How about that false taste of spring this week, wasn’t it great? It was also about five weeks too early in much of the country because given the varying climates that spread out across the contiguous states, it’s more likely there will be a lot more snow and ice left up Old Man Winter’s sleeve.
Warm Temps And Thoughts Of Spring Won’t Keep Old Man Winter From Having The Last Laugh
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Marc_J_Stern]Marc J Stern
How about that false taste of spring this week, wasn’t it great? It was also about five weeks too early in much of the country because given the varying climates that spread out across the contiguous states, it’s more likely there will be a lot more snow and ice left up Old Man Winter’s sleeve.
Why Is It Old Man Winter, Anyway?
Have you ever given any thought about why this season has been personified by a guy named “Old Man Winter?” Well, it just occurs that at one time or another in everyone’s personal history – we all have our own personal stories to tell – we usually run across a curmudgeon that we just can’t reach. For some of us, it’s a relative (a great grandfather or a brother) while for others it may be the old guy at the end of the block. Whoever it is, this old man is the guy who hates to see kids having fun on sleds and who loves it when he kids can’t play outside because the weather is horrible. He’s also the guy – in the springtime – who hates it when the weather’s nice and kids are outside tossing around a baseball in a pickup game at a vacant lot.
Let’s face it, he’ll never change and you’ll never reach him. He’s “Old Man Winter’s” dead-ringer.
What’s Left This Year?
So, what is likely to be left this year that you’ll have to face on the roadway? If you live north of say I-70, then it’s likely there’s at least one or maybe two blizzards left in the old guy’s bag of nasty tricks. Yes, they will be just as bad as he blizzards of a month ago and, as they are happening, you will still face the same driving issues:
Whiteouts
High-winds
Blowing and drifting snow
When conditions are like this on the road, there’s only on thing that you can do, duck for cover. In other words, either stay home and work from the house, if the roads are really bad or find a site with WiFi and ride out the storm there with your laptop and cellphone.
(Here’s a major safety tip: never leave home without a mobile cellphone charger either plugged into one of the 13.8-volt sockets that are scattered around the passenger compartment or at least stuffed into your car’s glovebox. The reason is simple: cellphone batteries – never leave home without one – have a finite life. It’s usually about an-hour-and-a-half of continuous talk time or up to 8 hours of listening time or maybe a bit more. The point being that each battery has a finite usage life before you have to recharge again and in a blizzard, where you may be making many calls, you will quickly wear down the battery, you have to have a charger to keep the charge up. That’s why a mobile charger is an important addition to your equipment.)
Yes, it is true that blizzards from now until the middle of April (yes, they do occur in northern states as late as the middle of April) will still be as nasty as any of the December or January blasts, the only difference is that with the weather starting to turn warmer as the angle of the sun shifts, the snow doesn’t hang around as long, but while it’s coming down, it’s still as nasty as early season storms.
Practice Safety
So, what can you do when the later and late-season blizzards hit your area. The best bet is to get off the road for the duration. If you can safely get home, plan to work from your house for the duration, if your company policy allows it, using your Internet hookup and cellphone.
If you cannot get home, try to find a hotel or motel room that has Internet facilities so you can use your laptop or iPad to stay in touch with your family or you can use your cellphone and text capability to let folks know you are okay (believe or not you can fit more text messages into the same amount of space on your cellphone service because they take up less space – yes, this is a very simple explanation, but it essentially covers what happens).
If you are caught on the road, then, you have to practice safe snow driving techniques that include:
Pulling off the roadway and into a rest area that may have office facilities
Pulling off to the right-hand (or left-hand) breakdown lane so you are out of the traffic flow, if everything bogs down
Driving very slowly and carefully (remember the egg under the pedals) and making all of your movements very deliberate; there should be no quick spins of the steering wheel; so that you retain traction
Remember that, while you do have to drive slowly, do not stop unless you absolutely have to as you will lose what little traction you still have with the roadway. If you lose this traction, then you are riding on the snow and there’s absolutely no traction there so your wheels spin
Chaining up; although this may seem very retro and old-fashioned, keeping a set of snow chains for your driving wheels will give your wheels the bit they need. If your car is equipped with front-drive, then, back off on the chains, but purchase four studded snow tires. In effect, you will have built in “chains” that work with front-drive or rear-drive
If you are forced to stop on the road, remember to crack at least two of the windows so that you can have cross-ventilation and remember to run your car as sparingly as possible. This will not only conserve the gas in your tank, but it will also lessen the chance your car could become filled with carbon monoxide, a condition that can result when your tailpipe becomes blocked with snow
Keep a box of “trunk treasures” with you that includes heavy winter coat or blanket (the blanket can also be used to help establish traction); trail mix so you can keep going; a set of flares; spare tools; spare change; a set of traction mats; a small shovel; a bag of kitty box sand (perhaps the best traction aid there is that’s also environmentally safe); an emergency radio (one of the Eton’s with the hand-crank is a good idea so you can keep it charged), and, in a bow to the past a technology that still works today, a portable CB handheld radio
By taking these actions you will not only assure your safety, but also the safety of any passengers who may be with you and ultimately you will arrive home safely.
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Warm-Temps-And-Thoughts-Of-Spring-Wont-Keep-Old-Man-Winter-From-Having-The-Last-Laugh&id=5952492] Warm Temps And Thoughts Of Spring Won’t Keep Old Man Winter From Having The Last Laugh
