February 9, 2019

"Wish you could have seen the Seattle-area panic shopping yesterday."

"People in the grocery stores were buying everything in the store, because of the prospect of 3 or 4 days of snow. It was hilarious. The Governor declared a state of emergency. When I was at Loring AFB, we called this weather 'springtime.' I remember an April Fool's day in Denver in 1980 or 81 when we had 11 inches of snowfall over night, and by noon it was in the 60's. Imagine 11 inches of slush. Today's weather gave us maybe an inch of snow. God help us."

Writes alanc709 in last night's café.

Preppers.

115 comments:

jaydub said...

Apparently you only need bread and milk to survive a snow storm.

mockturtle said...

My older daughter lives in Tacoma and I was relieved when she let me know she'd made it home safely. They got more snow than did Seattle and, while the snowplows were working diligently, it was slow going. Unlike other parts of the country, the PNW is usually ill-prepared for significant snow.

alanc709 said...

People were buying frozen food in case lots. As if snowfall never leads to power outages. I felt naked with my loaf of bread and bag of potato chips.

Fritz said...

jaydub said...
Apparently you only need bread and milk to survive a snow storm.


Here in the DC/Slower Maryland region the holy trinity for snowstorms is bread, milk and toilet paper. A lot of people seem to live close to the edge on toilet paper.

Wince said...

“Would’t you like to be a ‘prepper’ too”?

iowan2 said...

Its all relative. Seattle gets an inch of snow and goes nuts. Doesn't LA shut down with an inch of rain?

AllenS said...

Maybe it's a Wisconsin thing, but we make a mad dash to buy beer when the weather is threatening.

Jersey Fled said...

For some reason my wife is always worried about running out of butter and fabric softener.

I guess that's why I love her.

Ralph L said...

Charleston SC got about half an inch one night when we lived there. Mass panic, schools closed, and it was gone by 10 am.

As late as the 80's, NC didn't plow I-85 until the second day.

stevew said...

There is no shortage of snow in New England, where I live, and we have the right equipment and men with skill to deal with it all in a timely manner and yet you will see that same sort of panicked behavior in the supermarkets and grocery stores in the lead up to a predicted storm. It's not rational but seems to be a common human trait.

gilbar said...

Jersey Fled said...
For some reason my wife is always worried about running out of butter and fabric softener.

Can you Imagine THE HORROR! of being stuck in the house for two days with scratchy hard clothes?
Can you Imagine THE HORROR! of being stuck in the house for two days with scratchy hard toast?


You're lucky you have her, Jersey Fled

Temujin said...

I spent my first 25 years in Michigan and don't recall a single time when the snow caused panic. And we had a lot of snow, cold, etc. Used to carry a shovel, a board, and a bag of kitty litter in the trunk of my car so I could dig myself out of deep snow ruts. But it was just SOP around there. Then I moved to Atlanta where the forecast of possible flurries could close the schools and drive people to clear out the shelves of the grocery. Now I'm in Florida where a forecast in the high 30's can cause the same reaction in the stores as snow in Seattle or flurries in Atlanta.

It's all relative. For those who have never been to Seattle, its streets can make San Francisco's look like the flatlands.

Big Mike said...

The Washington, DC, metro area isn’t a whole lot better.

iowan2 said...

Seattle doesn't have problems. I got problems. Last week we had lows of -28 degrees. Saturday and Sunday brought highs of 55 degrees. This week temps got above 25 degrees a few days. Work has required lots of travel with light snow, freezing drizzle and winds blowing across the Iowa plains and 20+mph winds. Temps are back to single digits. City streets have so much salt, those streets are glop. All that has left my pickup exactly the same color as a mud puddle, a disgusting film of covers it from bumper to bumper, and it's too cold to give it a washing.

RMc said...

Apparently you only need bread and milk to survive a snow storm.

And eggs. (There's something about a snow storm that gives everyone a craving for French toast.)

Saint Croix said...

In North Carolina everybody makes a mad dash for the grocery store. And it's not the snow that causes a mad dash. It's your knowledge that other people are going to dash to the grocery store. And you better dash too if you want some food. Just saying. You can be calm or in a panic, doesn't matter. The damn food will be gone. You'll be looking at empty shelves like it's 1988 in the Soviet Union.

Is this new behavior in Seattle? Because it's been like this in the South my entire life. We also can't drive on ice. I realize it's a stereotype but it's also the fucking truth.

Also, here's a tip for all you hungry hillbillies: You don't have to shop for groceries at the grocery store. They forgot about the drug store! No line at the drug store. You can slow drive to the drug store, where there is plenty of food.

You are welcome. Also watch out for the fucking ice.

Michael McNeil said...

Doesn't LA shut down with an inch of rain?

LA had almost two inches of rain just a week ago, so no.

rehajm said...

East of the Cascades people have no problem with winter weather and I know many people in King Countyat least travel to Wasu or Chelan once in a while, so that’s surprising. Must be all the California refugees what panic.

Shoulda built a wall.

sinz52 said...

We have those kinds of panics here in Massachusetts--but usually only when 12 or more inches of snow are forecast.

In the wintertime, I always keep enough canned food, bottled water, prescription medications, and other supplies on hand to last several days, so I don't have to do panic shopping at the last moment. It's only prudent. I lived through the Great Blizzard of 1978--and that one was no joke.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northeastern_United_States_blizzard_of_1978

Michael K said...

For those who have never been to Seattle, its streets can make San Francisco's look like the flatlands.

I have watched cars slowly slide down a hill sideways. It really has trouble with ice.

Fritz said...

rehajm said...
East of the Cascades people have no problem with winter weather and I know many people in King Countyat least travel to Wasu or Chelan once in a while, so that’s surprising. Must be all the California refugees what panic.


I was going to add that the people going nuts in Seattle over an inch of snow aren't preppers, most of the preppers live east of the Cascades, and don't fret over a little snow. And they don't vote for the idiots that run Seattle.

Michael K said...


Doesn't LA shut down with an inch of rain?

LA had almost two inches of rain just a week ago, so no.


The first rain of the season is often a problem as it floats the oil out of the pavement and makes freeways pretty slippery,.

Humperdink said...

I have lived in NW Pa for 30+ years now. I'd like to say I am used to winter, but I am not. If I retire (a big if at this point), spouse and I are going to rent a house from Jan 1st to March 31 somewhere warm. I don't care if it's a tent.

It is 5 degrees this morning, with 10 mph wind.

Ralph L said...

Our snow is usually wetter in the South and on warmer roads and thus more slippy. Plus we're more likely to have ice storms, ice layers in the snow, and melting/refreezing.

Eleanor said...

I live in New England. When a snowstorm is coming, the only busy store in my town is the liquor store.

Fernandinande said...

I have watched cars slowly slide down a hill sideways. It really has trouble with ice.

Oh my, that poor hill!

Speaking of poorly written nonsense, the mountain lion strangled by that guy weighed 80 pounds, just like I predicted.

gilbar said...

ten years ago, when my friend was teaching at Texas State (Go Bobcats!) in San Marcos; i went to visit her in early January.
When I got there, it was in the upper sixties: I was wearing shorts, most folk were wearing Parkas. It was supposed to get down to 32 degrees the next day (for the LOW).
The city cable channel was running a continuous loop warning people to:
* have 4-5 Days medicine and food
* Drip Your Pipes The LOW was supposed to be 32!
* Remember! Mittens are Warmer than Gloves

my friend had grown up in the Twin Cities, and her and i sat there watching the loop for a Long Time, in complete disbelief. To this day, if i want a smile; i just say Mittens are Warmer than Gloves

They DID get an eighth inch of Ice, which shut the town down until it melted: two hours later

Bruce Hayden said...

Bet the Mormons aren't panicking. As I understand it, they are supposed to have a year's food set aside at any time. Which apparently is why basements are still popular in Mormonland. A year for the rest of us might be a bit much, but they had essentially freeze dried survival rations on sale a week or two ago at either Costco or Sam's Club here in PHX for a decent price. Of course, you need to be able to boil water to make the meals, so a small camp stove may be in order (with fuel), esp since most newer houses no longer have working fireplaces. Maybe not in a blizzard, where you can melt snow, but fresh clean water is probably more critical than food. Dirt cheap, but f you don't wait to the last minute. Batteries and TP are good too.

David Begley said...

Had to stock up on pot. man.

jerpod said...

In Kansas City, we got a nice half-inch layer of ice on Wednesday night. It hasn’t gotten above freezing since, and it’s very treacherous to walk or drive. The salt trucks have made the rounds and people are moving, but slowly. My wife and I personally have not left the house since Wednesday except to walk to the mailbox yesterday. My driveway has a slight slope and I think that if I backed my car out, I wouldn’t be able to get it back into the garage again. We’re nearly out of coffee though, so we’ll have to head out soon. First stop, grocery store. Second stop, liquor store.

alan markus said...

Seems like in my area (Milwaukee exburbs) you don't see a lot of that panic behavior anymore. Just about every household seems to have a 4WD pickup or SUV. Most people have cell phones, so getting stranded and abandoned is not a fear like in the past. Can't recall any recent snow storms where everything was shut down - you might wind up with an 8 to 12 hour stretch where you might find it hard to get out. Last week the extreme cold snap after the snow storm resulted in some stores shortening their business hours so employees were not having to travel in the dark.

Some of that change in behavior may be due to the Milwaukee media market. To figure the % chance of a material weather event, take the amount of Media Hype (i.e., terms like Snowmagedgen, Snowpocalypse) and divide by number of days out that the hype begins (i.e. 5 days).

I don't bother looking at the weather reports until I see that beet juice has been applied on the street hills & curves by the Department of Public Works.

tcrosse said...

For my sins, I lived many years in Minnesota. My relatives in Washington were happy to bust my chops about the cold weather I had to endure, while they basked in the rain. Now I live in Nevada and am sorely tempted to return the favor, but I never wanted to be that sort of person.

Ralph L said...

I have watched cars slowly slide down a hill sideways

In Winston-Salem, I saw an SUV drive at low speed down a hill about to T bone another SUV. It braked and flipped over the other's hood ass over teakettle. I still can't figure out how it happened. In July, so no snow involved.

Maillard Reactionary said...

Rob McLean said:

"Apparently you only need bread and milk to survive a snow storm.

And eggs. (There's something about a snow storm that gives everyone a craving for French toast.)"

That's why you should bring the chickens inside when it gets cold, and keep them in the spare bedroom.

Lincolntf said...

I love in NC now, but grew up in Central MA. My wife went to the local WalMart before a storm in December and took a pic of the huge, long, empty bread aisle. There were only two packages of hot dog buns in the entire bread section. I chuckle at that, but at the same time I remember the Blizzard of 78, and being stuck in our house for days, and I can relate to the impulse to stock up. Lincolntf

tim in vermont said...

When I lived in Boston, what I noticed was that a heavy snow meant was that everyone ignores the traffic lights even more than usual.

Humperdink said...

Growing up in the suburbs of Pittsburgh in the 50's and 60's, the cold days would wreak havoc on cars. Half the cars in the neighborhood would have their hoods up in the morning. Carburetors/sticking chokes/flooding and then killing the car battery was the norm. Thank goodness for fuel injection.

CapitalistRoader said...

Duluth. Search youtube for Duluth car sliding. Hilarity ensues.

Sebastian said...

"Wish you could have seen the Seattle-area panic shopping yesterday."

So, what are they gonna do when the Big One hits?

wild chicken said...

My family in socal assume Missoula has winter's like Buffalo but sadly no. no prepping here. It's finally going below zero here tomorrow.

We do have about 8 inches snow cover on the ground. My kitties don't like it so deep so today I'm going to dig them a Wander Trail so they can get around better. Got an acre to work with.

Bob Boyd said...

The Weather Channel has sold more toilet paper than Mr Whipple.

Original Mike said...

Four hours scrapping the ice off our steep driveway yesterday. Hope to finish it today. The stratigraphy of the ice was interesting. The different types of precipitation that fell over the last couple of days was preserved.

The real fun was Thursday. Took most of the day to thaw out the garage door so I could get it open.

alanc709 said...

More on Seattle- they cancelled regular TV shows to give hourly reports on the snow and traffic snarls. Live reporters outside, dressed for Antarctica. All that was missing was warnings about an alien creature taking over humans.

Tom T. said...

I saw some amusing pictures on Facebook of a Seattle supermarket cleaned out of bags of salad and a whole shelf of vegetables like broccoli and kale.

Original Mike said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Mary Beth said...

David Begley said...

Had to stock up on pot. man.

2/9/19, 8:22 AM


The delivery services don't operate when it snows?

Dust Bunny Queen said...

I laugh at and worry about the city people too. They are going to be so screwed if there is a real disaster or outage.

We are expecting snow for about a week on top of the already 6 inches we have Probably a new accumulation of 12 inches. Big deal. This happens almost every winter at some point. Normal.

Went to the store and bought some extra milk and half and half (for coffee). A few vegetables: 3 onions, 5 carrots, celery, potatoes. Soup will be good. A few oranges and some granny smith apples. That's about it.

I expect the power to go out...again. So we brought in the 10 cup (Faberware) perk coffee pot from the camp trailer, ground up extra coffee beans. Coffee is IMPORTANT!!! Filled the oil lamps up. Made sure the flashlights are recharged. Put the extra candles in a handy place. With matches and butane strikers.

Food: We have a pump house full of food, canned goods, dried beans, vegetables, soups, oriental food items, pasta, canned milk,dried, milk, canned tuna, clams, salmon, SPAM even. Jam galore. Two freezers full of food: meat, bacon, italian sausages, cod, tilapia, poultry, shrimp, trout, elk, deer, butter. Pies, cobblers I made last summer. Frozen elderberries and blueberries. Loaves of bread. Inside the house the regular stuff like sugar, flour, cornmeal, panko crumbs to be able to bake or cook.

We have natural gas for heat so even IF the power goes out, we have zone heat that (except for one room) doesn't require electricity....close down a section of the house and heat the rest. Our commercial Wolfe range will still work. Maybe I'll bake an apple crisp and a roast to keep the house warmer. If the power goes out, we just fill a couple of ice chests and put the food in the fridge outside in the snow on the deck.

Got the cards and backgammon board out. Got extra books from the library to read. Hubby has the tractor ready to go for snow removal on the driveway and to make pathways. The diesel is already plugged in (heating the block because the night temps are in the teens)

What more do we need? OH...yeah!!! Pump house has extra scotch, wine, beer, vodka and rum in storage too.

Not prepping. These are just normal precautions. See ya in the spring!

(Sorry for the lengthy comment)

Rae said...

Preppers are, by definition, already prepared.

Original Mike said...

"Thank goodness for fuel injection."

Yep. In days of yore, getting a cold car to start required a certain skill set. Modern cars just start.

Kirk Parker said...

I heard someone theorizing that the panic shopping was mostly hipsters who literally eat every meal out, including breakfast.


"So, what are they gonna do when the Big One hits?"

Die, mostly.

LordSomber said...

I've always had a pet conspiracy theory that the hyperventilating local news affiliates were in league with the local supermarket chains.

Tommy Duncan said...

I lived in Marquette, Michigan for a while. There were rural houses with second story entry doors with no deck or steps. I puzzled over those doors until the snows came. The snow would get so deep you could not open the first story doors outward. The only way out of the house was to go out a second story door and jump into the snow drifts.

Jeff Weimer said...

TBF, Seattle is more hilly than San Francisco, so any appreciable amount of snow that "sticks" is going to bring it to a complete halt until the sand and salt is deployed.

But the sledding is *fantastic*.

Michael said...

In Portland, they make a mad dash for milk, bread, eggs and weed

Dust Bunny Queen said...

@ Jeff Seattle is more hilly than San Francisco, so any appreciable amount of snow that "sticks" is going to bring it to a complete halt until the sand and salt is deployed.

This is a true and important point. My daughter and her husband used to live at the top of Queen Anne in Seattle. Very steep hills and narrow roads.

If you aren't used to driving in the snow, you really should just stay home for your safety and the safety of others around you.

Original Mike said...

@Tommy Duncan - I've seen those on the Keweenaw Peninsula. After seeing three or four the lightbulb went on.

Bill, Republic of Texas said...

Strange, I was raised on the coast of Maine but I have no memory of the blizzard of 1978. I would have been 14.

Maybe that was the year I had to shovel a trench, taller than me, from the front door to the mailbox. I shoveled a lot of snow in my youth.

rcocean said...

As stated above, Seattle only gets a few snow storms a year. As a result, in lots of places the snow gets cleared by Mother Nature - not a snow plow.

And the hills make driving on ice/snow a nightmare. Throw in inexperienced snow drivers and a lack of chains/snow tires and you have cause for panic. I've had friends who just took the whole week off when a snow storm hit and never left the house.

Ralph L said...

houses with second story entry doors

I watched some Scandinavian TV shows on Netflix last year. The outside doors usually opened outward on the ground floor and no second story doors in sight. Weird.

madAsHell said...

My daughter and her husband used to live at the top of Queen Anne

To be sure, Queen Anne is a hill.

madAsHell said...

I live in Seattle north of the University. My grocery store was short on bread, milk, and eggs.

My daughter lives in the CD (Central District) of Seattle. Her grocery store was short on milk, eggs, bread, and WATER. I can't figure that one out!!

Jeff Weimer said...

@ Dust Bunny Queen - I would dearly *love* to sled down the Counterbalance, although I probably wouldn't survive the attempt.

Ralph L said...

Did Sarah Churchill live on top of Queen Anne?

Original Mike said...

"I watched some Scandinavian TV shows on Netflix last year. The outside doors usually opened outward on the ground floor and no second story doors in sight. Weird."

Huh? Are you being snarky?

BJM said...

Last week Mammoth Lakes had nine feet of snow overnight and towns in the Sierra foothills below the snowline copped a foot. No one was panicked, in fact they were delighted.

@Kirk Parker: It amazes me that people don't keep basic supplies in reserve or have an emergency plan. Simple stuff like how to exit your building at work or your home in case of fire, power outage (or on the West Coast an earthquake), or find other members of your family.

todd galle said...

We live outside Harrisburg, PA, and do have winter weather from time to time when the power goes out - usually due to ice storms. So we maintain a full freezer, a 4000 watt generator and power cords, an 1870s pot bellied stove in the basement, a butane cooker and gas, and enough small arms for security. I think we could live almost a month without leaving the house - though there would be dietary sacrifices with no milk for breakfast cereal or fresh veggies.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

BJM said: Last week Mammoth Lakes had nine feet of snow overnight and towns in the Sierra foothills below the snowline copped a foot. No one was panicked, in fact they were delighted.

Yeah. They get a lot of snow in Mammoth.

We aren't necessarily delighted about a lot of snow. We just deal with it. I take snow days as a challenge to try to bake something new and put on a big pot of soup or chili.

Today, we are going to go travel a few miles in the snow to a very important meeting. At the Fair Grounds the local Farm Advisor has a meeting about the Fire Blight that has stricken the area. Can't miss this. How to treat the trees, how to prune and keep the pear and apple trees alive. THIS is worth driving in the snow. Probably pick up some more bread (sour dough) and tomatoes on the way home, to make tri tip sandwiches from the roast I did last night.

Snow days!!! Cooking!!! Reading, drink a glass of wine and take a nap.

Ok. Maybe I am delighted.

todd galle said...

Ralph L.
Ha Ha. Of course by then Queen Anne was basically a big, fat mountain. After what was it 16 kids with that moronic husband. Was it Charles II who said "I tried him drunk, I've tried him sober, there's nothing there"? Charles also caught young John Churchill (pre Dukedom) banging one his mistresses, forgiving him because that is how he made his living. Probably one of the few English generals whose career was formed by serving with the French, then kicking the crap out of them.

BJM said...

@DBQ...pretty much the same here. When you live in the country power outages and impassible roads are pretty much part of the ebb & flow. We also have a rule that the last person in town must call to see if anything is needed, there are no quick trips to pick up this or that.

Achilles said...

My wife sent me pictures of empty shelves from Fred Meyer yesterday.

The 2 year old got an ear infection and bounced between 102 and 104 temperature all day/night despite amoxicillin and Tylenol. Long day.

I grew up on the east side of the mountains so I am used to snow.

The roads aren’t the problem. It is the people on them that make it dicey.

BJM said...

DBQ said "Snow days!!! Cooking!!! Reading, drink a glass of wine and take a nap.

Ok. Maybe I am delighted.


Exactly, no outside chores, except checking on the chooks.

Anthony said...

Jeff Weimer said...
TBF, Seattle is more hilly than San Francisco, so any appreciable amount of snow that "sticks" is going to bring it to a complete halt until the sand and salt is deployed.


Yeah, the hills and when it does snow -- which is fairly rare -- it usually doesn't stick around very long. Hence, there isn't a lot of incentive to maintain a lot of plows and salt and junk. I lived there from 1985-2018 and there were probably less than half a dozen snowfalls where it stuck for more than a day.

Ralph L said...

Huh? Are you being snarky?

No, I can't figure out how they don't get trapped by the snow against the door.

alanc709 said...

In the 60's and 70's, snow in western Washington was a regular occurrence. But that was the tail end of the cooling period. Still, we had enough "white Christmases" when I was a child that I was disappointed when we didn't have snow on the ground for Christmas. Some of those had upwards of 10 inches. Considering the prevailing 'wisdom' of the day was global cooling, I'm surprised the state didn't invest in snow removal equipment.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

BJM Exactly, no outside chores, except checking on the chooks

And feeding the birds. The quail are so used to me now that they come running when I call them before throwing out the seed. The little tweetie birds recognize the red bucket and begin tweeting up a storm. Jays, woodpeckers, doves, flickers. Even a few hawks who come in swooping to try to eat the other birds. Hawks have to eat too. Chumming for hawks.

Helps them live through the winter. It isn't much money and they are fun to watch. Cheap entertainment.

The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...

We live at the top of a long steep hill where the combination of ice and gravity can make chains and excruciatingly careful driving an irrelevance. I’ve had a car slide off the road when it was at a complete stop. So, yes, Seattle drivers do a lot of stupid shit and Seattle city resources are always inadequate for these situations, but I have a lot of empathy for the folks who have to catch a flight or feel compelled to make it to work (‘cause there’s always some plowed-street flatlander who loudly wonders loudly why you didn’t make it in).

Howard said...

These people are not quite as silly as the doomsday preppers like Buwaya Puti.

LA_Bob said...

Global warming strikes Seattle!

Arashi said...

I live in east king county in the Sammamish area - up a hill, up a hill and up a hill, first house on the right. This is the second snow of the year. The first one last week dropped a foot of snow at my house. The city does not plow much as they don't have the equipment for it, but they do spray de-icer. If I had not shovled the road in front of my house to the corner - approx. 50 yards - we would have waited for mommy nature to melt it all - which is looking like next week.

THe current snow drop is at about 2 inches and growing by the hour - and it is supposed to snow until 4 PM.

Remember - In western Washington, it is always the first snow, and lots of normally sane folks panic for the first snow. Couple that with lots of hills, no snow tires or knowledge of how to drive in the snow, morons who stop part way up a hill or down a hill and driving here in the snow is just krap.

Oh - and we have a lot of folks who moved here recently from places where they have never, ever seen snow and just recently learned to drive in the first place. Lots of fun.

madAsHell said...

My wife has the local news channel on her lap top. Man, these people sound stupid.

Sprezzatura said...

"Oh - and we have a lot of folks who moved here recently from places where they have never, ever seen snow and just recently learned to drive in the first place."

Now they're not just sending rapists and criminals.

Sprezzatura said...

"My wife has the local news channel on her lap top. Man, these people sound stupid."

Hopefully the police will arrive at your house soon, so the person w/ a gun who is forcing y'all to watch stupid will be arrested.

Sprezzatura said...

BTW Mad,

We're sorta neighbors. My most north house in the city is by Green Lake, sorta yur hood.

But, I don't use that much. Bought it six (or so) years ago, have stayed there fewer than two dozen days. Last time was five-ish months ago.

Yancey Ward said...

I was in Atlanta during the Blizzard of March 1993. Now, areas to the north of the city really really did get pounded with two feet or more of snow, but in the city itself and where I lived out near Emory University got about 2-4 inches of snow on a Friday night/Saturday morning. I drove into the lab that morning on Briarcliff Road and in a two mile stretch I counted at least 100 cars abandoned on the side of the road.

ALP said...

LOL I live south of Seattle and work downtown. "Toastpocalypse" - that's what I am calling it. Apparently everyone is holed up eating toast.

Sprezzatura said...

""Toastpocalypse" - that's what I am calling it."

Alt name: "Toastadoom"

ALP said...

Oh I DID buy out all of the watermelon Sour Patch kids I could find in Lakewood (Pierce County). My SO is addicted to them so had to make sure he had enough for a week. Sour Patch Kid withdrawal is no laughing matter, especially when you are stuck in the house with an addict.

Gregg said...

Althouse is moving to Seattle. She's hinted at that many times. Now it's finally happening. Keep in mind, the smog, & humidity during the Summer, is unbearable, but survivable.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/05/travel/what-to-do-in-seattle.html

effinayright said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Arashi said...

Gregg - What smog and humidity are you talking about? In Seattle? There is no smog and humidity here. You want humidity, try Tokyo. Smog - maybe LA.

effinayright said...

I'm in Boston. When we have Winter Storm advisories, people rush out to "stock up" on bread, milk, toilet paper and bottled water (as if new-fallen snow can't be melted and drunk.) Talk show host Howie Carr lampoons such panicked behavior by reporting updates from a fake weatherman he calls "Biff Buffington", who hysterically shouts over howling winds to report impending doom.

If they looked in their kitchens these panicked shoppers would likely see a fridge filled with food, along with a pantry and cabinets stocked with all sorts of cans, bottles and dry goods.

Enough to last a week, at least. The only time people were snowbound here for that long was during the Great Blizzard of 1978 . Nobody died of starvation, but at least 14 people stuck in their cars on impassable roads succumbed to carbon monoxide poisoning. Some of them, I suspect were driving back from the supermarket after "stocking up".

Sprezzatura said...

"Talk show host Howie Carr lampoons such panicked behavior by reporting updates from a fake weatherman he calls "Biff Buffington", who hysterically shouts over howling winds to report impending doom."

Our version of Howie did a stunt like that on his show yesterday. His plan was to go out on the street w/ a portable mic to show how everyone was overhyping this thing. He saw a crashed car and said the wind and snowfall were really bad. Dori Monson.

Ha.

ALP said...

Seattle has an extensive public transportation system. If you think cars have a bad time on slippery hills, search YouTube for the inevitable videos of articulated buses sliding down hills.

Monday was snowy as well - morning commute was a foggy, 90 minute low-visibility crawl into Seattle. Walking down a steep hill, I nearly wiped out and fell on my ass. Breaking bones as you get older is no picnic. Slipping on an icy hill, breaking my fall with my hands and thus breaking bones in my hands, is a persistent fear of mine.

Seattle recently passed a soda tax in an attempt to influence obesity levels. I am suprised the mayor is not out there drumming this event up as a weight loss opportunity: as long as there is running water, why not drop a couple of pounds? The average person with a few extra pounds can go three weeks without food, assuming clean water.

Arashi said...

So Gov. Inslee, the "Climate Change" candidate for the 2020 Presidential race, has declared a state of emergency due to the current weather in the state of Washington.

Hmm.....

Sprezzatura said...

He dodged a bullet when he didn't become the "Weather Change" candidate.

Arashi said...

Remember - everything that occurrs outside that can be described as weather is the result of climate change caused by man and requiring all of the little people to live in caves and share one candle a month for every 100 folks.

The important folks all get to contiune fliting about to climate conferences on private airplanes to enjoy the best foods and wines while they discuss what the little people must do to fix things.

rcocean said...

Whenever Scott Adams or Rush Limbaugh need to fill air time they start blathering about Climate Change for the 142nd time.

Fucking boring.

rcocean said...

Althouse in Seattle? Why?

Just move to Portland. Same weather, same people, same everything.

The only thing Seattle has is Microsoft and Puget sound. which doesn't mean anything unless you like Boating. You can't swim in it, its too cold. And if you want a Sandy beach, you'll have a long drive.

rcocean said...

The whole milk, eggs, bread thing always cracks me up.

We stock up on Scotch, Steaks, and soda water.

Rabel said...

If you google the Space Needle panocam you will see the the city is essentially shut down. No traffic.

My son just sent me a photo from Mercer Island. He has a solid foot of snow on top of his car.

Arashi said...

Portland does not have the same people or weather. They are much more woke, and have you never heard of a silver thaw? They occur in Portland and are a wonder to see - especially all of the motorists caught in one.


Though Seattle is trying to out do both Portland and San Frnacisco, so there is that.

Kathryn51 said...

From my viewpoint (that is, front window), this entire post started with a falsehood. "Today's weather gave us maybe an inch of snow" Or, to be charitable, perhaps at the time Alanc709 posted their comment, it was a mere inch - that's all we had early in the evening. But the prediction for the Puget Sound area yesterday was 6-8 inches and that's what we have - hubby is currently knocking all of the snow off our cars.

And there's more snow on the way Sunday evening. And more later in the week.

Lots of empty shelves as the grocery stores on Thursday night - and they were replenished by Friday morning. Long lines at the gas stations began on Thursday as well. We're not preppers, we're just Boy Scouts - "be prepared".

As for the frozen dinners, that is funny - but the Amazon employees living in their dinky little studio apartments in downtown Seattle believe that the electricity that comes over the mountains from those nasty dams will never fail. (they weren't here during the storm of 2006 that knocked out the entire grid for 6 days).

Meadehouse, if you move to Seattle, just understand that if you want the gorgeous views, you live on top of the hills. Weather is milder, but I'm guessing we have 500K more SJWs than Madison.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

Meadehouse, if you move to Seattle, just understand that if you want the gorgeous views

When it isn't raining or it isn't foggy. My daughter and her husband couldn't stand it after a while. The only place to get away from the gloom that is Seattle was to drive inland to the Eastern side of Washington. Fog, gloom, wet.

On average, there are 152 sunny days per year in Seattle, Washington. The July high is around 75 degrees. The January low is 37 Only, 152 days out of 365 are sunny...yuck

Daughter and fam have since moved back to the Mediterranean and mostly sunny climate of the Napa Valley area.

ALP said...

Moving to Seattle? Huh? Why would anyone move to a high cost of living, major job center when they don't need employment?

I'm biased as I can't wait to get away.

effinayright said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
effinayright said...

rcocean said...
Whenever Scott Adams or Rush Limbaugh need to fill air time they start blathering about Climate Change for the 142nd time.

Fucking boring.
************************

But I suspect you find AOC's bat-shit crazy Green New Deal very compelling, right?

Kirk Parker said...

Wow there's a lot of Puget Sound folks here!

David-2 said...

A lot of people ragging on Seattle - which deserves it. (I say, as a 20yr Seattle resident.)

But to be fair: There are two issues that make Seattle residents quite anxious when the weather reports snow ...

First - we have the nation's worst traffic - surveys say we're in the top 10 nationwide but they're sugar-coating it. A little rain slows down things a lot. A little snow brings it to a drastic stop. And there's a vicious circle effect: As soon as a few flakes appear in the air in the early afternoon everyone in the city immediately abandons their desks and heads for their cars to try to beat everyone else home. Of course, that means they're all creating the mother-of-all-traffic-jams for each other right then.

And second - about 10 years ago we had a disastrous mayor. No, not that one, a different one. Actually, it's hard to know which one - they're _all_ disastrous. But anyway, this one mayor and his traffic department decided that salting roads was bad for the Puget Sound. So they didn't do it during that year's 4" snowfall. They scraped the major roads of snow (and abandoned the neighborhoods altogether). With the roads scraped leaving about 1/2" to 1" of snow and no salt all the major roads and arterials turned into thick sheets of ice overnight and stayed that way about a week. Seattle voters got rid of him in the next election. But bad government here transcends administrations ... in fact, it is a way of life ... so when snow is threatened or actually arrives we know we're in for a rough time.

rcocean said...

"On average, there are 152 sunny days per year in Seattle, Washington."

This include PARTLY Sunny days.

rcocean said...

Blaming the Mayor is silly. Seattle has NEVER handled the snow well.

Ever.

Gregg said...

There was lots of smog in Seattle---but maybe it was the bad air from the wildfires, all gone by now. There is heavy fog at times, which turns into humidity, but it's not a constant thing. The gray overcast days are wonderful----it's like a watercolor impressionistic painting. Well, not quite, but Althouse wanted "filtered light".....lots of that in Seattle. And then, there's Olympic National Park: Can you imagine being within walking distance to a National Park !!! You don't have that in Madison. Anyway, now that Althouse got her sight back, she's finally ready to take the plunge. Will not regret moving, I promise !!!

madAsHell said...

Yesterday, it was all bread, milk, and eggs.

Today, the produce shelves at the UVillage QFC are empty.

madAsHell said...

Full disclosure.......I failed to load up on toilet paper.

Hmmm...there might be a really sorry pun here somewhere.

Susan in Seattle said...

I'm a longtime reader here but this is my first comment. We are in the Green Lake/ Maple Leaf area; our neighbor is headed to Shoreline Costco today. We expect an entertaining report when he returns.

Gabriel said...

@DBQ:When it isn't raining or it isn't foggy.

It doesn't rain or fog in the summer. We get 8 - 12 rainless weeks. It does continuously drizzle for 8 - 12 weeks in the winter, sure.

My first clue, on moving here, was that the neighbors all had inground sprinklers, which would be odd if there were not long periods of time where it doesn't rain.

In the summer we don't go anywhere for vacation. The weather is perfect, we have beaches, mountains, islands, and cities within an hour in any direction.

We sometimes travel in the other seasons when we get tired of the grey days.

@Greg: Keep in mind, the smog, & humidity during the Summer, is unbearable, but survivable.

Summer humidity is rarely over 50%. You might have 6 - 12 days in the 90s.

Because of the low summer humidity nights are pretty cool. It is challenging to grow eggplants and some years tomatoes don't make it. It won't rain for two months so you need a lot of water for your garden.

I've never seen smog in Seattle. If a large percentage the US or Canada west of the Rockies is on fire, yes we'll get some smoke if the wind isn't right.