The weather continues to make headlines as another winter storm bears down on much of the US. We’ve got pretty mild weather compared with much of the rest of the US. The streets are bare and the forecast calls for rain mixed with snow this morning. The snow flurries will turn to rain as the day warms and we should see only rain for the rest of the week. It is a bit difficult for forecasters to make accurate long range predictions on the west coast of the US because our weather comes in from the ocean where there are fewer weather reporting stations. We have a bit of an advantage because immediately to our west is Vancouver Island so we at least get fairly accurate forecasts a few hours in advance.

Forecasters are predicting a follow-up to last week’s storm with more snow and cold weather across the northern states. New York City is set for more snowfall. Parts of the northeast could see up to 8 inches of snow according the the National Weather Service. This comes as tornadoes and powerful winds hit Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri and Texas over the weekend. In Michigan, where hundreds of thousands of people are still without power from last week’s winter storm, another storm is being predicted.

Despite lots of news and predictions, the weather did catch some people off guard. In Oregon the Portland Metro area came to a standstill last Wednesday when a storm produced nearly 11 inches of snow, clogging the freeways and city streets. Motorists waiting for hours in the storm gave up and walked away from their vehicles, leaving the streets and freeways clogged with abandoned vehicles.

My sister is a bus driver for Tri-Met, the regional transportation authority. Her bus was stalled when she stopped to let off a passenger on a steep hill and couldn’t get started heading uphill. Her bus was equipped with auto chains, but they can only be deployed when the bus is moving at least 10 mph forward. She could have backed down hill and might have been able to gain traction in another part of the street, but company protocol is to not move buses into intersections, so she radioed dispatch and they advised her to stay put saying that the company would send out a team to assist her. It turned out that she wasn’t the only bus driver with problems. About 100 city buses were stuck. It took six hours for a supervisor with relief drivers to arrive to attempt to free her bus. They managed to back the bus into an intersection where it remained stuck, blocking traffic. She was given a ride back to the bus headquarters by the supervisor, who stopped and exchanged drivers with two other buses on the way. It took the bus company two and half more days before they had recovered all of their buses.

She was, however, stuck in Portland, which happens to be a pretty mellow city. The gentleman who got off of her bus causing the stop that stranded her went home and came back with hot chocolate and marshmallows for her. Homeowners near where her bus was stalled offered the use of their bathrooms. Someone brought her a bottle of water. Another person brought her a cup of tea. Later in the evening someone brought her a plate of lasagna. She was warm and safe and able to contact dispatch on her radio and they kept her advised as to the progress of the help that was on its way.

I imagine it is a bit different in New York City, but I have never visited New York in bad weather. I do remember a winter storm in Chicago when we lived there. We lived in the city near the University of Chicago, but I worked in the western suburbs about 25 miles away. My sister - the one who is now a bus driver - was visiting our city for a job interview so Susan took the train out to the suburbs so we could meet my sister after I got off work. The streets were getting a little slippery as we drove to my sister’s hotel, but we had no problems. We ended up spending the night at the hotel because the snow was getting deep. In the morning, I got up and put the chains on our car and we headed into the city to show my sister our neighborhood. It was a bit surreal. There were very few other cars moving anywhere on city streets or freeways, but we had to drive carefully to maneuver around all of the abandoned cars. People simply got out of their cars and started walking when traffic became stalled. By the time we had given my sister a tour of our neighborhood traffic was beginning to move a bit more smoothly. I took the chains off of the car and we were able to take her to the airport in time for her flight, which was delayed because of the weather. She flew home and we got back to our apartment without incident.

I felt a bit invincible, telling friends that the traffic problems were the result of drivers who weren’t prepared for snow. If they had tire chains and knew how to use them like I did, I reasoned, they wouldn’t have had trouble. I know that it isn’t that simple. You might be able to control your vehicle, but you can’t control the others. Traffic becomes backed up and people get stuck in the traffic. I was able to get around in part because I was lucky enough not to be on the freeways during the height of the storm.

There were times when we lived in South Dakota when the patrol closed all of the Interstate highways in the state. A similar thing happened in Wyoming during last week’s storm when all of the highways in the southern half of the state, including Interstate 80, were closed border to border.

So be safe out there. Carry warm clothing and a sleeping bag. Stay with your car if you become stranded. Be prepared. And remember that getting stuck in a storm will give you stories to tell for years to come.