Missed it again

A couple of weeks ago, I made some comments about a winter storm that wasn't. How the weather folks thought that there would be much snow, freezing rain and ice, but it never happened. Well yesterday, the weather folks called for rain with an occasional snow flake or two about sundown. Well, last night there was a freak winter storm in our area of 2 - 3 inches of snow, but the temperatures fell so fast the initial precipitation turned to ice then was covered by the snow. Here are some pictures from out backyard.





I had gone to Raleigh on business, meeting with one of my peers from my company and our local agent to do some training and sales forecasting. It was raining intermittently all afternoon, some rain desperately needed. After the work was done, we went to dinner at a restaurant in Raleigh.

I left at about 9PM, with neither A nor C able to come out an play.

When I got to Burlington, NC about 20 miles from home, it was wild. Snowflakes about the size of quarters were falling at a fast and furious pace. I watched as a Honda CRV passed me (I was doing about 30MPH on the Interstate), then do a 540 in front of me then shoot into the ditch. A mile or two further and I watched a dualie pick-up truck pulling one of those car trailers go sideways in the highway in front of me bumping the concrete median barrier, a car plow into the driver's side rear of the same truck, a Suburban hit the trailer and end up off the highway on the right. I was far enough back to avoid the traffic behind me diving for cover and the traffic in front of me by going slow enough to avoid the debris.

There were many other cars and pick-up trucks in the ditches and median along the road. I was fortunate that I stayed far enough from the traffic in front of me and ahead of the traffic behind me that I was in no immediate danger. The drive that should have been about 25 minutes (from Burlington to my house took about an hour and a quarter). Front wheel drive helped greatly as most of the vehicles that had problems were either rear wheel drive or 4 wheel drive where the driver had too much confidence in the vehicle. You can go but you cannot stop.

I am glad this does not occur that often. When I got home, twas mentally exhausted. At this point, there is sympathy for my sister and her commutes through stuff like this in Indiana more often than me.

The snow will be gone this afternoon as the high is to be around 48. I already hear the melt running from the roof.