Snowpacolypse 2011 - Day 1 9:15pm

The drive home (approx 7 miles) was pretty uneventful. My garbage bag window cover was successful, especially after seeing the 1/4" glaze on my neighboring cars. The roads were still warm enough that the only slick spot I came across was up a hill near my home. The Interstate had the fewest cars I've ever seen. I had an easy 1/4 mile view ahead and behind me, and not another car in sight.

The trees are starting to get a crystal glaze on them. Is it just me or does this bradford pear tree limb look like a reindeer ornament for a christmas tree?

Snowpacolypse 2011 - Day 1 5:20pm

Well, it's evening of Day 1 of the weather "event". The weather forecasting websites are talking less about tonight's ice accumulation, but still speculating up to an inch where I am through tomorrow. My husband is on his way back from Champaign and had a truck cross the median when it hit ice just north of Effingham. Google Maps traffic is pretty accurate too, as the traffic is slowing down on that same path, but still shows full speed for him all the way home. Let's hope!

Snowpacolypse 2011 - Day 1 1:00PM

To the right, you can see the icicles starting to form off the cars and light fixtures. Our parking lot is well salted, so nothing slick on the ground here, and traffic maps show all roads as green. My friend up the street already slipped on his driveway, but that's likely as much to do with his walking abilities as the slick conditions :D (sorry Rob)

We're in a little gap of weather right now. Would be a good time to run out for lunch for any of you locals. :)

Snowpacolypse 2011 - 12:00pm

Roads and parking lots are wet. Walks and vehicles aren't freezing yet, though there are icicles forming on light fixtures. Rain is light to medium right now, with bursts of heavy downpours.. There's a 4 semi accident on I-70 west of St. Louis that has the interstate closed. To the right, water is flowing freely from this drain pipe, but ice is beginning to form on the edges.

Snowpacolypse 2011 - 10:55am

The rain has started to fall, but it isn't immediately freezing on surfaces (yet).

Snowpacolypse 2011 - 10:30am

The radar hasn't changed significantly. No, that's not true, their servers are just so overloaded by all of us looking at it that it won't load for me. Nothing is falling from the sky yet, but you can see the change in the color of everything around us. Everything is taking on a gray-blue hue and you can see streaks of color in the sky. The most noticeable difference is the feel of the air. The wind is cold and dry and reminds me of our trip to Alaska.

It's the Snowpacolypse of 2011 - Hour Zero

Waking up this morning was pretty uneventful. We've been hearing about how terrible today was going to be for about a week from all the weather folks. The radar is finally starting to show something starting to come at us. We're all at work, my husband even taking his chances for an early service call up in Peoria, IL about 3 hours north of here, in regular weather. Unfortunately, we can't afford to lose any more business to the weather. My windshield's covered nicely with a large garbage bag, attached with magnets framing the window and I have small waste basket liners on my windshield wipers. If the weather does anything as promised, I should keep this blog updated with news, photos, and videos throughout the next few days.