What does "3 day storm" mean??? Do they mean a storm that LASTS THREE DAYS or a storm that takes 3 days to recover from?

People seem to assume it means 3 days of "inconvenience", but if you take it literally, it MEANS 3 DAYS OF STORM.

Well, a THREE DAY STORM is pretty darn severe!! In the north it would mean 3 days of snow, .....no snow removal, so the roads would be IMPASSABLE. And they wouldn't be cleared on the 4th day. After 3 days of snow, the back-log of road clearing would most likely mean it would be a week or more before some of the side roads were cleared. One night last winter we were out to dinner 5 miles from home. It began to snow just as we got to our friends home......4 hours later when we headed home ALL the roads were closed!! Hubby took a chance and drove around the barrier and we managed to make it, although the van was plowing snow and our long driveway was impassable so we had to walk the last bit. That was just FOUR HOURS of snow!!

In more southern climates, THREE DAYS of rainstorms would mean severe flooding in most places.

I can't imagine a storm which continues for 3 days that doesn't take the electricity down. Even a mild thunder & lightning storm often puts our power out for an hour or so.

And then try to imagine a THREE DAY storm ACROSS THE NATION....to say nothing of the rest of the world!

Seems to me it would take at LEAST 6 months to recover!

Now imagine THREE DAYS!!!

-- Sheila (sross@bconnex.net), September 10, 1999

Answers

It will be the longest 3 days you have ever seen.

-- Bill (y2khippo@yahoo.com), September 10, 1999.

Yep, and it's possible for a "bump in the road" to send you spinning wildly out of control.

It just amazes the dickens out of me, that people can say, "what's the big deal? So the power's out for three days in January", without intending to be facietious.

January, When it's not at all rare to have many days in a row with the high temperature being well below freezing.

January, when it frequently snows and travel to a shelter could be difficult, if not impossible.

January, when the days are just barely past their shortest, making it difficult to get much warmth, from the sun.

Sure....no big deal at all.

-- Bokonon (bok0non@my-Deja.com), September 10, 1999.

Sheila:: Same experience last winter in Alberta, quick January storm with 40 mph wind, and wet snow blowing horizontal, visibility zero. 2 FOOT drifts in 3 hours on side roads. Went to town 6 miles away just before dark....big mistake, couldn't see to get home, roads impassable also, missed last room for family by one person in line up at last room of three motels in town, went to Church for 2 hours and argued about what to do.,where to stay, finally went and had dinner a Pizza Hut and went to BEG at only friends house in town if we could stay the night in basement on couch etc..... First time in life couldn't get home. It was the most scarey feeling of my life...am country boy and used to this type of crappy blizzard weather in Alberta, Canada.\ Moral and Lesson. We are totally dependent on Luxuries of life in North America, Electricity, nothing works without it...... No water, No Heat, Every furnace in Canada needs Electricity to function, otherwise no fan, NO HEAT! Two Hours to freezing temperatures in an insulated house with outside temperature at -20 F, with 30 mph wind. Local member of government spent 180 million dollars as minister of health as of last April-May on Y2k fixes and more was needed. Was real ticked off about lack of cooperation. The problem is real. Three day Ice Storm....? This is deep DO-DO. The old and inferm will be piled up like cord wood outside, if the pollies aren't right. 20%-30% of population will be dead according to Gary North Post re 1980ish study of effect of one month without power............Yes I'm preparing but NOBODY in Canada thinks there's a problem. Everything is A-OK including the flyer in most recent Electric billing. Go figure!

-- Charles Park (chaspark@ccinet.ab.ca), September 11, 1999.

A 3 day winter storm here in Northwest Cal means downed power. Mudslides on every major road way. That means the trucks delivering food don't make it in until the roads are cleared - which could easily be weeks if there is a storm all over the Northwest.

Major flooding in low-lying areas. Dead cattle. Ruined crops. Homes destroyed. Lives lost. Contaminated water supply. In the mountains thousands would be snowed in. Medical care would be next to impossible to get for those folks.

Every year we are isolated by winter storms. It is best not to leave town in Dec./Jan because you will probably not be able to get back in. We just have to sit around for weeks in the winter and wait for CalTrans to dig us out. If Cal Trans is busy we could easily be on our own for months. Local deer population will be decimated pretty fast.

-- R (riversoma@aol.com), September 11, 1999.

Folks

No kidding, what is with the powers that be. As I have lived in the arctic the weather is no stranger to me. People just aren't able to handle outages during an arctic front. Learning about Y2K during the Quebec Ice Storm was a real shock. Looking at those poor folk that had no idea how to handle the cold hit my heart real hard.

Charles, my sister is in Sherwood Park and I worry about Alberta in general. Best of luck to you folk. I know that power shortages are common there as it is right now. Thankfully her and her hubby have lived and worked in the Yukon and the NWT for a long time. They know the score.

Anyway here is a link that is about dealling with harsh weather in the arctic. The text is old and I intend to clean it up and repost it for the benifit of those in colder climates. There is an error pointed out by Chuck in regards to frostbite. Please note it. Otherwise it is the only information on the net on how to deal with such situations. If anyone can find better information let me know. Lives might depend on it.

-40 and what I know

-- Brian (imager@home.com), September 11, 1999.

Sheila:

I have survived two "three-day" winter storms in my life. One in the eastern mountains [72" of snow] and one in the northern rockies [snow too deep to measure]. Your response mirrors my thoughts. Although -50F, with no power is bad, having all of that good snowy-bright insulation up to the roof helps.

Best wishes,

-- Z1X4Y7 (Z1X4Y7@aol.com), September 11, 1999.

In the last few years, there have been several times that the Sacramento River floods and people to the west are cut off from the hospital. The only way is by helicoptor. We have had to set up a shelter at the fair grounds. Evacuating the frail elderly and the disabled is a major problem. The Sheriff and Search & Rescue people have to go door to door in isolated rural areas. Many people do not speak english. People die. A three day storm can be big trouble.

-- Homeschooling Grandma (mlaymon@glenn-co.k12.ca.us), September 11, 1999.