skating rink

[9zero1790]

ranger friends of Tejas... hopefully you are safe and not out sliding around on the ice! sadly we never get much snow to play in just an inch of ice on everything so driving and walking become dangerous. couldnt take being inside anymore, got in the five g and drove to the local Sonic. Closed. Went to quicktrip open of course. it was slick as astroglided owl poop.

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[OC4095]

I went for a drive around the neighborhood and oh man is it slick. Ive done a lot of snow driving in the mountains but never on ice like this. Aired down to 17 and still not much steering or braking. Today is not going to be any relief with it not going above freezing.

 

[IdahoRanger]

Heard you had an ice storm. We don't usually get them here but ours was about a month ago and couldn't even walk outside. Hope it melts off soon.

 

[subquark]

I work with someone in Round Rock and was flabbergasted by how thick the ice is on her trees (her pic below)! Good thing that many neighborhoods have underground power lines.

As someone living in New Hampshire and from Quebec (who formerly lived 14 years in Texas), I was properly impressed by how much freezing rain they had. I'd stay inside for sure!

Good luck and hopefully no power outages!

 

[RedlandRanger]

Wow - Freezing rain is the worst - way worse than snow, IMO. When we had our big freezing rain storm a couple years ago, the days after were terrible. Days of listening to branches continuing to drop, even after the ice had melted.

Freezing rain is the best time to just stay put if you can....

 

[9zero1790]

i went out again last night and it was more slick than the night before. everything got a nice glaze of frozen rain again. work was closed second day in a row. would be fun but stuck inside stinks. that and i only get paid when on site. wish it was snow. at least in snow we can still get around.

 

[oldnslow]

I'd take 5 feet of blowing snow over freezing rain any day. There is just nothing you can do with that stuff.

 

[Radioman]

My son flew into Dallas yesterday for a business meeting. Many of the other company employees weren't able to fly in. He didn't want to rent a car to go downtown with all the ice and being in an unfamiliar area so he took the tram. He sure is looking to leave Texas as soon as possible.

I lived in El Paso went my father was stationed at the Air Force base there. It was the only place I've been that you can be standing in mud and have sand blowing in your face.

 

[9zero1790]

went to the grocery store and the ice was less intense than before but its currently pouring rain so that means by morning a new thick sheet of ice will be on everything. ?

 

[IdahoRanger]

Have a BIL in Chandler who says branches are breaking off his trees.

 

[OC4095]

Where i am its been a constant drizzle the last 12 hours and the icicles have doubled in size.

 

[LaBalbe]

Snow can be intimidating to drive in if you've never done it before, but ultimately it's not that difficult, as long as you keep it steady; accelerate and decelerate over more space and time, and you'll be fine.

Ice is trickier, but if it's visible, most people will already be more cautious instinctively; same thing, trade space and time for smooth and steady.

Freezing rain is awful, because you end up with "black ice", and because people can't see it, they don't know to plan for it, so they're cruising along like they're on dry pavement and then they hit a slick at speed, their car jerks in a direction which they weren't expecting, so they jerk back & over-compensate, making a bad situation worse. Plan for it by trading space and time for smooth and steady (see a theme evolving here?), and if you do hit a slick, lock your eyes on where you want the vehicle to go, not where you're afraid of it going, because you will end up where you're looking, and make your adjustments....you guessed it...smoothly & steadily.

I'm most cautious once it becomes bright and sunny again after a freezing rain. Just because the sun is out, doesn't mean that it's warm (up here, the sunniest days in winter are usually the coldest), but people see the sun and assume that all of the bad is over. If anything, the sun will start melting some of the snow/ice on the trees which will then drip to the ground, adding to what's there already. Chances are that it will refreeze into a whole lot of "black ice" all over the place, but buddy is seeing the sun, has cabin fever from being indoors during the storm, guns the engine and wraps himself around a tree, pole, or worse, someone else.

 

[Murphie]

I work with someone in Round Rock and was flabbergasted by how thick the ice is on her trees (her pic below)! Good thing that many neighborhoods have underground power lines.

As someone living in New Hampshire and from Quebec (who formerly lived 14 years in Texas), I was properly impressed by how much freezing rain they had. I'd stay inside for sure!

Good luck and hopefully no power outages!

We're just north of Salado, and several of my live oak trees didn't fare well. This picture is from yesterday, today looks worse.

 

[subquark]

We're just north of Salado, and several of my live oak trees didn't fare well. This picture is from yesterday, today looks worse.

I miss Live Oaks and what a shame. It looks you may have lost a few. =(

 

[Msfitoy]

Wow ice storms are the worst...guaranteed power outages and kill trees...

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