Surprising school closings ...

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I think the err on the "conservative" side

by Steven Haninger Mar 2, 2010 7:20PM PST

Yes, there is another usage for that word. Up here, the two determining factors seem to be bus transportation and the safety of children on side streets. The major thoroughfares can seem to be easily traversed but the schools will still close if it's not considered safe for kids to stand on street corners in their own neighborhoods and wait for buses in the AM. Early dismissals happen if the prediction of bad weather might cause transportation problems returning kids home who live on those side streets. I'm sure either of these situations causes parents to scramble. News folks love to jump on such stories using their own hindsight as to whether the decision to close was justified or not. I'd not want to be part of that decision making process. School superintendents will be criticized for whatever that decision is.

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One of the funniest things about living in Texas...

by Josh K Mar 3, 2010 2:54AM PST

...is that the locals don't bat an eye over tornadoes, baseball-sized hail and cloud-to-ground lightning but if they see a snowflake they freak out like the world is ending.

My daughter's school district shut all the schools a couple of months ago just on the threat of possible snow, and it never came. Since they're only allocated one or two snow days a year, they had to keep the schools open during a REAL snowstorm a couple of weeks later.

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but look at it this way.

by James Denison Mar 3, 2010 3:17AM PST

At least your daughter will grow up learning how to speak in a proper accent.

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You think that proper includes

by Steven Haninger Mar 3, 2010 3:25AM PST

"Texan" ?

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A caveat, Josh

by Angeline Booher Mar 3, 2010 3:55AM PST

One morning it just looked like everything was wet outside, but the schools were closed. (My daughter was in kindergarten.)

The TV was warning about the slick roads. Of course, my husband would try to drive through fire to get to work.

He back out of the garage. As soon as the car was in the driveway it wouldn't go backward or forward. As a neighbor said, "Welcome to Texas winters."

That was the worse ice storm we had while there because the coating was so thin, and, like I said, just looked wet.

Angeline

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RE: the coating was so thin, and, just looked wet.

by JP Bill Mar 3, 2010 4:29AM PST

I think we/Canadians call that Black ice

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I don't think you should blame them for it.

by James Denison Mar 3, 2010 5:05AM PST

the Canadians I mean.

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So do we, JP

by Angeline Booher Mar 3, 2010 5:50AM PST

But the difference in this ice storm from the others was that there was no visible evidence as there usually is- visible ice on tress and bushes, for instance.

But the common black ice comes as the roads are melting and refreezing.

Now for another Texas phenomenon...... "blue northers".

Angeline

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Blue norther

by JP Bill Mar 3, 2010 6:31AM PST

Alberta to Texas

Alberta Clipper...Alberta to Great Lakes...New England

So many nicknames...

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I experienced one of those the first time I visited TX

by Josh K Mar 3, 2010 10:51PM PST

It was 1989 and I was staying with my cousin in Arlington. I rented a car and drove down to Austin to take in some of the music scene there. I left Austin to drive back to Arlington around midday. It was 90 degrees outside. By the time I got to Arlington (200 miles), it was snowing.

I belong to an online community here and someone started a discussion for transplants on what they miss from home. Someone said something about "real seasons." Someone else replied, "Where else but Texas can you experience all four seasons in one day?"

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Yeah, we've had a bit of that since I've lived here

by Josh K Mar 3, 2010 10:44PM PST

No really bad ones yet. One problem is that the state doesn't budget much money for snow/ice removal, so whatever falls tends to stay on the roads until it melts. Add a bunch of SUV owners who think their land yachts are impervious to the effects of ice and snow and you've got trouble.

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Seeing 10 inches of "partly cloudy"

by Angeline Booher Mar 3, 2010 4:09AM PST

..... happened here in the late 80s Having their children sit on the school bus for 8 hours because of a turned over tractor trailer and then the crane brought in to move it made for a very unhappy bunch. That incident had a silver lining in that steps were taken to improve communication.

Here authorized people drive all over the system to assess conditions. There are a couple of areas that are tricky, so the system will shut down though the rest of the place looks fine.

I suspect these are hard decisions to make. parents will get angry if they think the schools shouldn't have closed, but will be more than angry if heir children are injured or killed

All of the snow days here are used up, so the kids will go 30 minutes later eeach day and not have a spring break. That makes parents mad, too..

Angeline

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repairs today

by James Denison Mar 3, 2010 5:11AM PST

Road people were by today for some repairs on our road. One or more of their plows that FINALLY came through about a week after we got dumped almost 3 foot of snow, ended up tearing out chunks of street curb and took out an entire street drain cover. That drain cover is about 7 foot long and it left a gaping hole near a curb in the roadway. If someone hadn't parked a car near it to block it until road crew could come and put the barrels and tape around it, it could have swallowed at least an entire wheel assembly and on a small car might have gotten a whole side. Looked like the snow plow hit, lifted, then tossed it backwards into the yard. It's a concrete form with a couple drain gates in the front and a concrete apron behind them. I hope they come through and put in all new curbs on the street, there's old damage too, but I'm betting they will just repair the current tear out sections. Problem is the curbs are asphalt forms and would better be replaced by harder concrete.

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