Birmingham, Ala had just as much snow trouble as Atlanta

[mfcorey1]

http://blog.al.com/wire/2014/01/dusting_of_chaos_how_snow_stun.html#incart_river_default

“There will be a light dusting of snow and no travel complications in Birmingham.” -- Meteorologist James Spann

Chaos requires a starting point. To connect the dots through a once-in-a-generation weather event, there must be a first dot that triggers a chain of events.

Fairly or unfairly, memories of the paralysis of the Birmingham metropolitan area from 1 to 2 inches of snow will always begin with Spann, who was joined by the National Weather Service and other forecasters in making inaccurate weather projections.

Tuesday, Jan. 28 was supposed to be a normal day in Birmingham. The heaviest snow was projected for the southern parts of the state, not central and northern Alabama. Kids went to school, workers commuted to their offices, and life continued as normal even as some heavy snowflakes fell.

What transpired next figures to be talked about in Alabama for decades to come.

“Remember the dusting of chaos of 2014?”

We’ll remember the five people dead and 23 injured in Alabama announced so far, with countless people still trying to get home.

We’ll remember the feeling of helplessness -- motorists stranded on every imaginable major highway; children stuck in schools or, even worse, on buses; loved ones gone missing, most likely because cell phones died; people sleeping in hotel fitness rooms, the aisles of convenience stores, and even inside their cars as gas tanks ran low.

We’ll remember our personal snow stories. They’re captured forever by technology that wasn’t here for Alabama’s last dramatic winter storm in 1993, when over 1 foot of snow and heavy winds knocked out power and paralyzed much of the state for days. (Driving tip free of charge: If you’re going up a hill, commit and don’t stop or you risk a personal dusting of chaos.)

We’ll remember the Good Samaritans -- there were so many of them, just like after the tornadoes of 2011. Their warmth in the snow connected Alabama through good deeds.

[LuvNewcastle]

1. Birmingham has a lot of big hills, too. Ice and hills don't mix well for drivers.

I don't understand why their forecasts were wrong in Birmingham and Atlanta. The same front came through the Miss. coast, and the weather maps I saw on tv showed that the front was going to go up through that area.

I bitch about Mississippi all the time, but our officials really handled this well. Some people down here complained that they over-prepared. The Dept. of Trans. (MDOT) sent plenty of extra people and equipment down here. They had to put sand down on the bridges and roadways because there wasn't enough salt, so they weren't able to prevent much of the ice buildup, but they did give it the old college try. There were plenty of people from MDOT and local cops to help people and direct people where to go. We didn't have many accidents until yesterday, when some people decided to go ahead and risk it.

[mfcorey1]

2. I am so sick of the attacks on the Mayor of the City of Atlanta on the

morning shows. He has admitted his responsibility but they want him to just fall on his knees. And it pisses them off because he corrects them on all the errors they are reporting. What about all the other Mayors in the Atlanta region? Mika, on Morning Whoa, was one of the worst. She and her co host are a joke.

[dembotoz]

3. just to remember in chicago jane burn became mayor pretty much because of a mishandled big snow

at least per legend.

[mfcorey1]

4. Well term limits means he cannot run again.