Why do SO many people hate snow?

[kphoger]

I actually like shoveling snow, in lifts of up to three inches, as long as I can get to it before cars go between the garage and the street and pack the snow beneath their tire treads.  However, I doubt I will get to do that this winter, though the present warming spell is due to end tonight and there is snow in the forecast for tomorrow.

Me too.  And I like clearing the snow off the car even better.  I don't know what it is about it, but I enjoy it.

It figures, the morning after I said that, we got a bunch of ice.  Let me make this clear, Universe:  I like clearing snow from my car, but I hate scraping ice from my car.  Had a nice (not!) drive to work during which my max speed was 40 mph, and only one car passed me.  I lost traction and fishtailed once, while driving in a straight line at a steady 30 mph.  Several accidents, including a truck who couldn't make it up a gentle incline ramp to the highway and got stuck sideways across the ramp.  Then, after I got to work, there were flurries for about five minutes.  Now the sun is out.  This is the worst winter weather.  Give me SNOW!  Not ice.  SNOW!

[J N Winkler]

It figures, the morning after I said that, we got a bunch of ice.  Let me make this clear, Universe:  I like clearing snow from my car, but I hate scraping ice from my car.  Had a nice (not!) drive to work during which my max speed was 40 mph, and only one car passed me.  I lost traction and fishtailed once, while driving in a straight line at a steady 30 mph.  Several accidents, including a truck who couldn't make it up a gentle incline ramp to the highway and got stuck sideways across the ramp.  Then, after I got to work, there were flurries for about five minutes.  Now the sun is out.  This is the worst winter weather.  Give me SNOW!  Not ice.  SNOW!

I hear you.  I was out for five minutes with a plastic shovel and gave up when I realized it was all ice--there was no snow on top to blade off.  Fortunately ice has lower albedo than snow and the ground is still fairly warm, so it should go away fairly quickly.

[Hurricane Rex]

It figures, the morning after I said that, we got a bunch of ice.  Let me make this clear, Universe:  I like clearing snow from my car, but I hate scraping ice from my car.  Had a nice (not!) drive to work during which my max speed was 40 mph, and only one car passed me.  I lost traction and fishtailed once, while driving in a straight line at a steady 30 mph.  Several accidents, including a truck who couldn't make it up a gentle incline ramp to the highway and got stuck sideways across the ramp.  Then, after I got to work, there were flurries for about five minutes.  Now the sun is out.  This is the worst winter weather.  Give me SNOW!  Not ice.  SNOW!

I hear you.  I was out for five minutes with a plastic shovel and gave up when I realized it was all ice--there was no snow on top to blade off.  Fortunately ice has lower albedo than snow and the ground is still fairly warm, so it should go away fairly quickly.

I'm glad I live a block away from school so I don't have to drive and I still find it annoying. Least favorite winter weather piece by far.

Wait... Least favorite weather piece by far. I don't care that school is out when it happens, it doesn't make a difference.

[dvferyance]

What drives me nuts the most is when weather forecasters change the amount of snow forecasted 90% of the time it's more. Never made sense to me I would think them being off would have just as equal chance on the lesser side as on the higher side but for what ever reason that is not the case.

[seicer]

I work for a major university in upstate New York and love hearing students complain about snow when they are not properly dressed, wearing unlayered shoes, sans gloves, scarves and other protective covering. Our campus is geared around residents - not commuters, and as such, we rarely call off for a snow day.

When I began work here, I was told we "very rarely" get snow days. And the next week after that? Three feet of snow in one day - and one day off of work.

Of course, up here, you expect snow. You expect winter conditions. You expect wind - especially in the Finger Lakes and near the Great Lakes. If students don't come prepared or simply don't care, no big deal.

I might be biased though. I love the snow, backpacking in it, ice fishing and all that. Bring it on.

[webny99]

What drives me nuts the most is when weather forecasters change the amount of snow forecasted 90% of the time it's more. Never made sense to me I would think them being off would have just as equal chance on the lesser side as on the higher side but for what ever reason that is not the case.

I don't know. In Rochester it seems the forecasters often predict more. This was the case with the storm that passed through yesterday - forecasts called for 8 inches and we got maybe four or so.

[silverback1065]

not only do i hate snow, i also HATE February!

[webny99]

not only do i hate snow, i also HATE February!

March, aside from longer hours of daylight, is much worse.

[silverback1065]

not only do i hate snow, i also HATE February!

March, aside from longer hours of daylight, is much worse.

February is the month where my hatred for winter hits its highest point, plus it has no holidays, i really hated this in college

[jeffandnicole]

not only do i hate snow, i also HATE February!

March, aside from longer hours of daylight, is much worse.

February is the month where my hatred for winter hits its highest point, plus it has no holidays, i really hated this in college

Um, Presidents Day?

[silverback1065]

not only do i hate snow, i also HATE February!

March, aside from longer hours of daylight, is much worse.

February is the month where my hatred for winter hits its highest point, plus it has no holidays, i really hated this in college

Um, Presidents Day?

Never got that holiday off.

[webny99]

not only do i hate snow, i also HATE February!

March, aside from longer hours of daylight, is much worse.

February is the month where my hatred for winter hits its highest point

I can tell you live south of me 

[Hurricane Rex]

not only do i hate snow, i also HATE February!

March, aside from longer hours of daylight, is much worse.

February is the month where my hatred for winter hits its highest point, plus it has no holidays, i really hated this in college

Um, Presidents Day?

At my high school it counts as a non-contract day instead of a holiday.

[kkt]

In Seattle Public Schools, they take the whole week of President's Day off.

[hotdogPi]

In Seattle Public Schools, they take the whole week of President's Day off.

Same for the state of Massachusetts. I don't get the week off, though, as I'm in college now.

[webny99]

In Seattle Public Schools, they take the whole week of President's Day off.

Same for the state of Massachusetts. I don't get the week off, though, as I'm in college now.

Same for New York. I don't think the week off is because of President's Day though - President's Day just happens to be on the so-called "February Break".

[vdeane]

Given that Presidents Day is an official NY holiday observed by the state workforce, I wouldn't be surprised if the timing of February Break is intentional.

[webny99]

Given that Presidents Day is an official NY holiday observed by the state workforce, I wouldn't be surprised if the timing of February Break is intentional.

No doubt - the timing works out well. But take Presidents Day out of the picture, and I'm pretty confident there would still be a week of school vacation in February.

[hotdogPi]

Given that Presidents Day is an official NY holiday observed by the state workforce, I wouldn't be surprised if the timing of February Break is intentional.

No doubt - the timing works out well. But take Presidents Day out of the picture, and I'm pretty confident there would still be a week of school vacation in February.

Only if there's also one in April (which there is in Massachusetts). In the absence of anything else, the week off would probably be in March, so that it's not too close to Christmas break.

[webny99]

^ Yep, same in New York. There's a second break in April.

[7/8]

In Ontario, elementary/high schools get March Break, while universities (and probably colleges?) get Reading Week in February (the week of Family Day, which is the same day as President's Day). I think it's silly that the weeks don't line up, since it makes it more challenging to schedule family vacations.

Anyway, all my midterms were this week, so I'm looking forward to a bit of a break this Reading Week

[slorydn1]

I seem to remember getting a 2 day break around Presidents day in February back in elementary school both in Michigan and Illinois until ML King Jr's Birthday became a thing. Once schools were forced to give us the day off for that (a mere 2 weeks after coming back from Christmas break) they stopped giving us the February break entirely.

None of my kids ever had that February break here in NC. Actually they ended up getting screwed out of any extra days off in the spring because they had to make up for any hurricane/snow days missed in the fall and winter. My youngest lost all of his teacher work days and half of his spring break, as well as a Saturday, to that his freshman year. I'm glad he graduated early this year, because he would have had to make up time this semester for the week they lost due to that dusting of snow and ice we had in early January.

[Hurricane Rex]

In Seattle Public Schools, they take the whole week of President's Day off.

I'm envious of you and any other who has this.

[doorknob60]

snow can disrupt and potentially cause you a lot of cash on your way to work

That's why.

Also, shoveling sucks.

And even when I don't have to shovel, moving around sucks. The bottom of the staircase at my apartments, there was an icy patch one day. I fell and hurt my leg and ankle and I was sore for the next week. I can only be fortunate it wasn't more severe (I could still walk okay, didn't need any medical attention, etc.). As I get older those kind of accidents will be less kind on the body. Not to mention, public sidewalks and bike lanes/paths often aren't properly maintained, making you even more car dependent (which brings us back to the original point).

Also, planning trips of any kind (road trips mainly, but air travel too) is really rolling the dice in the winter. And we often take road trips in December or late November. Driving Boise to Portland this Christmas, I saw a lot of near accidents very close to my vehicle (and passed one bad accident in the other direction of the freeway). That's more of a problem with ice than snow, but I lump them together, since snow melts then refreezes into ice. We've lucked out so far, but there's been times where just a few days before or after we made a long drive, that same highway was completely closed or very treacherous. It'll happen to us someday.

[jp the roadgeek]

Snow after March 1st sucks.  March 1st hits and you're in a Spring state of mind, only to be thrown back into the middle of January again.  You're thinking Easter, but the weather says it's Christmas.  What's coming tonight and tomorrow makes me want to bring the Christmas tree back up from the basement and put on some Nat King Cole or Bing Crosby.