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I went to Whitehall Michigan in December 2013. There was lake effect snow, about a foot of snow on the ground, and it was about 12* out. Today here in Yulee, FL, it is wet, misty, windy, and about 38*. It is cuttingly cold out. The wet is what does it. I'd rather be in Michigan at 12* with lake effect snow blowing down. that felt much warmer. I like cold, but it sucks here right now. However, I am glad to have some sort of a winter happening. It has been relatively hot for the last couple of winters here in FL. Meanwhile, I have concrete, masonry, and tile work that needs to happen at my pool company, but it is too cold to ensure that the stuff will cure properly and not fail, which means I will have very little pool company distractions while I have a marathon at my shop. I'm so happy that it is miserable outside!

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Lol! I can vouch for how cold it has been in Ohio. Can’t complain though because it has been very mild up until now.

Usually it sounds like a war zone at midnight on New Year’s but I only heard 3 people shooting last night, lol.

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Anybody here know about concrete?  We were in the trades but in sunny CA.  Never had to deal with extremely cold temps and pouring foundations or slabs.  The coldest I was while living normally was minus 6F in SW OR USA of all places.  Back in 1990 or so.  You did not know it was cold until you moved around or the wind hit you.

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Anybody here know about concrete?  We were in the trades but in sunny CA.  Never had to deal with extremely cold temps and pouring foundations or slabs.  The coldest I was while living normally was minus 6F in SW OR USA of all places.  Back in 1990 or so.  You did not know it was cold until you moved around or the wind hit you.

https://www.concretenetwork.com/cold-weather-concrete/weather.html

 

 

https://www.smokeypointconcrete.com/inthemix/04.php

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Anybody here know about concrete?  We were in the trades but in sunny CA.  Never had to deal with extremely cold temps and pouring foundations or slabs.  The coldest I was while living normally was minus 6F in SW OR USA of all places.  Back in 1990 or so.  You did not know it was cold until you moved around or the wind hit you.

https://www.concretenetwork.com/cold-weather-concrete/weather.html

 

 

https://www.smokeypointconcrete.com/inthemix/04.php

 

+1

 

We are pneumatically applying concrete. We could get them to shoot it, but they will not entertain the idea of warrantying it. As expensive as these structures can be, we just can't risk the liability of it. Thinset for setting tile and granite is the same way, but worse as we need 5 or so days at non-freezing temps for cure. The last thing I need is $10k or so worth of tile and granite falling off. The Great Standstill of 2018 rings in the new year! I love it!

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Looks like cold and wet tomorrow. Glad I don't need to work outside or have any site meetings scheduled. Just about everything we do is on the beach and the wind is always blowing there.

 

On another note, I saw some video today of a pile-up on HWY 31 in MI. That is the same highway I drove in the early AM in lake effect snow. That was the hardest driving I have ever done. I just couldn't see where the road was. I couldn't see very far for the snow falling and everything on the ground was white, road and ditch. I didn't know you weren't supposed to drive in it, but I did it. I thought the fact that the only other vehicles I saw on the road were semis was odd... and just kept driving. From Jacksonville, FL straight through to Whitehall, MI. Crazy Floridians, lol. These people whom I assume might live around that area, or in places where it snows, piled up in broad daylight. Locking up the brakes and snatching the wheel, ridiculous. You would think they would know how to drive in snow. Daylight driving was cake with decent tires, easy on the controls.

 

Here it is. I think we went through Muskegon about 4am. these people are utterly failing in broad daylight!

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Having worked in both FL and MI a fair amount, Florida feels a good bit colder below 50 degrees, like 30 feels more like 5 or 10 because the humidity compromises the insulation and soaks in.

 

On the positive it is generally short lived.

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Looks like cold and wet tomorrow. Glad I don't need to work outside or have any site meetings scheduled. Just about everything we do is on the beach and the wind is always blowing there.

 

On another note, I saw some video today of a pile-up on HWY 31 in MI. That is the same highway I drove in the early AM in lake effect snow. That was the hardest driving I have ever done. I just couldn't see where the road was. I couldn't see very far for the snow falling and everything on the ground was white, road and ditch. I didn't know you weren't supposed to drive in it, but I did it. I thought the fact that the only other vehicles I saw on the road were semis was odd... and just kept driving. From Jacksonville, FL straight through to Whitehall, MI. Crazy Floridians, lol. These people whom I assume might live around that area, or in places where it snows, piled up in broad daylight. Locking up the brakes and snatching the wheel, ridiculous. You would think they would know how to drive in snow. Daylight driving was cake with decent tires, easy on the controls.

 

Here it is. I think we went through Muskegon about 4am. these people are utterly failing in broad daylight!

 

I guess speed and snow are a combination for a major pile-up! Mixed in with stupidity! lol

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I see a lot of these videos where the people lock up the brakes and never let off. They never regain control of the vehicle as a result of that. Looks like going too fast for the conditions and going immediately from the accelerator to locked up brakes is at play with at least some of those drivers. I tried my best to stay smooth and avoid abrupt changes when driving in the snow and it seems like that is the winning combo, barring unavoidable idiots. It also seems that heavy vehicles do a bit better in straight line control than the lighter ones. I was in a suburban with brand new Michelin LTX MS2 tires on it. Phenomenal tires for snow. I could accelerate and brake fairly hard with freshly fallen snow on the roads. I didn't get to test the black ice skiing ability of them, lol. I think all tires may perform about the same in that.

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As a former northerner I can tell you another big mistake people make is thinking four wheel drive is all they need to negotiate snowy conditions.

 

I know from experience that four wheel drive will help you go but it won't help you stop.

 

Edit to add; Glad I'm dealing with Florida cold this year instead of Pennsylvania cold.

Edited by DaveM
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Looks like we are sharing in a little actual winter this year. It has been fairly hot for the past couple of winters that I can remember. I could swear it was in the 70's this time last year, but could be wrong.

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As a former northerner I can tell you another big mistake people make is thinking four wheel drive is all they need to negotiate snowy conditions.

 

I know from experience that four wheel drive will help you go but it won't help you stop.

 

Edit to add; Glad I'm dealing with Florida cold this year instead of Pennsylvania cold.

Id like to add that generally doesnt help you stop. However good tires makes a huge difference. Most people buy the cheaest tires they can buy and never replace them when needed. End rant.

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As a former northerner I can tell you another big mistake people make is thinking four wheel drive is all they need to negotiate snowy conditions.

 

I know from experience that four wheel drive will help you go but it won't help you stop.

 

That's not completely true.  In a modern vehicle with functional ABS, it doesn't help you so much.  In an older vehicle or one with the ABS inoperative, tying the front and rear axles together makes it less likely that a single wheel or axle will lock up.  Also, the brake proportioning valve is set up to send most of the braking power to the front.  That's what you want normally.  However, especially with a non ABS, rear wheel drive only vehicle with an automatic, trying to come to a stop on ice, it's quite common for the front wheels to lock up, and the rear wheels to still be driving the vehicle forward.  A driver who is not winter savvy will probably not realize what is happening in time to shift into neutral so the vehicle can stop (so they slide into/through the intersection).  Having 4wd reduces the tendency of the fronts to lock while the rears are still driving by a lot.

 

4WD also increases directional stability on snow and ice, which is just helpful all around.  If you're passing through an intersection and encounter the schmuck described above, you may not be able to stop, but it can give you a foot or three of maneuverability that you wouldn't have otherwise had, and that's often enough, especially if they almost got stopped in time and only entered your lane partially.

 

Having 4wd saved me years ago when a badly timed light changed on me when I was past the decision point for stopping...  I didn't have enough grip to stop, but having 4wd did give me enough to head for the snowbank that had been helpfully right where I needed it to be.  In the 2wd vehicle I'd had previously, I think if I had turned the wheel like that it would have just kept going straight.

Edited by Netpackrat
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It was pretty nice here through Tuesday...  45 degrees with rain, all the main roads were bare.  Then on Wednesday winter returned with a vengeance.  Snow and temperature hovering around freezing, which is usually worst for traction.  When it gets down below zero traction gets a lot better even if the roads are still covered with ice.

Edited by Netpackrat
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