under $2000/year. Our taxes are low because we don't pay for all those snowplows and salt -- I'll take the inconvenience of shutting down the world occasionally to save that much on taxes. My heavy coat is probably what you wear in October. In our circumstances, IT MAKES SENSE to shut down the world for a couple days, make it a holiday, and stay home by the fireplace!

You are absolutely correct. When we moved from MA to NC, we thought we would have no problem driving here when it snowed based on experience in MA. Nope - we couldn't have been more wrong. You can't drive when there is a 2" snow pack/ice pack on the roads - no matter how much experience you have driving in the snow from up North.

On a local chat board the locals are talking about the Wait till Spring approach for clearing the roads...

This is just our first experience with a "shut down" since we moved to NC 6 years ago.

 

[ncmickeyluvr]

Before y'all laugh at us too much, consider this:

Up North y'all have snowplows, materials for de-icing the roads, snow tires, etc. You have to do it. If you didn't, you'd be snowed in for months -- and that's not realistic. You clear your roads, and that's WHY you can drive in snow. You pay $$$$$$ in taxes so that these things can happen. In addition, you own heavy coats, snow suits, and other winter wear. You pay extra for snow tires, chains, and all-wheel drive vehicles so you can keep going in the snow. Again, you have to do it.

In contrast, we get snow here 1-3 days PER YEAR. Some years we get none. I own about 45 acres in two different counties (some in the county, some in the city), and my all my property taxes together are just under $2000/year. Our taxes are low because we don't pay for all those snowplows and salt -- I'll take the inconvenience of shutting down the world occasionally to save that much on taxes. My heavy coat is probably what you wear in October. In our circumstances, IT MAKES SENSE to shut down the world for a couple days, make it a holiday, and stay home by the fireplace!

You hit the nail on the head!! I've only been in NC for 15 years, so I admit to laughing at the mess for the first year of two. But ya know what.....I'll trade my low cost of living for the ability too drive in a snow storm any day of the week.

I'll also admit to laughing at my Massachusetts relatives when they get a heat wave and complain about a few days of 90 degree weather. It's normal for me now.

 

[dejr_8]

You hit the nail on the head!! I've only been in NC for 15 years, so I admit to laughing at the mess for the first year of two. But ya know what.....I'll trade my low cost of living for the ability too drive in a snow storm any day of the week.

I'll also admit to laughing at my Massachusetts relatives when they get a heat wave and complain about a few days of 90 degree weather. It's normal for me now.

This is so true. I think it only took one summer to adjust to the temps. It is funny that an 80oF day can feel cool...

 

[sharlon]

We had a foot here in Asheville and of course there was no school today. I am fully expecting that school will be closed again tomorrow as they are calling for sleet and freezing rain here overnight. Then, to top it all off...there is MORE snow on the way for Friday into Saturday.

Linda

I live in Arden, where Linda lives. We had over 13" at my house, plus ice on top of that. One thing about western NC is we are in the mountains. Yes, we do have more snow removal equipment than the Raleigh area, but when you are talking sharp drop-offs and inclines, all the snowplows, salt, and sand in the world won't make it safe.

Before y'all laugh at us too much, consider this:

Up North y'all have snowplows, materials for de-icing the roads, snow tires, etc. You have to do it. If you didn't, you'd be snowed in for months -- and that's not realistic. You clear your roads, and that's WHY you can drive in snow. You pay $$$$$$ in taxes so that these things can happen. In addition, you own heavy coats, snow suits, and other winter wear. You pay extra for snow tires, chains, and all-wheel drive vehicles so you can keep going in the snow. Again, you have to do it.

In contrast, we get snow here 1-3 days PER YEAR. Some years we get none. I own about 45 acres in two different counties (some in the county, some in the city), and my all my property taxes together are just under $2000/year. Our taxes are low because we don't pay for all those snowplows and salt -- I'll take the inconvenience of shutting down the world occasionally to save that much on taxes. My heavy coat is probably what you wear in October. In our circumstances, IT MAKES SENSE to shut down the world for a couple days, make it a holiday, and stay home by the fireplace!

So, so true! And I want to add, in my years of growing up in Atlanta and living in North Carolina, all of my friends and neighbors who had accidents during snow storms were from the north. They all admitted later that they thought it wouldn't be a big deal. Easy to drive in. Then they got out and the roads were icy and it's a wetter snow than what they were used to. Very icy. Best thing to do is stay home.

You are absolutely correct. When we moved from MA to NC, we thought we would have no problem driving here when it snowed based on experience in MA. Nope - we couldn't have been more wrong. You can't drive when there is a 2" snow pack/ice pack on the roads - no matter how much experience you have driving in the snow from up North.

Thanks for saying this!

As for Asheville, just south of the city got hit the hardest. I don't think we will have school until Thursday, only because the roads are VERY, VERY icy in spots. Our terrain is all over the place and our districts are very spread out.

 

[ncmickeyluvr]

This is so true. I think it only took one summer to adjust to the temps. It is funny that an 80oF day can feel cool...

Yes, I just smile and nod when they go on and on about how they've had to suffer through unbearably hot summer conditions ( which aren't nearly as warm as our normal temps ).....while the same relatives have been posting on my facebook all weekend about how ridiculous it is that everything closes for some measly bit of snow. I can guarantee that my air conditioning is whole lot less expensive than paying for a whole fleet of snow plows to work around that clock all winter long. I'm enjoying my little snow-in, thank you very much. I'll just let the beautiful NC sun melt this headache away!