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wdolson -> RE: OT: Seattle taking a pounding. (1/20/2012 2:33:03 AM)
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The rest of the world that gets snow regularly laugh at the wimpiness of Northwesterners when it comes to snow. But a big factor is that houses tend to be built for the climate where they are situated, and cities provide services appropriate to the typical weather seen during the year. Typical winter weather in the Northwest US rarely gets below about 30 F (-1C) and summers are mild. Seattle's all time high temperature is 100 F (38C) and typical is more like 80F in the summer. Typical winter temperatures are in the 40s F.
We get a lot of rain, but it tends to be spread out over a long time. .2 inches an hour is heavy rain. It's notable when we get an inch in a day. A large number of American cities get more rain per year than Seattle, but Seattle has more days of rain per year than most.
Houses here are built for colder winters than California, but their heating systems struggle to keep up when temperatures stay below freezing for more than a few hours. Back in 2008 when we had the three weeks of snow, I was bundled up like an eskimo with the heat running 24/7 and I was still cold. The heat is usually fine when the temps are in the 40s though. No house around here would be able to manage a Siberian winter, or even a Minnesota winter.
The cities and states here also don't have the infrastructure to handle snow for more than a day. When the it snows and sticks for several days, people can die. Every time we have a major snow storm that lasts for several days, people die from the cold, stupid heating ideas and traffic accidents on roads that were not well plowed with drivers who have little experience driving in the conditions.
I have a friend from Boston who was calling Portlanders wimps after the first snow. When we had a multi-day snow thing, she changed her tune. She has all the skills to drive in snowy conditions, but even she had a lot of trouble getting around after a serious snow storm.
Places like Houston and Miami occasionally get snow. Maybe once per decade. It's usually mild even by Northwest standards, but people there have serious problems because those cities are designed for tropical weather, not arctic and the cities become paralyzed.
Seattle and Portland probably should invest more in snow removal equipment. Especially with the PCO in a down cycle which will bring more snow. But these cities are designed for the typical winter weather which is light steady rain and temperatures in the 40sF. Get outside those parameters for more than a day or two and it gets unlivable.
Bill
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