Washington Weather - Daily Weather pics and reports!

[Racer46]

Originally Posted by Diana Holbrook

Weather picture for today... deep blue skies over our eagle nest. Hard to pick just one picture when they're being all picturesque.

Always like your photos.

[MtnSurfer]

We actually got a 1/2 inch light dusting of snow last night in Vancouver that is melting quickly. I took a few pics before its gone.

They did close schools for our kids today. I just don't think our bus systems are prepared to work in 'any' kind of snow no matter how light. In fact, they delayed schools earlier this week by 2 hours simply due to cold temps and the potential for ice. When we lived in CO, this was simply a normal part of life during winter. But not in western WA when many things come to a screeching halt at the slightest 'hint' of snow or cold. It reminds of what its like living in CA where it rarely rains. Then when it does it's Big news and people do not know how to drive in it either.









Derek

[PhoenixSomeday]

We don't live there yet, but we've read over the years that the reason things come to a screeching halt is that you're at a temperature where there's rain, snow, and thus ice, all at the same time, and it creates this dangerous slushy situation. Does that happen often in full-on-snowy-wasteland places, where it's just feet and feet and feet of snow that doesn't melt for months?

And yeah, people drive weird in the rain in CA and AZ. I guess I've never been bothered by it because my cars always have high performance summer tires, and for whatever reason those are the best rain tires.

[Diana Holbrook]

Originally Posted by PhoenixSomeday

We don't live there yet, but we've read over the years that the reason things come to a screeching halt is that you're at a temperature where there's rain, snow, and thus ice, all at the same time, and it creates this dangerous slushy situation. Does that happen often in full-on-snowy-wasteland places, where it's just feet and feet and feet of snow that doesn't melt for months?

I think "things come to a screeching halt" because we have a lot of hills, trees, and deep ditches alongside the road that make it dangerous when it's slick. Not all our towns and counties have a lot of snow handling equipment so many do not get plowed at all. And yes, our roads will often thaw by day and then re-freeze at night, making it a lot icier.

[MechAndy]

Too many flat landers from California .

[MtnSurfer]

Originally Posted by Diana Holbrook

I think "things come to a screeching halt" because we have a lot of hills, trees, and deep ditches alongside the road that make it dangerous when it's slick. Not all our towns and counties have a lot of snow handling equipment so many do not get plowed at all. And yes, our roads will often thaw by day and then re-freeze at night, making it a lot icier.

I think this are generally the main problems along with lack of familiarity and standard snow procedures, etc... The buses and drivers aren't really prepared to deal with these things - that is snow and ice. So, its just safer for them and the kids to sit these ones out.

The other biggest factors Diana mentioned are the lack of equipment to treat the roads. The biggest problem I see is that many of these roads in WA are very poorly designed to begin with especially once outside the urban/suburban areas. We live on the edge of the country with lots of farmland and country rounds which were never intended for more than some basic farm equipment and lighter traffic to simply get from point A to point B. These are more bare bones two lane 'utilitarian roads' that need upgrading but unlikely to happen any time soon. The are very narrow with no shoulders, no place for walking, riding a bike, no street lights, etc... And many have drop-offs with little to no room for error. Cars go into ditches all the time even in the rain or at night. There are also head on collisions for similar reasons. It makes for lots of accidents when visibility is low, the roads are slick and sometimes icy. One little mistake can cause a big problem on such roads. It's also makes it a very difficult place for teens to learn to drive because of these hazardous factors. They aren't allowed to make even minor mistakes.

Poorer road conditions are also a big reason people don't ride bikes or go for walks around their neighborhoods. Its just plain unsafe to do so. Many have to drive somewhere safer first. Add in some hills with lots of trees and shade with these windy, narrow roads along with big trucks barreling through way too fast and you've got safety problems. If you move anywhere in the country or in the hills away from the central core of these WA towns, you have expect to deal with some crappy road conditions. Some of which are even unpaved.

We have relatives who grew up in the country not far form us and I asked them if they ever rode their bikes or went for walk down their street. And the answer was a very simple 'nope.' It just wouldn't be safe at all.

Derek

[Diana Holbrook]

I don't expect rural roads to look like suburban parkways with sidewalks and bike lanes. Ditches are important because of all the water. You can't just get rid of them

But it does make it tricky when it's slick out.

As for why schools close, it's because schools don't want to be on the news with one of their busses in a ditch, even though statistically, FAR more kids get hurt on *snow days* goofing off or riding in cars with their parents, than get hurt on school busses. It's just about whose fault it is.

[MtnSurfer]

Originally Posted by Diana Holbrook

I don't expect rural roads to look like suburban parkways with sidewalks and bike lanes. Ditches are important because of all the water. You can't just get rid of them

But it does make it tricky when it's slick out.

As for why schools close, it's because schools don't want to be on the news with one of their busses in a ditch, even though statistically, FAR more kids get hurt on *snow days* goofing off or riding in cars with their parents, than get hurt on school busses. It's just about whose fault it is.

Diana, I get that country roads will be different than urban/suburban. That's obvious to most, I think. And I have driven many country roads all over the nation. The ones I've driven in WA are some of the worst which could definitely use improvements for safety reasons at the very least. When you drive these skimpy, narrow roads with absolutely no shoulders, ask yourself one question. If there was ever a way to construct these the cheapest way possible, would this have been it? I mean down to the least amount of pavement to barely fit two vehicles going both directions and nothing more. You can have thousands of acres of land and nothing but these sliver roads separating them. Many can be improved for safety reasons even without sidewalks or bike lanes. Even Oregon seems to have done a better job overall in this regard.

Washington roads among worst in nation

The Condition of Washington’s Highways Is Among the Worst in the Nation, a Recent Study Shows

Derek

[Diana Holbrook]

OK Fine... you mentioned biking and walking.

I really have no pent-up complaints with the width of most of our roads out here and I'm not sure your links really speak to that complaint. We do have a lot of pot-holes locally! Many popped up after our recent floods.

Perhaps if we paid more taxes.... (that's a joke!)

[MtnSurfer]

Originally Posted by Diana Holbrook

OK Fine... you mentioned biking and walking.

I really have no pent-up complaints with the width of most of our roads out here and I'm not sure your links really speak to that complaint. We do have a lot of pot-holes locally! Many popped up after our recent floods.

Perhaps if we paid more taxes.... (that's a joke!)

Yes, I know. Well, there are states with wider country roads that have at least a little shoulder if you get in trouble and need to pull over to fix a flat or need to walk a bit, perhaps.

I think its more of a pet peeve of mine since we have three teens and all need to learn to drive. But many of these country roads are sketchy and their teenage friends are getting into accidents because of it. As a parent of teens, we tend to think more about these things knowing they are going to make some mistakes while learning to drive. The hope is those mistakes don't lead to totally the car and injuring themselves like some friends have experienced.

BTW, the second link talks about how other states are receiving more federal funding for road improvements. Maybe they just lobby harder or have more friends in the right places, perhaps?

"Other states with better road conditions than Washington, such as Delaware, Connecticut, Maryland and Florida, also received far more funding in 2017 than Washington ― ranging from $16,500 per mile in Florida to $26,500 per mile in Delaware, according to the study."

Derek