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Icy Peanuts

Friday, February 4, 2011
Well, we did not get our snow but we got some ice.  Needless to say we are all a little disappointed.  Some people that live in our area have never seen snow if you can believe that?! I lived here for 10 years before and never saw a flurry.   However since we moved back from VA..we have seen snow twice (here and here) which is so bizarre.

A few people were surprised that our schools would close for a mere 2 inches of snow.  I get that. I grew up in Pennsylvania and would have thought that was ridiculous too.  But you see snow is extremely rare in Houston.  We do not have salt trucks or sand or snow plows.  And people have NO clue how to drive on ice or snow here.  No one has snow tires. This is what I found on Wikipedia...








Snow and ice


December 24th Snowstorm, shown on satellite.
Snow is extremely unusual in Houston. Light snow has fallen approximately 35 times since 1895,[17] more recently on December 4, 2009 and February 23, 2010.[18]Freezing rain, also known as ice storms, are slightly less rare. The most recent ice storms occurred in 1997 and 2007. These storms can be very disruptive since road crews are not equipped to handle such rare events (and motorists are entirely unfamiliar with ice). When ice occurs, road and schools are usually closed.




And this is what the roads are like today.  All the little red triangles are "Incidents" (accidents). YIKES!

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Dave says at the peak of rush hour there are usually only  3-4 of these...so clearly the roads are bad this morning.  Okay, have I thoroughly bored you now???
I also learned that the average daily high daily Janaury temp is 63 degrees just to give you some perspective.

The kids are enjoying the day off anyway (and so am I).  We all slept in a bit and Dave is working from home this morning.  The peanuts are out exploring the "ice." And I am sure they will want hot cocoa when they come in;)

 Here are a few icy snapshots...

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A little frozen spider web.

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My boys were so sweet helping Kate down the steps since there was ice on them!

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They were fascinated with the thin layer of ice on my car.  It is the little things:)
We don't own much winter gear...not that the boys would wear the winter coats hanging in the closets anyway:)  I had to force them to put sweatshirts on.

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Kate and Harry exploring the frozen roses. Have you ever seen an icy palm tree (in the background)?
Yup, we have palm trees on our street.  

14 comments:

  1. I am in Chicago and we have four foot snow drifts. Over 20 inches of snow fell and school was closed for two days. So happy your schools close for everyones safety. Driving on ice is so scary. I hope you all have fun day! BTW I am Catholic and wasn't in the least bit put off or offended by your observation. :)

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  2. love the pictures!!
    have a nice weekend!!

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  3. Palm trees in your street...heavenly! Stay safe. dx

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  4. Be safe Peanuts! Here in Big D we got more snow than predicted...the weather folks had said we would get 1-3 and we got 5-7 here in the city! On top of the ice...Day 4 of school closings! We need it to clear up for Sunday's Super Bowl...lots of folks trying to get in here.
    Norah

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  5. I am cracking up that you have a snow day. We just had two for the first time in 12 years and that was only after a 20 inch blizzard!

    I totally understand though that people in Houston have no idea how to drive with ice or snow on the roads.

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  6. My nephew is very upset that y'all didn't get snow (he lives in Pasadena). We got quite a bit here but are pretty much over it at this point and won't be sad to see it all melt away tomorrow.

    Happy weekend and stay safe!

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  7. No snow here in Beaumont either! However, we have had 50....yes 50 accidents on the roadway! One that involved state troopers vehicle and a fire truck responding to an accident. The fire truck slid on a patch of "black ice" and hit the state trooper vehicle. Thankfully, no one was hurt! We were given the day off from work and I just stayed in my jammies all day! We are expecting another hard freeze tonight, but will warm up to 57 tomorrow! This crazy SE Texas weather I tell ya!!

    My older kids who reside in the DALLAS area got lots of snow! I was so glad she cancelled her plans to travel to Beaumont this weekend.

    Hoping you guys have begun to thaw out for now....because next week...it begins again!! GOTTA LOVE SE TEXAS!!

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  8. Kim...I love these icy pics...they are gorgeous..how sweet the boys are to Miss Kate too!

    Tell Kate that Lucy has watched HER so so SO many times...she loves that she says "Hi Lucy" to her :)...I just crack up at how she keeps layering on ALL the scarves, oh and the Jasmine look!! Hope she makes us another one :)...can you imagine the two of them together in the closet ???

    Stay warm this weekend if the ice is still around!

    xoxo

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  9. Impressive! We lived in Houston for 3 years so I know that climate! We are NE Oklahoma now and you are WELCOMED to come here and take some of ours for your children to enjoy!

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  10. Even here in CT they can close school for about 3 inches of snow. We are very hilly with steep and twisty roads which can make for treacherous driving conditions. Our schools are always closed for ice as well. Love your photos!

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  11. This is the 2nd winter in a row that Dallas has gotten snow! Of course, I waited my whole life to see snow in Dallas...but we only ever had ice. I was giggling when I read about the people not being able to drive in it. I used to close houses for a builder and anytime that I was closing on a home with a family from anywhere that had snow, I would tell them..."Don't drive to work when we have ice, it is not you that can't drive in it...it is the Texans" lol

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  12. Sorry you didn't get the snow but so glad you go the SNOW DAY! That's the best part. My boys live where it's COLD and they still won't wear coats. Well, Buddy will but certainly not my 12 year old. Shorts, t-shirt and maybe a sweatshirt every day to school. Makes me crazy! Hope you are having a great weekend.

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