<p>We got an email from our insurance agency today telling clients to be sure to have all the snow and ice removed from their roofs and decks to avoid a litany of possible damage. First time that’s ever happened, but this year is the first time we’ve had virtually no snow melt between storms. Our deck and roof have archeological layers of varying consistencies of snow and ice, and a chisel would be needed to get off the first layer. I can’t imagine the cost. Anyone doing this?</p>
<p>All those who are getting automated phone calls from their city about snow storm matters will appreciate this: Our town recently hired a well-known retired sports figure (born and raised here) as safety director. Putting the wisdom of the appointment aside (at least he’s donating the salary to charity), it’s been very bizarre to pick up the phone and hear him cheerfully introduce himself and proceed to tell us how long trash collection will be delayed this week and what streets can’t be used for parking. A very unusual winter, indeed.</p>
<p>Will have to say that the one positive aspect of all the wind is that we have very little snow on our roof. And it helps that it’s a pretty steep-pitched roof, so no worries about roof collapsing or ice damns.</p>
<p>Not sure how soon or well S will adjust to the cold. My niece went to college at Notre Dame & she recalled being cold most of the time she was there. Some folks adjust MUCH better to cold than others. S will have a easier time adjusting if it comes on gradually than if he suddenly has to go from warm HI to much colder DC, but who knows?</p>
<p>A friend inquired about snow removal from his roof and was quoted a price of $700. His house is two stories high on one side and three on the other. He has gone up on the roof before but not with snow and ice around. I worry about roofs collapsing too. But they are extremely rare in NH. When one happens, I suspect there will be a rush to get them cleared off.</p>
<p>We just need a week of warm weather but I do not see it int the ten day forecast. Instead I see more snow.</p>
<p>The weather is bad enough for us, but its even worse for my dogs…you trying going to the bathroom in a foot of snow, when you are only 10 inches off the ground! brrrrrr</p>
<p>These winters are definitely something to consider when choosing a college. So long as you are going to be in debt for life paying student loans, might as well be enjoying the warm weather in Florida or Southern California v/ some icy, brutal Northern school. That way at least you can four years of relative fun before you’re forced to go work in the corn mill and endure one brutal winter after another paying down those loans ;)</p>
<p>mafool, I saw plenty of hubris around yesterday - mostly from SUVs and other ‘I am invincible’ types. Got pretty mad at one guy who was right on my tail - for what??</p>
<p>It will take a while to remove this snow because, apparently, they let it go overnight while the blizzard raged and the roads drifted. Then they plowed a lane in the center, leaving the pilings to sit on the right hand lane. I could sit out my car while creeping slowly forward and gaze at these piles, many at eye level and above. The line of trucks that were out trying to remove some of this were only chipping away at the edge due to the volume of snow. Really, they should have just closed the road yesterday for a while to let them work.</p>
<p>I drove home from the office on Wednesday evening and there was a police car in the left lane trying to help a stuck motorist. There was another car further up stuck in the left-lane facing me (car spun 180 degrees). I read in the local paper later on that a car struck the police cruiser shortly after I went by. It’s three lanes on that side so the person that struck the police cruiser was in the left-lane (which wasn’t plowed, only the middle-lane was pavement) and probably going too fast. Nobody was injured but the police car and the stuck car sustained heavy damage. Charges are being considered against the driver that caused the accident.</p>
<p>If someone tailgates, I guess that you can always slow down.</p>
<p>HImom - South Bend is definitely in the lake effect snow belt and they absolutely get pounded by snow every year… much more so than Chicago. It is definitely not for the weak of heart in the winter time. Same for Valparaiso University.</p>
<p>CountingDown: the photo of girls in bikinis reminded me of a story S1 told from UVA during the Feb 2010 blizzards. There were streakers on the Lawn. The other students formed a gauntlet and pelted the streakers with snowballs from both sides as they streaked the length of the Lawn. :eek:</p>
<p>I live just over the border fron IL, in IN, but work in IL. My district abutts the southern tip of Chicago. We were open, but none of our feeders were. Only about 60% attendance. The school buses really could not make it down most of the side streets.</p>
<p>All the schools where I live were still closed.</p>
<p>My furnace has gone out. Hope H can get it going when he gets home.</p>
<p>D went to college in SC TX to get away from winter. They had a snow day today.</p>
<p>Just drove from the north end of New Jersey to the South end. Like two different worlds–up north so much snow we can’t see if cars are coming when we pull out of our driveway; down south, no snow at all. Dang, I wish i didn’t have to go back.</p>
<p>I saw a line on a ceiling about six inches long yesterday and went outside with the snow rake to knock off the icicles and remove about eight feet of snow from the edge of the roof. This is the front roof BTW, all of my previous efforts were aimed at the back roof because we’ve never had any issues in the front. I read a few articles about roof collapses and I don’t believe that there have been any in MA/NH in houses this year. The collapses (70 in MA I believe and a few in NH) are on flat-roof buildings. There’s basically a thin layer of ice over a lot of powdery snow which is a problem. Normally it’s windy enough to blow a fair amount of snow off the roof over a period of a few weeks but it seems like that didn’t happen and that it was sealed in by rain. I had to use the roof rake to break through the ice to get to the snow below. This is a second-story roof and I’m using the pipes of two snow-rakes put together so the result is a little unwieldy.</p>
<p>We’re supposed to get 6 inches of heavy, wet snow tonight followed by freezing rain. If the freezing rain is heavy, then it could further seal in the snow and make it hard to remove with a snow rake.</p>
<p>The articles that I read said that buildings after the blizzard of 78 were built a lot tougher than before and that a roof should support about five feet of snow. We have far less than that but the concern in the region is if the snow absorbs a lot of water - in that case, the same volume of snow weighs a lot more. I am considering calling someone to clear off the roof on both sides - to get rid of the ice on the one side and the snow on the other. We’re about half-way through winter and the snow usually becomes wetter as the season wears on. It would bring some peace of mind to have it all cleared off, even if I know that we’ll have more storms and that there will be more accumulation.</p>
<p>I’m going over to a coworker’s house tomorrow with my snow rake to try and get some of the snow off of his roof that’s second-story. No chance to do anything on the third-story - a snow rake is useless for a roof that high unless someone gets up on a ladder.</p>
<p>I have another coworker that has an ice-dam problem at his condo. He told me yesterday that he had pots and pans by the windows where water is coming in. I told him to call his management company but he didn’t say anything. He also said that he was going to go and clear the snow off of his deck. Unfortunately, the snow was five feet high on his deck and he couldn’t open the door to go out. So he called his management company and they put ladders up to his deck and tried to remove the snow. Unfortunately they had plastic shovels which did nothing. They went and got metal-tipped shovels and cleared enough space so that he could open his door and go out on his deck. He has to clear the rest of the deck.</p>