Reminder: Start prepping for cold weather

[u/ShaggyTDawg]

The 10-15 day models are consistently showing it's going to get substantially colder by middle/late next week (Jan 8-ish). It's shaping up to be a pretty substantial cold as well.

With this cold, obviously comes the chance for frozen precipitation. Anyone saying it will definitely happen is lying, there are no definites this far out. But conditions are likely to support it happening, so might as well plan and prep for it.

Since we're 1.5-2 weeks out from it, go ahead and start gradually doing all of your extreme cold weather prep. Buy whatever supplies you use. Refill gas cans for generators. Get battery packs charged up. Make sure laundry is all done (at least washed and dried) a few days before the cold.

Comment below for your typical routines to give others ideas.

Edit: if we do end up having a weather episode, us mods will organize a megathread or two. Probably one with information, and one with pictures/videos/misc ice/snow banter

[u/Upset_Sun3307]

Y'all know people live in places like Alaska right?.... I think we'll be just fine. If your driving on snow or ice just remember to downshift vs hitting your brakes to slow down so you don't loose traction

[u/ShaggyTDawg → u/Upset_Sun3307]

You know this isn't Alaska right? We don't have resources to maintain snowed/iced roads to the same extent the north does. No one here has winter tires, chains, or studded tires. Our roads don't have as wide of a shoulder as a lot of the north does, so sliding off the road becomes a more severe situation more easily.

I wish people would quit making it like it's just the people's fault for why we have such an issue. It's the infrastructure and economics of it that plays a huge part.

[u/EVOSexyBeast → u/ShaggyTDawg]

I disagree with them comparing Alabama to Alaska, infrastructure makes all the difference there.

But culture definitely plays a big part, too. The roads were bad but not undrivable the whole week like people make it sound, I drove around that whole week, albeit slowly, because I was moving from Kentucky and I got around fine. There were some other cars on the road too so I wasn’t the only one.

Walmart being closed was interesting, i’ve never seen walmart in KY close because of snow even in much worse driving conditions. There were some videos of cars sliding off the road, but people from further north know not to lock your breaks like they did in the videos on this sub.

In California they will close schools and people panic because of what we consider a normal rain shower, now that’s definitely because of culture and not infrastructure.

Take the exact same roads and driving conditions in KY vs Huntsville and people down here will freak out more because they’re not used to it. I mean you made a sticky post announcing for everyone to prepare because it’s going to get into the 20s soon…

Nothing wrong with it and nothing worth making fun of Alabamians for but culture definitely plays a role.

[u/ShaggyTDawg → u/EVOSexyBeast]

My partner had to go to work all week. It took some serious work to get her car to the end of the driveway safely. Once she was on the road, thankfully between here and there isn't hilly at all. But her car had to stay at the end of the driveway because it's too steep to traverse every morning/evening.

I know there were tons who would have had the same issue. Even more who have hills/mountains between their residence and work.

[u/EVOSexyBeast → u/ShaggyTDawg]

Yep that’s what we had to do most winters when I lived in eastern KY. We had a long curved gravel driveway down a hill and we built up gravel high on one side so in the winter we could do a semi-controlled slide down the driveway and the gravel keeps us from sliding into the ditch. Then we park at the bottom of the hill and hike up until we’re able to drive back up it again. We had an alternative walking path up the hill through the woods.

It was just a normal winter for us, though i do see how that might sound crazy to someone from the south who never had to deal with that.

[u/blasek0 → u/EVOSexyBeast]

Deserts have a different problem with rain where all the oil drippings that normally get washed off on a regular basis with normal rainfall dry out on the road and accumulate over the months instead, and the first bit of rain after months without it is significantly worse than a normal rainfall would be because it's picking up way more oil bits than a more comparably wet area. Relatively unique problem to the desert southwest, at least here in the states.

[u/Upset_Sun3307 → u/ShaggyTDawg]

I grew up driving in Chicago so the stuff we see down here is nothing. That last ice storm we had last year,yea I went about my day normally just drove a bit slower.

[u/ShaggyTDawg → u/Upset_Sun3307]

Tell me... How are the mountains in Chicago?

[u/gumbysweiner → u/ShaggyTDawg]

A lot of people at work had to stay there because they lived on the mountain and couldn't get up.

[u/Upset_Sun3307 → u/ShaggyTDawg]

Just say your scared... Unless you live on Monte Sano or Green Mountain there really aren't many mountains in the Huntsville area. Soo yea if it's icy don't go up there

[u/ShaggyTDawg → u/Upset_Sun3307]

There's plenty of pretty steep grades on regular roads in the area. Madison has a pretty decent mountain in the middle of it, Monrovia has two, and lots and lots of hilly roads and driveways (my own included, and I don't live on any mountain). Lots of people live on Green Mtn and Monte Sano. So there's large portions of the area that are affected by either living on or near hilly/mountainous terrain. No amount of "driving slow" or "experience from up north" can make a car not slide down a steep driveway. And nothing you can do if there's a mountain between you and where you need to go.

Also... you're*

[u/csquared2525 → u/Upset_Sun3307]

I love how bro just keeps comparing his driving experiences and situations from states up NORTH that see snow and ice all the time and not basing his view on reality of what it’s like in ALABAMA.

[u/Upset_Sun3307 → u/csquared2525]

I've been driving in Alabama for the better part of 20 years.... So I've experienced both. The weather we get here really isn't a big deal like everyone makes it to be.

[u/bujoojoo → u/Upset_Sun3307]

That’s because there are 40 snow plows/de-icing machines for every square mile in northern cities and Huntsville has 2 guys in the back of a pickup shoveling play sand out on the parkway.  Kinda makes a difference…