And Then The Snow Fell….
I relocated with my family to North Carolina from New Jersey in 2004, in a bid to escape the crowds and high costs associated with living in the New York City suburbs. Under the best travel conditions we could get into Manhattan in about thirty-five minutes, a possibility on a clear Sunday morning or very late at night.
These days we reside in Cary, a large suburb wedged between Raleigh and Durham. In its own right, this city of nearly 150,000 people has a lot going on for it, hosting national sporting events including college soccer and baseball. Cary reminds me of my New Jersey home town, Ridgewood, but much more spread out.
But when it comes to snow or the threat of wintry precipitation, the similarities between these two communities comes to a slippery halt.
Today, I’m witnessing a Triangle spectacle: people panicking over the mere threat of snow. The Triangle was once defined as Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, but the sprawling metropolis now encompasses at least four counties and more than one million residents.
Residents include natives as well as many transplants from the northeast, midwest, and California, a mixed bag of people who uprooted their lives in pursuit of a job, schools, retirement, and other reasons.
Clearly, some people are accustomed to driving in the snow, but a lot of people here aren’t. Worse, we’re just far enough south to where most cities and counties don’t invest all that much in snow removal equipment and road salt which means that whatever falls usually melts and refreezes within moments.
We found out how ridiculous it can get when in January 2005 a surprise one inch midday snowfall closed down schools and businesses at once, sending everyone scrambling to pick up children and head home. That storm made national news because everything iced over and traffic came to a halt.
Reports quickly came in that children were stranded at school, interstate traffic was backed up for more than twenty miles, and the entire area was paralyzed under a thin, icy grip.
It took almost a day for traffic to clear which meant that young children had to stay at school overnight with their teachers and some people slept in their cars. No joke – the entire Wake County Public School System, which relies on busing to transport kids all across the county – had to warehouse thousands of students for a night.
Our little adventure on January 19, 2005, became the butt of jokes on national news, with local leaders pointing fingers, forming commissions and studies, before finally establishing a working plan in a bid to avert repeating the debacle. That plan was outlined one sultry night in the middle of the summer when people were on vacation or too hot to care.
Well today the snow began to fall on this last day of school for 2009. Temperatures were in the upper-30s and began to drop in the early afternoon when the snow began descending. Soon, we received calls from our boys’ teachers announcing a one hour early release, with my wife and I hoping that the botch job of 2005 wouldn’t repeat itself.
Thankfully, the snow shower was brief and wet, which meant that our boys made it home early with no worry that this Christmas they’d spend it snowbound at school.
Yes, I know that I am exaggerating which is something I tend to do after a week’s worth of work, several lengthy edits, and with Christmas just days away. But I’m also giddy because since I do work at home I don’t have to contend with what promises to be a very messy evening commute.
See Also — North Carolina State University: January 19, 2005 Winter Storm
Tags: Cary, Manhattan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Raleigh, snow
Humor | Matthew C. Keegan, 18 Dec 09
By LD Jackson, December 18, 2009 @ 4:17 pm
I would give just about anything to see some snowfall here in Oklahoma. We used to get a lot of snow when I was growing up, but now it is mostly ice and freezing rain.
I know somewhat of the panic you talk about, as it happens here at times. It’s amazing at how fast a situation like this can deteriorate, even when it isn’t necessary. Glad everyone has made it home safely and in time for Christmas.
LD Jackson´s last blog ..Is it pork or a plane?
By Matthew C. Keegan, December 18, 2009 @ 4:20 pm
Larry, being that you’re in Oklahoma I thought snow would be a regular thing. I suppose that depends on where you live. Same here — the mountains see several feet of snow through the winter.
I do enjoy snow. Especially when I’m home and it is optional for me to leave or stay. I feel sorry for a lot of folks, who must stay until the bitter end and then fight traffic snarls for hours.
By LD Jackson, December 18, 2009 @ 4:56 pm
@Matthew C. Keegan
As I said, we used to get a lot of snow in the 1970s, but that doesn’t happen anymore. The weather patterns have changed and although we still get plenty of cold weather, it is accompanied by ice, freezing rain, sleet, etc., instead of snow. I do miss it and my girls really do not know what a good, wet snowfall is.
LD Jackson´s last blog ..Copenhagen – A lot of hot air over nothing
By Dominique, December 19, 2009 @ 1:07 am
Well, after the intense winter snow I had in the White Mountains last winter, I will be fine with a sprinkle here and there. Just enough to make it feel like winter. Larry, I do hate the ice though. 3 years ago, I feel off the third floor as a result of that really bad ice storm we had. It took me weeks to recover from that fall. The thing was you couldn’t see the ice. It’s worse that black ice sometimes!
I do like not working and being able to not have to commute in any kind of bad weather. That is most definitely a big benefit!
Dominique´s last blog ..a change in DIRECTION…
By Karen, author of "My Funny Dad, Harry", December 19, 2009 @ 11:23 am
That’s so funny they shut down the school for just an inch of snow! That would not be fun being stuck overnight at school, although maybe the kids would have liked it if the teachers made it into one big party for them. Cleveland does pretty well at keeping the streets clear on snow days.
Karen, author of “My Funny Dad, Harry”´s last blog ..My Favoirte Gift Ever and More! (Writer’s Workshop)
By Matthew C. Keegan, December 19, 2009 @ 12:11 pm
Karen, the teachers had it rough. No one expected it and they were stuck at school with no way to prepare. It was an awful experience.
Cleveland and other places used to lots of snow think nothing of it. I like snow, but only when we have the resources on hand to manage it.
By Mark, December 19, 2009 @ 12:49 pm
Interesting experience and it seems bizarre that they closed the school for just a very small amount of snow.
By Grampy, December 20, 2009 @ 7:49 am
It is hard for us snow country people to imagine having trouble with such a little bit of snow.But it is not funny when you don’t have the plows and sanders to deal with it.As I sit typing we are in the middle of a blizzard.They are expecting between 10 to 18 inches of blowing snow.It started last night and should end around noon today.
By the way. I have relatives in Cary. It is a beautiful place.I would like to be there right now instead of Connecticut.
Grampy´s last blog ..The Week Ahead
By Matthew C. Keegan, December 20, 2009 @ 1:13 pm
Grampy, you are so right! Without the tools on hand to put all of that snow in its place, there isn’t much that you can do about it. As you known, this area is very pretty, and not accustomed to handling even the triflest winter blast.
By Carlos, December 22, 2009 @ 12:25 am
Few years ago, I feel off the third floor as a result of that really bad ice storm we had. It took me weeks to recover from that fall. The thing was you couldn’t see the ice. It’s worse that black ice sometimes! I do like not working and being able to not have to commute in any kind of bad weather. That is most definitely a big benefit!
By Matthew C. Keegan, December 23, 2009 @ 3:43 pm
I hope your recovery went well, Carlos. Yes, indeed, falling on ice can be treacherous. By working at home we need not venture out when the weather outside is frightful.