I live in a place where the kids would never go to school if snow days were common (they did get one the Friday before their Christmas break started because we got upwards of a foot of snow, and it was the last day anyway, annoyed the heck out of a much-younger coworker who never ever got a snow day up here). Also, I don’t know how much snow would justify my not getting my butt into work as quickly as I can (got in a half day a couple of years ago when we got two feet of snow overnight, I did have to wait for them to come plow us out).
But I love love love being at home when it snows because I can go outside and get it in my hair if I want, and then go inside and drink hot chocolate or tea and play around online and watch it snow. Life doesn’t automatically stop here for snow unless it’s monumental, but I love a Sunday afternoon snowfall when I don’t have to go anywhere unless I decide I want to.
We do tend to have dry snow up here, which makes it a lot easier to live with than the wetter stuff. It really is powdery! And it sparkles in the sunlight. Love it!
I’m so sorry to hear that. I lived in a house for 2 winters, with a 3-car driveway and a few hundred feet of sidewalk (BIG house, fancy neighborhood). I liked winters a bit less then, luckily I had a good snowblower at my disposal. I do understand your pain to some degree, though I never had to clear the roof! (very sloped - snow didn’t stick) Please be careful out there! And I hope your power stays on.
I truly prefer my cozy apartment, and hearing someone else clearing the walk makes me smile, even 10 years after that house. Going to make that buttered rum now…
The latter. We get snow all the time - I’ve currently got over a foot in my yard, and that’s not unusual. If schools closed for snow, we’d miss a lot of school days.
I can remember only one time when the school in my hometown in Saskatchewan closed - it wasn’t just snow, it was a raging blizzard, where it was difficult to drive to the school (but my Dad insisted we try, nonetheless. He was only able to drive the car close to the school, but not into the parking lot, because of the drifts. He only gave up when I waded through the drifts to the school door, found it was locked, and waded back, with a howling wind and cold, hard snow blowing in my face. He looked surprised and said, “That’s odd - it’s not such a bad day.” Thanks, Dad.)
Nor do I recall ever having a snow day at work. The most that’s happened is once or twice being sent home early if a major blizzard was on its way.
It’s not the snow; we have very little. I live in a rural area and the people in charge are worried about the buses and the kids on them. We have a snow day today and I’ve already been out shopping and to breakfast. Most of the roads are dry in town. Out in the country they are snow and ice covered, with high drifts, and would be treacherous for a bus. So, snow day.
From what I gather, “snow days” are more common in places that have no/low budgets for snow removal. Also, Saskatchewan is fairly dry, so it doesn’t get a lot of snow compared to some places (although the snow that does fall doesn’t tend to melt as much as some places, either).
An “extreme cold day” would involve -30 or -35 degree weather, or something like that.
Atlanta was pretty much completely shut down Monday and Tuesday.
The roads are HORRIBLE today and I doubt if anyone is going anywhere.
This is about as ‘bad’ as it ever gets here with up to 8" of snow reported in the northern suburbs.
Keep in mind we lack any infrastructure for this kind of weather.
Few snowplows or sand/salt trucks and a lot of folks who have no idea how to drive on snow or ice.
Fortunately, my pub here in Normaltown is in walking distance and it was open.
It did a huge amount of business on Monday afternoon.
Hot toddies were abundant and lots of folks stayed MUCH longer than usual (yours truly included).
I suppose THAT was the best thing about this whole mess.
I hate snow with a fiery passion that somehow fails to melt the crap, but I do enjoy a snow day. It gives me a chance to do all the stuff around the house that normally would take up time on the weekend, or, alternatively, to do NOTHING and not feel guilty about it, because I’d normally be at work anyway.
Finally locking myself in my apartment in the evening after a long day of shoveling, cleaning off the car, driving to and from work amongst adults who don’t know how to drive in the snow, and fighting over parking spaces.
I guess that’s not really my favorite thing. It’s more like the least hated thing.
It’s very rare to have snow days around here, because as others have said, it would mean a lot of missed work/school! Closings for freezing rain are a bit more common, but that actually happens rather rarely (with 3 or 4 events last winter and the Ice Storm of '98 being notable exceptions). I know most of the school boards set up two “floating” pedagogical days, so if the school is closed one day, a ped day from later in the year gets “used” in its place. In theory the teachers still have to work, but in practice, I doubt most ever try to go in. Once those two days are used up, then class days are simply cancelled, but it’s very rare.
Another factor is that schools don’t want to take a chance on kids coming to school and finding the doors closed on a bitterly closed day, so around here, there is a reluctance to close the school. It may be that there won’t be many kids there on a real blizzardy day, but the schools may stay open.
Now that I think of it, a couple of years ago the schools in Saskatoon closed early, because it was so cold and the temperature still dropping that the school bus drivers were concerned that they might not be able to keep the buses running to take kids home at the regular end of the day. But that was coldness, not snow.
And I hope your power stays on.