When I was a kid growing up in Dallas, we had a storm of this nature - everything was covered with ice, including the roads. Everyone got a forced lesson id winter driving. My father was raised in Illinois, and was fairly comfortable, but a lot of people got educated in ice driving the hard way. If you haven't driven on snow or ice before, the touch required is unbelievably delicate.

I commute to Atlanta, and was at work yesterday when the snow started (I regret not calling in because I know what a little snow does down here). I ended up letting myself in at work, and spending the night in a back office because of the traffic.

When it started snowing, the temperature was above freezing, so the snow -- especially on the roads -- melted and re-froze at first, and drivers compacted it down to sheets.

There were far too many people under-dressed for the over-night lows, because, "My car has a heater. I don't need a coat!" This is something I just don't understand.

My biggest regret is not having *spare* clothes in the car, especially socks.

I took a couple exploratory drives, and was nearly trapped in the masses a time or three, and I saw some saddening behaviors. Panic, inexperience, and a lack of education about some things, can really take their toll on people. I saw one person with a blow-out from spinning his tires hoping for traction. Apparently when the ice melted, he just burned out.

I'm willing to bet the old Palm Pilot stylus does not work. The modern phones that don't have an integrated stylus (like the Samsung Galaxy Note II), require what is referred to as a capacitive stylus. Their distinctive characteristic is a rubber ball at the tip around 1/4 inch in diameter. The old Palm Pilot stylus had a narrow tip made of hard plastic. These will not work and all you will likely do is scratch your screen.

YMMV
Craig

Unless you suddenly find yourself with a dead car battery. A quick cold snap is when a weak battery is most likely to give up the ghost. The small lithium ion batteries with USB connectors are everywhere now and prices are cheap. Definitely worth being able to keep the smartphone running in an emergency.

Craig

Not only do they not know what they don't know, but they've all no doubt heard/read lots of comments from northern folks saying "....a couple of inches of snow ain't not big deal..." So they think that since it isn't a big snow they don't need to worry.

Also, even in places like Anchorage, where driving on icy roads is an everyday thing in winter, people seem to forget over the summer. Every fall, on the first slippery day, I see lots of cars sliding around or in the ditch. After a day or so, winter driving habits kick in, and things get much better. In an area where most people have never learned proper winter driving, when icy roads come just at a high traffic time it should be no surprise that chaos results.

I did a test with tea lights a while ago: http://forums.equipped.org/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=213662&page=8

I see hikermor is still the resident "carbon monoxide Nazi." That's a good thing.

BTW, no-one has mentioned the unmentionable: TP, stout trash bags, and maybe a tarp for a privacy shelter outside one door.

TP (i.e. Kleenex packets) was on my list but I had not considered privacy.

My Element has clamshell side doors so a small tarp could close it in pretty well, I think. Will look at it and think that through.

You'd want to some privacy for sure, otherwise all ones cheeks could be posted on Reddit.


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The scientific notation would be "CO/Na" I've just been around too many close calls; it's a very tricky, nasty phenomenon.

I really think it would be worthwhile to repeat your tea candle heating trial and measure CO accumulation, perhaps with windows cracked open to various degrees....

Tricky and nasty indeed. I know people who have had close calls. If I had been in that vehicle, a window would have been cracked, period. Not just for fresh air, but to vent excess moisture.

At the time I didn't have suitable measuring equipment, but now I have an industrial client where portable gas monitoring (including CO) is routine, including pumps and tubing for remote sampling. Maybe I could pull a favour. Hmm.