Well, it snowed here yesterday. It’s our second winter here, and I don’t recall any snow last winter at all. Or at least nothing that stuck. When the forecast started calling for snow, there was a general giddy sort of panic throughout the town. “What’s the big deal?” I wondered, Eastcoaster that I am. “Some snow. Big deal.”
Now I know why everyone gets so worked up about it here. Because the City is, apparently, completely incapable of actually DOING anything about snow.
We got…what? an inch? Maybe an inch and a half? We don’t have TV and I’m not the sort to hunt down weather info online, so I’m relying on my eyeballs here. Not much snow at all. Shouldn’t have had any real effect, right? And it wouldn’t have, if there had been plows out, or salt trucks. Instead, the snow was left on the streets to warm up with the passing cars, then freeze again, warm up and freeze. The streets are sheets of ice now. The schools are closed. Offices are closed. I’m happy to have Billy home with us today, but I have to say… Um, Portland? I love you. You know I love you. But these stupidly dangerous road conditions that forced the closure of pretty much everything today? Totally unnecessary. It’s called a plow. Look into it.
Seriously. What the hell? I’ve never before seen such a tiny amount of snow have such a huge impact.
And Portlanders…is there some crunchy granola environmental reason that salt isn’t used on the roads here? Because get this: Salt works.
Oh–and in case you were wondering: No, I don’t like snow. Don’t like it one bit.
i’m thinking they don’t use salt because of the studded tires and chains used around town. they already damage the streets and if you add salt to the mix…
i was happy for a snow day yesterday, but am sad because i have to drive to tanasbourne today.
and even though i grew up in the snow and muck, we used salt in kansas.
it’s the same thing in seattle. we got like an inch of snow and all of western WA is shut down. the roads are terrible in my neighborhood, but i guess it’s a nice excuse to walk to the grocery store later.
I think the problem is likely economic. It isn’t economically feasible to keep snow plows around if you only need them once every two years or so.
We’re about to have the same thing happen here in southern Oregon, but we at least get to gravel our streets…. which leads to sliding after the snow melts and leaves.
I think the reason they don’t have plows is because usually you just get ice storms up there, and there’s nothing you can plow when there’s a good ice storm. And it’s rare that you’ll get a good snow.
As for the salt….. I think the road damage thing is probably a factor, and the damage to cars another?
I’m a native taught to drive in this white stuff by a midwestern Dad. The reason there are no plows is that this is a highly unusual storm. Plows cost $$ and aren’t good dealing with the normal ice storms. I think the salt is an environmental factor. They use a de-icer chemical but neither are good at these cold of temperatures. Sand is about all we can do. Also the hills are a pain in the arse. Not all of us get overly excited about an inch or two of snow. But most Oregonians aren’t used to it and don’t know how to handle the snow. Just like people in drier climes can’t drive in rainstorms. It’s all what you are used to doing. Me, I’m sitting in front of the fire and knitting in between running out with boiling water to thaw the animals’ water supplies.
In addition to the economic factor already mentioned, we rarely get snow deep enough for a plow to be effective. You can’t plow 1″, and if you try you’ll ruin the streets. The depth of the current snowfall ranged from 1-5.5″, depending on where in the city you are, and the deeper snow is in the hills not on roads. Salt, in addition to not being effective in lower temps and expensive to keep around for the one time per year or two this happens, also contributes to rust damage on vehicles and in a wet climate like ours that’s bad bad news. If you visit the coast, you’ll see what wet, salty roads does to cars. I hate snow as much as the next gal, but that’s one great thing about Portland: it really really REALLY is as rare here as everyone has told you. Really. I promise. Yeah, it means everything closes down and drivers catch a case of the stupid, but once it’s gone, we won’t see it again for at least a year if not more.
I can’t speak for Portland specifically…but here’s something. Salt works best at certain temperatures, just below freezing I think. The colder it is supposed to get, the more sand is added to the mix. Chemical/liquid de-icers work at a certain temperature too (but don’t now what that is). Salt is terrible to cars and the road surfaces and is a mined mineral (ie—there is a limited amount on earth). To have the manpower, space, equipment needed for the occasional bit of snow/ice is financially difficult for many cities that get it once a year.
That was my childhood growing up in the High Dessert in California. A dusting of snow would shut the city down for days. It was quite the surprise when after moving to the midwest a foot of snow would fall and the world didn’t stop turning.
Well, I was going to answer but you’ve all done it beautifully already!
Downtown Portland is almost empty, and if a building put salt on their sidewalks… the amazing thing is: the ice is gone! It’s like a Hanukkah miracle, just a little early. As a borne and bread New Yorker (born upstate, where it really snows), I find it hard to believe that salt does more damage to the roads than everyone using chains and studded snow tires all winter long…
Being 6 months new to Oregon, I was a little shocked to also see everything shut down over what I thought was a smattering of snow falling. Who knew? I grew up in the Chicago area, but have spent the last 34 in S. CA. I am in love with living up here, though my other half grew up here and said that this is typical after a snow fall.
So I’m sitting back and feeding my backyard birds.
Peace
I know, isn’t it funny? The news kept reporting the run on snow shovels. What were they going to shovel?
I always say it is the perfect weather because it only happens about once a year and the city has to shut down so we all get a snow day. Yay!
Great excuse for crock pots, fire in the fireplaces and staying home.
to quote ODOT:
ODOT doesn’t use salt because it has detrimental effects to vehicles, structures and the environment. Salt, rock salt, or road salt are the common terms for sodium chloride, a product traditionally used in the eastern United States. While road salt is an effective tool for melting snow and ice, it also causes severe rust damage to vehicles, degrades the road surface, corrodes bridges, and may harm roadside vegetation.
ODOT has made a commitment to not use road salt and will only select products that are less likely to impact vehicles, the road surface, and the environment. The products used by ODOT are effective to help provide safe roadway travel conditions and are cost effective to use.
So just to add to all the info, the east wind from the gorge and ice. Portland shuts down because of ice. Nobody salts on the west coast.
i’m with you, man. this was just silly. and no one should be using chains in less than two inches of snow.
that said, i really needed my no-pants (figuratively speaking, as the floor installer guy actually did make it over today) snow day monday.
Isn’t it funny that the hospital with it’s OWN GONDOLA closes all clinics when it snows?!?
I do think, though, that there’s much less snow than, say, the Midwest or NY….but it’s more slippery! I was terrified on the road today.
There was enough snow yesterday for me to ski to New Seasons and back. It made my whole winter.
Well that does it. I am NOT moving to Portland. Silly jugginses.
Look at it this way, in Oregon we tend to view any kind of snow that we get as a message from the universe to slow down and enjoy a change in the scenery.
And I thought San Francisco throwing up its hands in defeat and 10-car pileups after RAIN was bad…
What can I say? A few hours of actual freezing rain and you’ll understand why the city shuts down. The last couple of days? Maybe not so much.
That said, there are some crazy microclimates here. My street is bare and dry on the eastside, my friend in in Tigard still has to chain up.
They don’t plow, etc., because it doesn’t snow every year, hence it’s not cost effective to maintain a fleet of snowplows. When I lived in Seattle in the 90’s there was a huge snowstorm and the city was shut down for days. Turns out there were only two snowplows in the whole county. We just waited for the snow to melt, which as I said, was only days.
I also had the pleasure of living in Portland during a snowstorm. My girlfriend decided that would be a great time to kick me out of the house – I’m not so fond of snow in Portland either. So my point is that they’re obviously refraining from plowing to make it worse for people who are getting kicked out by their girlfriends. duh.
Their girlfriends will get back at them by marrying sexy, talented knitters, so it all turns out okay in the end.
I wish my school closed when there was more than one inch of snow. Here in Northern Norway that would have been from October to May. But…then I probably wouldn’t have been able to write this.
Can’t recall schools being closed due to snow at all. But we used to get one day off when the sun returned after the polar night…
I know the feeling. I lived up by Chicago for a while, and vividly remember driving home from work at night in near-blizard conditions. In a car that decided it didn’t want to have a heater working. On pretty much the coldest day of the year. (Turns out it was a blown water pump, and it being the coldest day of the year is probably all that saved the engine block from cracking.) Then we move to SE Virginia–and people freak out because of an inch of snow. I’ve learned to not drive at that point, because all the lovely idiots who don’t know how to drive in the snow will run you off the road.
Wow, I’m amazed at this. I live in Michigan and as soon as one snowflake hits the ground that doesn’t melt, you can see city workers diving at it to scrape it up off the ground. Its been years since I can remember anything being shut down because of snow. Of course, an unexpected vacation day wouldn’t be all bad but still…
Ahhh us northwesteners have a special way of FREAKING OUT when the snow starts falling but you know one thing that is different out here is how it all turns to one huge sheet of ICE. Also we just don’t have the snow plows, sanding machines, etc to take care of this since it only snows once or twice a year. I like to sit back and enjoy the break from reality. It is like an unexpected holiday.
They use sand in Long Island–it has to do with the water table, etc. So, yes, environmental. But sand does a pretty good job as a stand-in, so you’d think Portland could use that.
this post made me smile 🙂 growing up in MI and all.
Ha! Funny since I grew up in Portland and experienced that SO many times. Then I moved to Montana and we continue on through all types of elements (this week sub-zero degrees). Doesn’t matter – snow blizzard, 17 below zero – schools, offices, cars, shopping – all things just carry on. People just bundle up with coats, boots, and gloves and go about their business. BUT the city has snow plow trucks that come out at night, and SANDING trucks that hit every single intersection in town (better than salt which does cause rust damage to the underbody of cars). We’ve got about 4 inches of snow right now. Love it.
Hey, you think Portland is bad, try Eugene or one of the smaller towns down south! Even if we had de-icer, there’d probably be some sort of environmental/ sustainable outcry. I’m all for keeping the earth green (hey, I live here, too!), but I’m also for keeping the humans in the city from sliding into anything that happens to be on or near these sheets of ice!
Hee. I’ve had this same rant for the last three years. It’s absolutely maddening.
And I nearly broke my neck getting over to Twisted yesterday. You’d think someone would sand, at least…
hehe. love the whole of portland too, but they are a bit dramatic about weather. it is the whole west coast actually. we went up to the local mountains tuesday where they had a few feet of new snow. and, mind you, these people were used to a lot of snow pre global warming. and i said basically the same thing about the plow. they plowed but left about 4 inches of snow on the road.
for three hours we were trapped in town as every exit was blocked due to some road condition…and it is a ski town, so yeah, you would think they would want people to get in and out as this is how they denude you of all of your cash for the privilege to ride your board down public land.
it is a plow, big bear, look into it. happy holidays. we are actually heading to portland for a week right after christmas. let’s hope it is back to functioning.
I was just telling my husband how at one point when there was a blizzard in NYC in the middle of the day and we were caught in it trying to get home from a shortened work day, we survived without snowtires, chains or whatever.
The big deal about why the NW reacts to when there’s snow is actually not the snow. It’s the idea of it turning into ice when the temperature goes up and down. The fact is, RAIN is synonymous to Northwest. Freezing rain turns to ICE. The NW has more ICE (black ice) than snow, hence plows are not that seriously considered here. There’s nothing to control ICE. Plus that fact that in NYC, every road is flat. Here in Eugene, especially where I live, is alot of hilly streets to manuever from. Very dangerous! Four-wheel drive vehicles are not safe from ICE. Salt is a non-green solution in green Oregon, so it’s not being used.
I live in Louisville, KY. we used to shut down with a little snowfall, just like Portland. Then UPS moved a hub here. The first serious snowfall, (over 12 inches) which rarely occurs, everything shut down. Workers couldn’t get to the hub. My husband had to sleep at the hospital where he works. The roads were a sea of white ribbon with over 1 1/2 feet of snow at the end.
UPS said to solve the problem or they’d pull out.
We now have brine trucks, salt trucks and plows.
The kids don’t get many days off school and everyone goes to work.
It isn’t green, but Brown doesn’t shut down.
We do have a pot hole problem every Spring.
You think Portland is bad? Come to San Antonio in the winter sometime. If the temperature even approaches freezing – even if there is no precipitation in the forecast – they will salt and close the highways. Seriously. Places that don’t get snow on a regular basis freak right out when cold weather hits.