Monday, February 8, 2010

Snow Fall Emergency Calculator


An awful lot of the Eastern part of the country is digging out. Some areas had 30 inches of snow, others probably none. Schools close, meetings are cancelled, snow emergencies are enacted, and even in some areas driving is prohibited. Snow plow drivers get overtime money, and grocery stores sell out of bread, milk, and beer. Auto body shops schedule a huge volume of work. You cannot buy a snow shovel anywhere, and even snow blowers are quickly disappearing from the stores.
We in my family have a unique opportunity to compare the different reactions to snow fall. Youngest daughter and family live in the northern Ohio snow belt. I live in Central Ohio, which is not the snow belt. We have worked out a calculation that we both can agree on, as it relates to snow fall. We have determined that there is a 1 to 30 ratio or calculation that works. It basically says that 1 inch of snow in Central Ohio equals about 30 inches of snow in Northern Ohio.
When i inch of snow is forecast for Central Ohio, the TV weather folks go into orgasmic frenzy. There are special alerts, and special TV programs on how to survive. The State Transportation dudes lay down brine, salt, and stage every driver for the "white death". Everything of a public nature closes down. People make a mad rush to the grocery stores to stock up. All plans are cancelled. That's with 1 inch of snow. TV weather folks in the Ohio snow belt might make an announcement if the expected snow fall is to be 24 inches or more. But nothing ever thinks of closing.

5 comments:

tisme said...

lol, we are like that here in Western PA, don`t even blink and eye unless they are calling for over 2 feet. Then we just watch for it to fall.
And one other thing I heard that people stock up on is Pop-Tarts.
I guess you can eat them cold if you don`t have power. We got 27 inches here at my house!

Tom H said...

We have about 14 inches here, with several more on the way. It is beautiful out though. Minus 7 this AM. And being retired, I don't have to go anywhere.

John M. Casteline said...

Several years ago, I pulled into the parking lot at the Syracuse Airport Best Western. There was 4 inches of unplowed snow covering the lot. I had to park pretty far from the hotel entrance. After trudging through the snow I complained to the lady at the front desk. "Don't you plow the parking lot after a snowstorm"? She looked at me quizically. "Oh, there was no snowstorm. That's just lake-effect snow" she said.

Tracy said...

In CA if it rains more than a sprinkle we are on "Storm Watch"....same thing on the news!

TamRock said...

I have about 40" of snow on my lawn, Tom!!
And a glacier on my roof!