Thursday, January 23, 2014

HOUSTON ICEPOCALYPSE 2014


OK, at the risk of those in the North and East laughing at us, this is the forecast for Houston.  Of course the local media is covering it like it's the end of the world, LOL, hence the blog post title.

I guess what you must remember is that we hardly ever get this kind of weather.  Cold sure, but ice/sleet/snow is rather uncommon in these parts.  Houston is a city of millions of people, most of whom have rarely, if ever, driven in icy road conditions.  With one of the most extensive freeway systems in the country, there is potential for absolute traffic chaos in the morning.

Houston Freeway System
Lovely.
 
The trip to work should be most interesting...
 
UPDATE: Made it to work, took the back roads and stayed off of bridges/overpasses and made it safely.  Saw a car spin and hit a wall (not major, it was a very slow spin).  Most of Houston is shut down and they have told people to stay home.  Lucky me, our house in town is about 5 miles from the office.  2nd Man is back in town and gets to work from home.  I don't have that luxury, ha.
 
So far so good...and get this, Sunday it is supposed to be 70!
 

22 comments:

  1. I hope you are well insured......*giggle*

    No, really, we love you too much to have you injured in an accident. Take care.

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    1. Ha, I am and thank you, ha. It was a mess but we made it. Round two might be coming this week again.

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  2. 1st Man,

    Maybe you'll want to work from home tomorrow.
    If you have to go in, be very careful and don't press the brakes fast.......if you do you'll go sliding.
    P.S. Make sure to bring a bugout bag just in case you get stuck. Something to keep you warm, water, snacks....this kind of thing.

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    1. I wish I could but my job has to be done at the office. :-( But thanks for the reminder. I did slide a bit once, and I remembered not to press the brakes. Also great reminder about the BOB. We do actually both have small bags in our cars, but I didn't put food (like a power bar or two, and a couple bottles of water). Will make sure to update that.

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  3. I love that there are areas near you called Sugarland and Pearland!

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    1. Isn't that neat? Sugarland got it's name because of the Imperial Sugar plant there, it was where a vast majority of the sugar consumed in the Souther US was made. Sugarland is now a huge and fast growing suburb of Houston. Pearland was so named back in the late 1800's because of all the pear trees grown there. Most were destroyed in the Great Galveston Hurricane, and they replanted and then they were all lost in a huge freeze in the early 1900's. The trees were mostly never replanted but of course "Pearland" remains the name. It's also large, growing and practically a suburb of Houston. :-)

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  4. Ice is nothing to take lightly. There is no safe way to drive on it no matter what your experience is. I hope you are able to work from home this morning.

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    1. Thank you, so very true. The city had over 500 accidents by noon! It was crazy. I made it to work and back home. Thankfully.

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  5. So glad you made it. Try and leave early to avoid the ice going home and the cold. Hope you have supplies with you just in case.

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    1. We left a bit early so that was nice. Thank you for the supplies reminder.

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  6. glad you are safe. i've been in texas in icy weather and saw people still trying to drive the way they do in texas. scary!

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    1. Then you know well why it can be doubly crazy here.

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  7. More cold temps coming next week. For me up here in the North, I'm not liking the cold but know it helps kill the bugs for this summer. Have a Great Weekend. :-)

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    1. Yes, we hope for the mosquito and flea killing cold, ha.

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  8. Keep some cat litter in the trunk. It'll give you some extra traction if you get stuck.
    We put fire coals along our drive otherwise,once it's been plowed it's like a ice rink.
    Jane x

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    1. Great idea. Having two kitties, there is always extra litter about. Great suggestion, thanks!!

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  9. IKES! 1/4 ICE that's NO joke! Be careful!

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    1. Yes, it covered everything. Heck, the back deck going out in the morning was like an ice rink. The fence gate was iced shut. It was bizarre. 70 on Sunday but 24 in a few days. Go Figure.

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  10. I am Calif born/raised and would have challenges driving on icy roads. I do think Houston's freeway system is excellent; wondering why CA planner snever thought of such a systems - I prefer freeways over streets.

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    1. I do have to say that our freeway system IS very well laid out. For those looking at the map, the center of downtown Houston, where all the 50, 60 story buildings are, is pretty much in the center of that 'bullesye', under the "ST" in the Houston name. The rings are what we call "The Loop" (the inner most), "The Beltway" (the next ring) and then the farthest out road is the next ring they are building, it is/will be called "The Grand Parkway". All the other freeways intersect and take us to all the outlying areas. It's pretty ingenious actually.

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  11. I'm not laughing at you, I can imagine a city full of people with no snow tires is terrifying. My power just came back on after being off for 6 hours with 8 inches of new snow outside. Thank goodness for generators!

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    1. Amen! Yep, no one has snow tires here, and honestly, they aren't needed, 98% of the time, ha. Yikes, no power? I guess generators are truly a life save in that huh? Stay warm!

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