As the Snow Falls
By Morley Hunt
@Morleyhunt (21741)
Canada
March 15, 2017 6:17am CST
Yesterday my husband and I travelled across north eastern Ohio, north western Pennsylvania and western New York. We have made this drive many, many times.....in all kinds of weather.
Long before we began our trip homeward from North Carolina we knew we would be seeing some inclement weather. We were not disappointed.
Tuesday morning we woke to light snow falling and an inch (2.5 cm) or so on the ground. Now we would head straight north towards Lake Erie.
The snowfall became heavier, the wind also began to pick up strength. The I-90 was about what we were expecting.
When we entry Pennsylvannia we spotted the first sign warning transport trucks that tractor trailers were banned for the entire length of the New York Stae Thruway system. That could prove interesting.
Breakfast was now moved from our initial plan, Cracker Barrel, to Bob Evans so we could access the Internet and check the status of the roads through New York. The traffic cameras showed roads that didn't overly concern us.
We were back on the road and on our way home. Our speed was rarely below 50 mph (80 kph) and often closer to 60 (95).
Almost twenty years ago we travelled this piec of road heading south from Cleveland and never hit a speed of more than about 40mph (60km) until we reached Columbus Ohio. The road conditions were much worse that morning than they were yesterday.
We have rarely had to make major adjustments to our travel plans because of winter storms. Common sense and caution have helped us arrive at our destination without incident. When ther is a travel ban...we stay home or stay put wherever we might be.
17 people like this
17 responses
@CRK109 (14556)
• United States
16 Mar 17
Back during the blizzard of '78, I was out and about, helping friends who needed someone to care for their children and do some cooking. I stayed there until my friends got back home and took over their home again, and I was back on the roads trying to get home. I've still never seen anything as bad as that. They closed the roads before I got home but I just kept going and eventually made it back. So glad you didn't have any problems on the roads!
1 person likes this
@Morleyhunt (21741)
• Canada
16 Mar 17
I remember when this area was buried during the blizzard of '77. It took more than a week for some people to get out of their homes.
1 person likes this
@Morleyhunt (21741)
• Canada
16 Mar 17
@CRK109 I remember as a kid (I know we are smaller so things look bigger) sitting on the pile the snow plow left beside the road and looking over the school bus. That had to be a big pile.
1 person likes this
@andriaperry (118793)
• Anniston, Alabama
15 Mar 17
Glad you made it home. I cannot deal with snow.
1 person likes this
@Morleyhunt (21741)
• Canada
15 Mar 17
It's not snowing now, but the wind is causing a lot of drifting.
@shaggin (74988)
• United States
16 Mar 17
Years ago I slid into a snow back going out in a heavy snowstorm. My husband told me to stay home but I didn't listen. I went to a Christmas party playgroup at a friend house. On the way was when I slid into the guardrail. It jammed the sliding door on my van so I could not open it after that and it had to get fixed at a repair shop. I had to have my husband get dropped off at my friend's house to drive my kids and I home as I was to scared. I have been terrified since then to drive in the snow? I won't even go out on the roads if I see flurries.
@shaggin (74988)
• United States
16 Mar 17
@Morleyhunt The feeling of skidding even slightly on snow even when going slow terrifies me. My heart starts beating so fast I feel like am might get sick. Sounds like you have a lot of experience driving in snow!
1 person likes this
@Morleyhunt (21741)
• Canada
16 Mar 17
@shaggin when I worked on the farm I drove in it (back and forth) two or three times a day....then taking the kids to work.....you get used to it.
1 person likes this
@Morleyhunt (21741)
• Canada
16 Mar 17
When I first got my license I said I'll never drive if it snows....ya right....I managed to poultry barns 12 km (7mikes) from our house. There is an alarm at the farm an hour after we went to bed.....I get up and go to start my car ( a Pontiac Firefly).....where is my car? Buried under the snow...off I went...I made it safely to the farm...it was 24 hours later before the road was open enough for me to get home. I slid off the road once in a snow storm and once when we had freezing rain. I picked my children up from work when we had whit outs and I couldn't see the road....again about 12 km .....don't love driving in snow, but I've learned if I take my time I can get to,where I'm going.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (381815)
• Rockingham, Australia
15 Mar 17
Glad you're home safe and sound. Driving to the conditions has a lot going for it.
@Morleyhunt (21741)
• Canada
15 Mar 17
I'm actually more concerned with heading out to see my dad this morning. I want to hear a traffic report before hitting the road.
1 person likes this
@Morleyhunt (21741)
• Canada
15 Mar 17
@JudyEv I have no idea. I walked out to the road...driveway needs to be plowed before I can get out....the road is a mess. Tomorrow promises to be a better day. I'm putting off visiting my father by 24 hours. When I called....he said he thought that was wise.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (381815)
• Rockingham, Australia
15 Mar 17
@Morleyhunt I remember hearing once that Canada had one radio station which only gave weather reports, nothing else, all day long. Does this still happen?
@abhinalstrikr (4110)
• India
16 Mar 17
@Morleyhunt wow beautiful, but it seems there was heavy fall
@Happy2BeMe (99353)
• Canada
15 Mar 17
Glad you made it home safely. I have traveled in some pretty bad storms and yes it is all about using common sense and caution. It is those people who don't that cause accidents for other people. It is always a good feeling to make it home and be off the roads in weather like that.
1 person likes this
@Morleyhunt (21741)
• Canada
15 Mar 17
I always breathe a sigh of relief when I pull into the driveway.
1 person likes this
@1hopefulman (45111)
• Canada
15 Mar 17
There were a lot of car pileups in different places yesterday and caution is necessary but when they us in advance it's going to be bad as they were telling us all day yesterday then it's better to get home quickly and stay safe and live to travel another day.
@Morleyhunt (21741)
• Canada
15 Mar 17
We were heading home....if conditions had reached the point where we felt it was wise to stay put we would have found a place to wait it out. The roads we traveled were not that bad. They were actually much worse this morning when we were told it was over.
1 person likes this
@rebelann (117199)
• El Paso, Texas
15 Mar 17
That sounds kinda tricky to me, but I can tell your safe so that's good.
It's been decades since I've driven through snow, we don't get it that often here, but I never once
enjoyed driving in it unless I planned to take pictures of it. Lucky for me whenever we'd get more than an inch of snow the schools and other businesses would close.
@rebelann (117199)
• El Paso, Texas
15 Mar 17
That's usually the case @Morleyhunt I love to drive but it's those fools on the roads that'll make me think twice about going anywhere in inclement weather. Even truck drivers aren't that good anymore, used to be they set the standard for safety.
1 person likes this
@Morleyhunt (21741)
• Canada
15 Mar 17
For myself I'm not that worried...I've driven in a lot of snow...worse than this storm....but it's the other idiots on the roadway that concern me.
1 person likes this
@Morleyhunt (21741)
• Canada
15 Mar 17
The roads around our place are much worse this morning. I called my father just before 9 AM and apologized. I'm not willing to head out this morning. I'll visit him tomorrow.
@Marilynda1225 (91013)
• United States
15 Mar 17
Glad you made it home safely and didn't get stuck in that storm
@Morleyhunt (21741)
• Canada
15 Mar 17
We weren't going to get too upset about it. We had already asked our daughter to keep the dog until we could collect her. She was supposed bring the dog home in the morning and she should be fine until we get home....but if the weather turned we might not have made it home and then she probably couldn't get back to our house either.
@Morleyhunt (21741)
• Canada
15 Mar 17
We were trying to get home after our weeks vacation. We made it home safely and today I stayed home in the morning and just returned from getting groceries.
1 person likes this
@shshiju (10342)
• Cochin, India
16 Mar 17
@Morleyhunt We never think such a situation. Here the climate is very hot now.
@fishtiger58 (29819)
• Momence, Illinois
15 Mar 17
I heard Pennsylvania got hit hard and many states east of there.
@Morleyhunt (21741)
• Canada
15 Mar 17
Eastern Pennsylvannia was the on the part of the state that the weather network seemed to care about. The piece of the I-90 that runs through Pennsylvania wasn't pretty
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29819)
• Momence, Illinois
16 Mar 17
@Morleyhunt The eastern part of the US has been getting it worse than the rest of the country it seems for years now. Buffalo NY always seems to have just a ton of snow every winter.
1 person likes this
@LindaCPearson (2240)
• United States
15 Mar 17
Glad you had no trouble. We had a travel ban yesterday here in CT due to the blizzard. It's been lifted but I'm in no hurry to venture out!
@Morleyhunt (21741)
• Canada
15 Mar 17
I delayed my visit with my father until tomorrow afternoon but hubby plowed out the driveway so I scooted out to get some groceries...when you get home from vacation that's always near the top of the list.
1 person likes this
@Morleyhunt (21741)
• Canada
15 Mar 17
Common sense (which isn't common) has kept me between the ditches for almost 40 years of driving. Two forays into the ditch....both ver slowly....no damage, except to my self esteem.
1 person likes this
@JohnRoberts (109841)
• Los Angeles, California
15 Mar 17
Your snow makes even a simple trip to the store a cautious perilous one.
@Morleyhunt (21741)
• Canada
15 Mar 17
Just snow is not really a big concern....it is the drifting, blowing snow causing white outs that seem to be the biggest issue.
1 person likes this
