News: The real story you're not hearing about the Atlanta Ice Down

CainTV.com ^ | January 30, 2014 | Herman Cain

[Kaslin]

Bad storm. Terrific people.

The whole country is talking about the Atlanta Ice Down, and I know you've all heard the stories of people being stuck in traffic for 11 hours. The way the story is being told, it must sound like those of us in the Southeast have no idea what to do when a few snowflakes start coming down.

But the main national stories didn’t tell the whole story about what happened.

The problem was not that two or three inches of snow fell. Believe it or not, southerners can handle driving in two or three inches of snow. The problem was that, as the snow fell, it was melting upon hitting the ground and then freezing. Throughout the day, that was turning road surfaces into ice rinks.

[ealgeone]

The state and the city aren’t going to ramp up snow fighting gear for a once a year event here in GA. Now if we were to get the weather you get up in Ohio, then yes. You spend the money for the equipment.

[Wuli]

Thanks for setting some clarity to the problems in Atlanta.

I have driven on a Midwest highway in the middle of winter in a blinding snow storm. It was freaky but I managed. Had the pavement been turning to ice, it would have been a different story.

[FredZarguna]

There is another aspect to that, which is this: I bet living in MI you have snow tires. In Central PA I certainly do. There are altogether too many people who believe there is such a thing as "all season tires."

No. There isn't.

The only thing that get's you close to all season tires [and gives you rather poor mileage and poor dry road performance] is leaving your actual honest-to-God SNOW TIRES on all year around.

Don't be fooled, people. There is no suchathing as an all-weather tire. In 4 of 5 accidents I've had in my 45 years of driving, the guy sliding into my back-end was driving on "all weather tires." In the other case, he just didn't know how to drive.

[FreeReign]

There is another aspect to that, which is this: I bet living in MI you have snow tires. In Central PA I certainly do. There are altogether too many people who believe there is such a thing as "all season tires."

I've been driving on all season tires for the past 30 years as do most people here on LI. Don't think it's an issue.

[FredZarguna]

One other problem thing: Automatic transmissions. If you have a manual transmission or an automatic that you can drive manually like the old centripetal clutch, you will make out a lot better in snow and ice. Sticking the tranny in “D” and leaving it there is no way to drive on slick surfaces. Slowing down with the engine instead of brakes, and accelerating when the road permits it and not when a computer decides it’s optimal, also help an awful lot.

[Right Wing Assault]

The problem was that, as the snow fell, it was melting upon hitting the ground and then freezing.

That doesn't make any sense. The cars compressed the snow into a layer of ice.

Not once in the article was the word "salt" mentioned and only once in the comments where a guy said they didn't need salt trucks. I guess they just sit around and wait until it melts.

[FredZarguna]

It must be very flat and heavily trafficked.

[FreeReign]

I lived in Albuquerque for a few years. When it snowed they did not salt the roads but they sanded them. Every snowstorm was a suicide mission.

Albuquerque is one of the snowiest cities in the country. However with the high sun angle, I've heard that the snow melts very quickly there.

[upchuck]

Why does that car have two brake pedals?

[samanella]

Cluster Flake ‘14

[Right Wing Assault]

When plows have some clearing done, the movement of traffic keeps the roads from freezing — unless, unless, all the cars are hardly moving and then the snow just melts as it pulls the heat from the roadbed and then re-freezes — and that is what happened here.

That doesn't make sense.

[nascarnation]

If you can do better than ABS, traction control, and stability control, you’re good, really good. More power to ya.

But 97% of the driving population can’t.

[riri]

I only lived there for two years. I don’t remember it snowing all that much in the metro area. It is very sunny all the time and, mostly, mild winter temperatures. Actually, it is great weather if you like four distinct seasons.

[tet68]

leaving your actual honest-to-God SNOW TIRES on all year around.

Down here, we’uns don’t have “snow tires” we have
Mud Grips, and we leave them on year round just to
get out of the drive way.

[Resettozero]

That doesn't make sense.

Little on this thread seems to include much wisdom and/or understanding of how any travel situation quickly can snowball out of control. Perhaps it's time some FReepers give another (cursory) read to "One Second After"?

[progunner]

DITTOS!!!! 15 yrs. 7 mo for me,,,, Does that make us charter members/anchors???? I'm ensconsched here bro.

IN LIBERTY??.

[gitmo]

Georgia ice storms are amazing. I lived many years in the highest elevations of the Appalachians, and never encountered anything like a Georgia ice storm.

One winter in central Georgia, the ice formed on trees and entire forests broke under the ice. The power lines were down for several weeks. The power company gave up trying to repair them, because the ice would form and break them as fast as they could put them back up.

[Will88]

That doesn't make any sense. The cars compressed the snow into a layer of ice.

Yes, it does make sense and that's what often happens with snow in the South. The asphalt and concrete retains heat longer than the soil and grass, etc. Often the snow will fall and stick and accumulate on the open ground and grass, but the highways will appear clear because the warmer asphalt melts the snow for a time until the asphalt cools down to freezing.

At that point, the water from the melted snow on the highway freezes and forms a layer of ice. And there is a difference between packed, dry snow and a sheet of ice. That layer of ice remains and the new snow is stirred and packed on top the ice, but since there's usually only a few inches of snow, we just have a half-inch to an inch or mixed ice and packed snow on the road. - And then, at times, that mixture might partially melt and then refreeze into a thicker sheet of ice. And then it will all be gone, usually within one or two days. The roads are totally clear where I live now, and were around noon today.

Herman Cain or whoever described that is correct for many southern, problem snowstorms. And that's what happened this week, in front of my house and elsewhere.

[Hoodat]

Just as we shouldn’t look as government as the solution to all problems, we shouldn’t blame them for all events.

Exactly. I am sick of the blame game that has been going on here in Atlanta. The problem here was that a freak of nature occurred. Within a period of one hour, ice developed on our roadways. And there wasn't a weather report in existence that predicted that.

The real story that isn't being covered here is the uncountable random acts of kindness that occurred throughout the entire metro area during this ordeal. I know I wouldn't have made it home had it not been for two pedestrians giving me a push the rest of the way up a hill on SR120. By the time I got home, I changed my clothes and went out to the main road to help where I could. There were a couple of women out there offering food to anyone who needed it. This is the story that the news should be covering. But instead, they are going after the governor for not doing something based upon their Tuesday late-morning weather forecast (while ignoring every single erroneous forecast that preceded it). I happen to think that God showed up in this, and He did so in a good way. He taught us that we do have to take care of ourselves and do unto others as we would have them do unto us. With only one fatality in the entire state, I know it could have been a lot worse.

[jimmyray]

QUOTE: Why does that car have two brake pedals?

Diversity!

Or, the left one's a clutch pedal.