Snow in the Ozarks

[Faulkner]

We received a pretty good layer of snow in the Ozarks a week or so back. You know, here in the south snow is not magical like in the Hallmark movies. It’s generally a short term affair, usually 48 hours or so, but while it’s here it can cause plenty of mayhem. Because it’s so rare local governments do not have the equipment effectively clear the roads. Our county road department, for example, has only four snow plows to cover well over 800 miles of county roads.

Even so, we first responders still do the best we can to respond to those who absolutely feel they need to get out in this slippery mess or don’t have the patience to wait it out for a couple of days.

My current county issue vehicle is a 2024 F150 4WD pickup and I was up preparing to leave home at 4:00am with 8 to 9 inches of new snow on the ground that had fallen overnight. To put things in perspective, we close schools and businesses around here for less than half an inch. Nine inches on the ground at one time is a significant event for us.

Fortunately for me, I park my county vehicle under cover under one of the overhangs on my shop at home. Only problem is there is a slight incline to drive up to get to my driveway, but the F150 didn’t have a problem making it to the top. With some extra cold weather gear and food and water loaded up I headed off towards the county Emergency Operations Center. Not surprisingly, I didn’t make it far down the road before I encountered my first (of many for the day) vehicle in the ditch. I stopped and found the occupants in a nearby home being tended to by the residents. It appeared the front seat passenger had a broken collar bone. I radioed in to dispatch and was told an ambulance was reportedly at least an hour out, so we decided I would transport the driver and injured passenger to the hospital about 30 minutes away.

So, that was the start of a couple of magical snow days in the Ozarks. Most of the people I encountered in need really didn’t need to be out in the first place. Again, we have accumulating snow so rare that some locals just don’t appreciate the risks involved in driving on untreated or unplowed roads. I even ended up buying a couple of Happy Meals before the first day was over. Yep, it was pretty while it lasted, but I was glad to see it warm up to 45 degrees on the third day to help clear the main roads.

 

[Faulkner]

Oh, I forgot to mention that Daisy loves the snow.

 

[zeke]

Even with the long winters up here, it seems a lot of people forget how to drive in the snow for the first couple storms. Of course some never learned and never will.

Fortunately we have learned to share more of our winters with our deserving southern kin. Coming to a thermometer near you soon.

 

[Mule Packer]

Even so, we first responders still do the best we can to respond to those who absolutely feel they need to get out in this slippery mess or don’t have the patience to wait it out for a couple of days.

So far, we've had a fairly mild winter. Not a lot of snow, but February and March could be a different story. There are some winters up here where we don't measure snow by the inch. We measure it by the foot, but it doesn't seem to be the case this winter.

However, like you are experiencing, after a good snow fall, there are some folks who insist there are things that they just can't do without and need them immediately...if not sooner. For example, they just noticed that they don't have a package of 25 ¼-inch wood screws and are willing to brave the snowy and icy roads to drive the 30 minutes into town to pick up a pack at the local hardware store. Of course, they aren't going to use them until spring, but they feel that they need them now anyway.

Funny how human nature works.

 

[cballman]

Faulkner I thought you were in deep trouble without the usual Daisy pictures!! BUT you saved yourself this time!!

 

[tops]

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I'm pretty sure that truck will need some body work. Larry

 

[Rudi]

Some great pics there. At my current age(too old)that is how I like snow best. Or through a window. Glad Daisy had fun. We have yet to get any, but we're down in the mid twenties at night.

 

[deadin]

Your pictures brought back memories of growing up in Northern Idaho.
My '49 Plymouth was just a lump out on the street after an overnight storm. If I had ready mounted the sawdust recaps I didn't need to worry much about traction. When I came to a well beaten down intersection or under a tree when there wasn't much on the road I could slam on the brakes and shed most of the build up on the top and hood.
Now I'm out here on the coast and we seldom get snow, but when we do I feel safer just staying home and avoid the idiots out there running into each other.

 

[LVSteve]

Faulkner: Your third picture was brought to you by the Church of I'm in a Truck so I'm Invincible: GMC Chapter.

The church was originally founded by Ford Explorer owners in about 1996.

However, like you are experiencing, after a good snow fall, there are some folks who insist there are things that they just can't do without and need them immediately...if not sooner. For example, they just noticed that they don't have a package of 25 ¼-inch wood screws and are willing to brave the snowy and icy roads to drive the 30 minutes into town to pick up a pack at the local hardware store. Of course, they aren't going to use them until spring, but they feel that they need them now anyway.

Funny how human nature works.

There is a two-word descriptor for these people, control freaks. Being reminded that the weather is not under their control drives them to do stupid stuff. See above.

 

[goatsnguns]

I am a few miles south of Faulkner, much the same here. Thankfully I did not have to go out, just waited on solar snow removal.

 

[charlie sherrill]

Snow is even more rare down here in South Mississippi. The weather folks are predicting 3" for us on Tuesday. That will mostly shut everything down for the day or two it takes for the stuff to melt. Most folks will stay home, except for the folks with 4WD. They'll be out playing in it. It looks like most of the milk and bread in local stores is already gone. If it happens (snow predictions are frequently wrong) I'll watch it from the inside and hope the power doesn't go out.

 

[Xfuzz]

This cold snap is forecast to bring maybe an inch
or so of snow here on the island.

 

[LVSteve]

Snow is even more rare down here in South Mississippi. The weather folks are predicting 3" for us on Tuesday. That will mostly shut everything down for the day or two it takes for the stuff to melt. Most folks will stay home, except for the folks with 4WD. They'll be out playing in it. It looks like most of the milk and bread in local stores is already gone. If it happens (snow predictions are frequently wrong) I'll watch it from the inside and hope the power doesn't go out.

Just been looking at the forecast for your area. I am baffled that the greatest chance of snow appears to be so near the coast. Back in England the sea usually keeps temperatures up and the snow at bay.

I see on TV it is snowing well in Philly.

 

[pawngal]

Faulkner: Your third picture was brought to you by the Church of I'm in a Truck so I'm Invincible: GMC Chapter.

The church was originally founded by Ford Explorer owners in about 1996.

A 1995 Ford Explorer was the best winter vehicle I have ever owned. Low 4wheel and good tires it would walk right though snow up to the headlights.

 

[pawngal]

And here I am in northern Iowa and NO snow. Have only had a dusting or 2 so far this winter. Just cold, was -11 this morning.

 

[swsig]

I saw that New Orleans is supposed to get 5-6 inches of snow. Unbelievable. I hope ol' Caje is well prepared with various refreshing beverages to get him through it all.

 

[Harrison]

I found your post interesting. I arrived at Ft. Leonard Wood for basic training on 1 January, 1964. Ft.Lost in the Woods is in the Ozarks. When I arrived there was about 3" of snow on the ground. I finished basic in early March, 1964 and there was about 5" of snow on the ground. My entire time at basic training we had some amount of snow on the ground. Sometimes it would almost all melt, and we had cold mud, then it would snow again. I would never have believed that snow was a rarity in the Ozarks Mountains of Missouri. I do know that it made for a cold basic training, sometimes cold and muddy, sometimes cold and snow, but always some degree of miserable. We lived in old drafty wooden WW2 barracks, and some one always had boiler detail, because if we wanted a little heat and some hot water, someone had to keep coal shoveled into the boiler back of the barracks.

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

I did apartment maintenance for 44 years. All but 7 years I lived just beyond the suburbs! I always had a 4x4 personally sometimes 3. I was required to go to work when we should all have slept in.

One company took our working in the winter seriously! They paid double time all day, any day we drove into, out of or through a county with a Level 2 or higher "Snow Emergency", those were usually 10- or 12-hour days. Clearing parking lots and sidewalks was the normal PIA. However, burst waterlines were the worst problem! Christmas 1982 We had -20F chill factors. My dad's apartment complex had 275 units and over 400 burst lines! Repairing that bought me a new truck! (184 sheets of 4x8 drywall to repair the holes in the ceilings and walls).

In a snow or storm emergency, my Maintenace Forman ID is a pass key to anywhere I want to go, but at 10 MPH it takes a while to get there!

Ivan

 

[Puller]

I don't know what a "Level 2 Snow Emergency" is in Ohio, but in Mississippi it would be half an inch on the ground.

 

[arjay]

I love driving in snow lol. When I was 15 pa stopped the family car atop Loveland pass on our way skiing. It was a whiteout with packed snow and ice,few guard rails and endless switchbacks on the way down and said “ here you drive” to me. Ma squawked to no avail and I did it. He was a crazy old Swiss who had driven a postal bus in the alps as a kid lol