Snow storm 2009

**Darin** · 12-19-09, 01:35 AM

As of 01:30 we have over 12" and it's still putting it down. Totals will be 16"-20" by the time it quits.

Unfortunately I had to work in it today. I worked a stretch of road for over 3 hours. It was wreck after wreck. I even parked my marked unit with all the lights going....and people still went around it and got stuck. Fortunatley a local with a tractor got everyone unstuck. It got so bad that we were told to go to (1 north and 1 south) headquarters and wait out the storm. We only responded to emergency call and only to wrecks with injury.

Luckily I have the next 3 off....I'll post pics tomorrow.

PS - this kind of snow in my area is pretty rare. This area with be shut down for days.....

**pgg** · 12-19-09, 01:58 AM

Send some my way. It snowed once at my house so far and only lasted the night

**CTR man** · 12-19-09, 02:02 AM

This just goes to show us that people who live in areas of the country that don't usually get snow will invariably get stuck or get in collisions because they don't know how to drive in the stuff. Thus shutting the roads down to a standstill.

I have a friend that was coming from Utah at the time to visit his parents near Redding, CA. He was driving over Donner Summit on I 80 where there were chain requirements in effect (not sure if it was R1 or R2) and he was waved through, even though he had chains.

Someone complained to LE that was motioning people over to put on their chains and he overheard the officer tell that motorist to look at my friend's Utah license plates on his pick-up. Theorizing that Utah drivers most likely will know how to drive in the snow and California drivers normally won't.

**121Traffic** · 12-19-09, 03:10 AM

Originally Posted by Darin

As of 01:30 we have over 12" and it's still putting it down. Totals will be 16"-20" by the time it quits.

Unfortunately I had to work in it today. I worked a stretch of road for over 3 hours. It was wreck after wreck.

I was going to ask...here we call it Accident Alert. When the watch commander puts us on accident alert, we WILL NOT respond out to accidents unless there are injuries (or unknown injury), DUI related, or Hit/Run. Of course, this doesn't stop every passerby from calling in every car they see on the side of the road as an "unknown injury" wreck.

We have an elevated interstate...that sucker gets SLICK. After a wreck or four during our last storm, we made dispatch ASK callers if they could verify for sure if there were injuries. More often than not, they were passerby and could not. Unless there were verifiable injuries, we woudn't respond.

**Jenna** · 12-19-09, 07:06 AM

Hope everyone stays safe!

**Buttercup** · 12-19-09, 08:27 AM

We're supposed to get anywhere from 9 to 14 inches of snow in my area today and it's fairly unusual to get such a heavy snowfall, particularly this early. We generally get maybe one or two heavy snowfalls each winter. It hasn't started snowing yet but it's very overcast. I hate snow.

Please be careful!

**jmur5074** · 12-19-09, 09:57 AM

Oh I love that stuff.

Two years ago we got 33" in a 24 hr period, and during our first storm this year we got 15" in a 24 hr period. I didn't work in the storm two years ago, but I worked in it this year. It was a blast.

**Jenna** · 12-19-09, 10:40 AM

Originally Posted by jmur5074

Oh I love that stuff.

Two years ago we got 33" in a 24 hr period, and during our first storm this year we got 15" in a 24 hr period. I didn't work in the storm two years ago, but I worked in it this year. It was a blast.

**Darin** · 12-19-09, 10:57 AM

Snow totals are about 18" and I think it's over.

**Buttercup** · 12-19-09, 11:46 AM

Originally Posted by jmur5074

Oh I love that stuff.

Two years ago we got 33" in a 24 hr period, and during our first storm this year we got 15" in a 24 hr period. I didn't work in the storm two years ago, but I worked in it this year. It was a blast.

I'd want to move to another state after that.

**Jks9199** · 12-19-09, 11:48 AM

Originally Posted by 121Traffic

I was going to ask...here we call it Accident Alert. When the watch commander puts us on accident alert, we WILL NOT respond out to accidents unless there are injuries (or unknown injury), DUI related, or Hit/Run. Of course, this doesn't stop every passerby from calling in every car they see on the side of the road as an "unknown injury" wreck.

We have an elevated interstate...that sucker gets SLICK. After a wreck or four during our last storm, we made dispatch ASK callers if they could verify for sure if there were injuries. More often than not, they were passerby and could not. Unless there were verifiable injuries, we woudn't respond.

We do the same sort of thing; "accident policy" meaning that we will only respond to crashes with injury or if they can't get the cars out of the roadway.

But there is something worth considering about the general issue of knowing how to drive in the snow...

Snow is different in different places. In the DC area, it tends to be wetter and compress down to ice very easily. Which means that even though people "know how to drive in the snow", they end up having trouble because it ain't snow -- it's ice. Dry snow is different to deal with than wet, sleet/snow mixes are different, and so on...

**Darin** · 12-19-09, 03:21 PM

**Darin** · 12-19-09, 03:23 PM

**ex401mp** · 12-19-09, 04:36 PM

I miss the snow and other seasons. I don't; however, miss the shoveling and the eventual snowplow covering my driveway back up. I had a neighbor that covered my driveway with his snowblower once. I went to my basement that night, got my water hose and coated his car, driveway and anywhere else the water would reach. Needless to say, he never did that shit again.

**Jks9199** · 12-19-09, 08:42 PM

I live in a townhouse community; the "road" is really just a glorified parking lot. Some dumbass neighbors are so concerned with digging their cars out that they're piling all the snow back into the roadway... 'cause nobody wants to like DRIVE or anything, right?

Of course I don't give a damn! My work ride happens to have 4-wheel drive... and my POV is all-wheel drive. Though I admit, I'm going to grin when they finally bring a plow in for another pass and those idiots find themselves behind a wall of snow and ice!

**Cidp24** · 12-19-09, 11:16 PM

Good grief! If we had that much snow, the only thing that would be moving down here would be ATVs. We would almost be stone age.

**pgg** · 12-19-09, 11:19 PM

Originally Posted by Cidp24

Good grief! If we had that much snow, the only thing that would be moving down here would be ATVs. We would almost be stone age.

Aren't you about in the stone age anyways?

**Cidp24** · 12-19-09, 11:38 PM

Wow, you need to come visit sometime. We have paved roads, cable TV and even cell phones. Then again, that still might be too backwards for a state where the Governor considers selling autographed car parts to support the budget, but you might enjoy it anyway.

**pgg** · 12-20-09, 12:01 AM

Originally Posted by Cidp24

Wow, you need to come visit sometime. We have paved roads, cable TV and even cell phones. Then again, that still might be too backwards for a state where the Governor considers selling autographed car parts to support the budget, but you might enjoy it anyway.

A nearby city actually only has about 25 percent of its roads paved

Pursuits there can get interesting sometimes in the winter on a dirt road

**Buttercup** · 12-20-09, 08:51 AM

I think that there's 11 inches of snow in my town. Now I get to clean off my car and move it from the lot so the plow can come through. When I looked outside a little while ago, my steps and walkway had already been shoveled. I think the HOA should clean off the cars, too.

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