Monday, February 24, 2003
OK, let's review the weather forecasts for Austin, Texas, over the past two days.
Cue Weather Channel music.
Sunday: Sunny and fair. High 75. Light breezes throughout the day.
Monday: Run for your lives, it's an ice storm! In Texas! The sky is falling, the sky is falling!
Yes, that's Texas weather for you. Currently it is a frigid 27 degrees here in Austin, and the slushy, frozen precipitation continues to fall, coating every inch of asphalt with a glistening road hazard. Now, we Texans have a certain amount of pride in the fact that we have zero experience driving in ice or snow... that is, until the rare occasion when we find ourselves forced to creep along the streets in the freezing weather, hoping we don't skid into a phone pole.
Texans freak out when it comes to perilous winter weather. We have no idea what we're doing -- and therefore, our best option is to shut everything down, from schools to highways to Starbucks. We closed the coffee shop at 8:30 tonight, and my three co-workers and I headed out to our cars. Being a Texan, I thought, "Well, I can just turn the defroster on, and melt all the stuff from my windshield in no time!" Then I stepped out into the parking lot, and nearly fell flat on my back. The entire lot was covered in a thick layer of ice. I carefully maneuvered my way to my car, where I promptly discovered that not one, not two, but three of my car doors were frozen shut, and the fourth I really had to wrench open.
My defrosting plan, of course, did not pan out. Fortunately, one of my co-workers had an ice scraper, which helped to rid most of the stuff from my windshield and back window. Three of our coffee cops also turned up, and helped us get our cars into driving condition. Officer Tall Latte informed us that the storm was supposed to continue like this all night into tomorrow morning. "Y'all really ought to just go to whoever's house is closest, instead of all driving home in this weather," he advised us.
"Are you serious?" I asked, and he nodded gravely. "It's really bad out here, and it's only going to get worse."
A piece of ice fell into my eye and I blinked it away furiously, very much wishing to be out of the storm. I had never driven in icy weather and I did not relish the thought. Though I didn't like the idea of staying at anyone else's house either... I glanced over to Celeste and Blake, my two shift supervisors, and inquired, " Well, who is closest anyway?"
Celeste gave me a look that could have melted the ice gathering around her feet. No answer was given. A few moments later, they drove away in Blake's Jeep. I was still standing there, being pelted by ice, as the police officer attempted to clear my driver's side window (a futile effort, as it turned out). Sensing my Texan nervousness about the ice, he told me which route was probably the safest way for me to go home, and gave me a few pieces of advice on driving in this horrid weather. I thanked him profusely and, very slowly, left the parking lot.
It took me 25 minutes to make the normal 10-minute commute back to my apartment. In that time I saw the vestiges of two car accidents, and skidded on the ice three times myself (fortunately, as I was going about 10 MPH, I never skidded very far). However, the trek home did reinforce my determination to never, ever live up North, lest I have to deal with stuff like this on a semi-regular basis during the winter months. Blah.
If nothing else, though, it looks like I might have a day off from school tomorrow. If the roads are still icy, I'm going to do the Texan thing, and stay safe at home.
| 11:26 PM |
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