Oh okay NOW we get snow

[annathepiper]

solarbird and I got up this morning to hear on the radio, to our mutual bemusement, that Seattle schools had been closed. This was confusing on the grounds that there had been no new snow in the general Seattle metropolitan area overnight, including in Kenmore.

But, as the Times has observed today, Seattle gets pretty pitiful at even the threat of snow.

I made it out to the appointments just fine, with nary a flake to be seen when I got to Kirkland for this morning's saline fill (which went fine, and Dr. McMillan says the next one will be the last one) and oncologist followup (which also went fine, and Dr. Kohn wants me to come back in March for a followup mammogram and breast MRI). It was also considerably warmer than it had been on Monday when Dara and I went down to the shops. Still a bit nippy and windy, though.

So I headed over to Northgate to run a few errands, and noted a few random bits of precipitation on the windshield on the way. Noticeably windier by the time I left there. And lots of clouds blowing around on the way home along Lake City Way.

I got home before anything interesting happened, thankfully. Around 4pm we had some sleety-haily mix start up, enough to drop a lot of slush on the steps, the side yard patio, and the driveway leading down into the street. That should freeze up right good overnight. And by right good I mean wow I'm glad I don't have to go anywhere tomorrow.

As of 4:30 or so it shifted to genuine snow. So now we're finally seeing some action. It remains to be seen as to how long this'll keep up tonight.

Comments

[smeehrrr.livejournal.com]

We've got bupkus in Kirkland still. Worst. Storm. Ever.

[annathepiper]

It may be heading your way. The radar map on weather.com is showing a bunch of blue (snow) moving east over us, so you may be next.

[smeehrrr.livejournal.com]

Too little, too late. I'm totally breaking up with this storm.

[annathepiper]

It WAS cheating on you with Snohomish, after all.

[smeehrrr.livejournal.com]

And remember, you can't spell Snohomish without HO.

[ghost-light.livejournal.com]

My mom reported it had stopped snowing in Tacoma about 4pm

[annathepiper]

I don't know if what Tacoma had moved up this way, or if it was something that moved down from the north. Regardless, it's petered out here for the time being. We'll have to see if it comes back tonight.

[pocketnaomi.livejournal.com]

Seattle is even weirder than Maryland about snow. The Marylanders consider themselves Southern, and freak out completely every time there is half an inch on the roads, but I've never seen them freak out before there even is any snow, about the mere possibility.

Makes me yearn for a good old-fashioned Chicago blizzard.

[smeehrrr.livejournal.com]

To be fair, Seattle has good reason to freak out about snow, because there is basically no infrastructure in place for getting the roads passable, and nobody here has a clue how to drive on snow or ice. So even as little as an inch can render wide swaths of this area impassable.

[pocketnaomi.livejournal.com]

*nod* That is basically why Maryland freaks out about snow too -- they aren't set up for it, so it causes a lot more problems than places with good snow management skills and equipment. But after living in a place where mayors are not re-elected if they can't get the snow cleared by morning rush hour, I remain amazed at how little of it is capable of bringing the city to a grinding halt.

[annathepiper]

Yeah, that's the main reason I'm glad I don't have to go anywhere tomorrow. The snow itself doesn't distress me nearly as much as all the drivers around me going batshit nuts.

[annathepiper]

I remember that big ol' freak winter we had in Kentucky when I was a kid, when we had TWO FEET of the snow on the ground. This? Pah. Nothin'. ;)

[kieri.livejournal.com]

It's really not so much the volume of snow as it is the fact that something like 60% of our streets are on a greater than 30 degree angle.

I mean, you try driving in snow when driving to work looks like a luge run. It's nuts. :)

(I had a cool diagram but LiveJournal ated it)

[annathepiper]

Oh, I wouldn't be driving in this. I'm rusty at my driving in snow!

No, this would be me breaking out the Yaktrax and probably waiting for severely delayed busses for a while, until I finally give in and say 'fuck it the bus isn't coming' and trudge back up the hill to get on the VPN and work from home. ;)

spazzkat says it's a mess downtown today. I'm really glad I didn't have to go out.