Photos of the Oct 26, 1997 snow storm still send a chill

[Omaha Steve]

We had no power for three days. It delayed my hiring at a better paying job and benefits for two months!


http://odc.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=5002&p=6232

[cyberswede]

1. Wow. I'm not ready for winter weather yet!

Brr!

[Siwsan]

2. Part of me really hopes we have a very mild winter, this year

But part of me absolutely doesn't care. Because I had a great union job with good pay and benefits, I'm was able to take an early retirement, this year, and I won't have to worry about middle of the night shoveling out the driveway or dealing with driving on treacherous roads.

I'm thinking about buying some cross country skis and enjoying the snow, instead of cursing it.

[Runningdawg]

3. Wow

that looks as bad as Tulsa's 2007 ice storm.
We were without power for 9 days. Water/sewer pipes froze and ruptured and froze again. People who had never built a fire, or used a generator tried and in the process house fires were common. The houses burned to the ground, sometimes taking neighbors homes with them. The streets were so clogged with trees and abandon cars, the fire, cops and ambulances couldn't get through. Almost all businesses were closed and flooded. No food stores, no gas pumps.
I think the biggest problem came when people had not worked in that length of time. It was Christmas time and people weren't getting paid. We put the tent up in the living room and with the dogs in there, it got quite cozy. We buried our food in snow on the porch and would cook once a day over the grill. Leftovers were put in a thermos for a second meal.
Not a situation I want to repeat any time soon, but this is Oklahoma...

[hifiguy]

4. I have so many stories about the Halloween Blizzard of 1991.

I could bore everyone to racquetball. That was our biggest in recorded history.

It was cute when it started snowing that night (three days after the Twins' World Series Victory parade). Not so cute when there was a foot on the ground the next morning. Just plain scary when it didn't stop here (Mpls) for another day-plus until 31 inches of snow had fallen.

And we got 17 inches more three weeks later on Thanksgiving.

[Snobblevitch]

5. While I'm not attempting to be annoying,

the snowfall in the Twin Cities on Halloween 1991 was not an actual blizzard.

It was a huge snowfall, but not a blizzard. Outside of the Twin Cities it was a blizzard with high winds and low visibility.

(I've lived in the Twin Cities for 20+ years and have not experienced a blizzard yet. I grew up in rural Minnesota and we had at least half a dozen blizzards every winter. I remember being stuck at home for two or three days at a time.)

[hifiguy]

6. You know, you're right.

There were no strong winds to speak of so it wasn't a "blizzard" in meteorologist-speak. It just snowed non-stop for nearly three days. It was an "inversion" of some kind and not technically a blizzard.

[hedgehog]

7. Snow before the leaves fall is a disaster - as is any ice storm

trees and wires down everywhere.

Public Service announcement: if you lose power due to heavy snow or ice taking down wires

#1 the wires may still be live

#2 If the wire on your side of the connector is damaged, the power company will not restore your power until it is fixed. If you get missed on the first go-around, you might have to wait days or weeks to get power back.



#3 now is not the time to learn how to use a chain saw.