Seriously Mother Nature
17 January 2017
I am not sure what is going on up here in Portland Oregon, but we have another weather impacted day that has shuttered schools. It used to be that we could expect a day of snow and it melted fast and a couple freezing rain events due to the Columbia Gorge, but that has not been the case the past two winters. We seem to have had storm after storm and this past week a storm dumped 14 inches of snow at my place and is still there today as the freezing rain begins and soon to be followed by all the melting snow later in the week and the flooding. What complicates everything as a guy who grew up in Idaho in the deeper snow and colder weather is that Portland is not prepared for this type of weather. We don’t have all the snow plows, road salting is illegal for environmental reasons, roads are not designed with a consideration of snow, and lastly and more importantly the people here aren't really experienced with driving in snow here especially with all the new Portland residents that moved up here from California. When it snows I get stuick in traffics and so far spent over 8 hours this year. People crash, get stuck, spin out, or simply panic and leave their vehicles in the roadway.
Maybe this weather will slow the flood of people moving here and making it the hottest moving destination the past two years and making the real estate market a crazy hot mess much like the San Francisco real estate market when I lived there. So if you are dreaming of moving to Portland and hate snow or ice, then change your plans now.
We will survive this but our patience is growing short and the cabin fever is growing for many especially with all the school snow days testing parents sanity.
Hang in there everyone and be safe.
Shaan