WOW !!! NOVA usually has a lot of electric cars. I am for electric vehicles, however know its limitations and know it is not an end all answer to our current and future problem. As we know electric cars take a while to charge up; unlike IC engines that can easily and quickly refueled. I am guessing many of the electric cars will need to be towed to a charging area or home.

God Bless !!!

https://www.nbcwashington.com/...in-virginia/2926464/

Drivers have been stuck on Interstate 95 in the Stafford County, Virginia, area for more than 15 hours after multiple trucks crashed amid a major snowstorm that left snow and ice packed onto the road.

Many drivers are out of gas. Some don't have food or water. Some say they have kids, pets and family members with medical needs in the car.

“We are getting to people as soon as we can. We understand the severity of the situation,” Virginia Department of Transportation spokesperson Kelly Hannon said.

VDOT says a plan is underway to guide trapped vehicles to interchanges and alternate routes. Prince William County firefighters were seen handing out blankets and water bottles Tuesday morning as the traffic nightmare continued.

Gov. Ralph Northam's office says it is working to open warming centers. Northam said sunlight should help crews clear off roads but encouraged everyone to avoid I-95.

U.S. Sen. for Virginia Tim Kaine said he was caught in the extreme gridlock.

"I started my normal 2 hour drive to DC at 1pm yesterday. 19 hours later, I’m still not near the Capitol," Kaine said on Twitter. He said his office is in touch with transportation officials.

Driver Anne Gould said traffic stopped on Monday afternoon while she was on her annual trek to Florida. By Tuesday at about 6:20 a.m., Gould said she had only moved ahead in the gridlock by a few car lengths.

“There’s cars and trucks as far as I can see behind me, and in front of me, and it’s looked like this for 12 hours,” she said Tuesday morning.

As of 7 a.m. Tuesday, traffic was at a standstill. The Virginia Department of Transportation confirmed both directions of I-95 are shut down between Ruther Glen, in Caroline County, and Exit 152 in Dumfries, Prince William County. That's a 48-mile closure through the Fredericksburg area, which recorded 14.1 inches of snow Monday.

"We are working to get traffic moving again as best we can using every available interchange between Prince William & Caroline counties," VDOT Fredericksburg said. "There are interchanges at the following mm: Exit 104, 110 Caroline, 118, 126 Spotsy, 130 FXBG 133, 136, 140, 143, 148 Stafford, 150 & 152 PW."

Virginia State Police said the lengthy closure was implemented so crews could safely reach stranded motorists. The agency said it has responded to hundreds of crashes since the early Monday, but there have been few injuries and no deaths.

"This is unprecedented, and we continue to steadily move stopped trucks to make progress toward restoring lanes," VDOT Fredericksburg District Engineer Marcie Parker said in a statement.

"In addition to clearing the trucks, we are treating for snow and several inches of ice that has accumulated around them to ensure that when the lanes reopen, motorists can safely proceed to their destination," Parker said.

All southbound lanes of I-95 were shut down at mile marker 136 near Centreport Parkway after a crash involving six tractor-trailers at noon Monday. No one was hurt, but that collision contributed to major backups.

Towing crews, plows and Virginia State Police were helping with the effort, Hannon said. Crews were also trying to move trucks blocking roads.

Hannon said to call 911 if you know someone out there who needs urgent medical attention.

For everyone else, she said she knows this is a dire situation, and they're working to get people home.

Nisa Semesta, who was stuck on the southbound side for more than 12 hours with two cats in her car, said drivers couldn’t even get off the interstate for supplies. Side roads were also impassable.

“We’re really worried about our access to food, water and sanitation at the moment,” said. “I know some people are starting to get worried about gas.”

Truck driver Emily Clementson suggested people ask truck drivers if they have extra supplies, such as snacks or water bottles. She said many truck drivers prepare in case they get stranded.

Clementson said the conditions changed as soon as she and a co-driver got into Virginia.

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Clementson said.

Hundreds of drivers got stuck or in crashes throughout the region Monday as snow accumulated until about 3 p.m.

Yeah, winter will do that.

Hope everyone makes it out safely. It's a good reminder to keep your vehicle stocked with at least the bare essentials, like water and food and extra blankets in the winter. I also always have an extra 4 gallons of gas on the back of my jeep and always try to never let my gas tank get below half full.

And yeah, if you're out in that mess in an electric vehicle, God help you.

Wow, that area got hammered

Philly area usually gets pounded around this time of year and that area usually is unscathed, looks like it was the direct opposite this time around, I barely saw any flurries.

Yeah, we got hammered. 12”+ all around me and I’m about 45 minutes west of Fredericksburg. We’re on day 2 without power as are about 90,000 other homes. Hell, even the Verizon cell tower that barely services my area was without power until this morning. It was extremely cold last night into this morning too. 12* makes for a chilly overnight stay in a car that’s out of gas. Hope everyone makes it.

I saw idiots are blaming Youngkin on Twitter even though he hasn't taken office yet.

One should be checking the weather some too, this stuff isn’t a surprise. Then depending on forecast conditions, factor in who you’ll be sharing the road with.

I remember the storm around Atlanta a few years ago, very messy.

The real lesson here, when a major snowstorm is predicted, stay home for a few hours or whatever it takes to let things sort themselves out.
If you are not prepared to deal with something like this, even more so.
Otherwise, if it's somewhere you absolutely must get to, go early enough.

Was that the one when Chic-Fil-A was delivering sandwiches to stranded motorists?

quote:

Originally posted by sourdough44:
One should be checking the weather some too, this stuff isn’t a surprise. Then depending on forecast conditions, factor in who you’ll be sharing the road with.

I remember the storm around Atlanta a few years ago, very messy.

I just spent a week in Northern Virginia and Maryland. We spent the first half in Virginia with my wife's sister and the second half in Maryland with her brother. Drove back yesterday from Maryland. It's a good thing, too. The day started out snowy but once we hit Frederick or so headed west, all was clear. It would have been more difficult leaving from Virginia where they got more snow.

I watched a news segment on this catastrophe on the National Desk news show this morning.

I spent half of the time I lived in VA sitting in that traffic.

For about three years I worked in Spotsylvania and this does not surprise me the least.

I remember back in 2006ish, the area got hit with a snowstorm that was predicted to be about an inch but turned into 6-8 I believe. All I will say is that I worked 25 accidents and just gave out cards with a case number for about another 8 or 9.

I know it was predicted and people were warned but no one listens. Heck the traffic in that area sucks when it is nice and sunny.

I live within an hour of the Canadian border. No one here knows how to drive in the snow.

Last week I didn’t drive simply to avoid someone from running into me. Just no point.

20 years ago when I moved here I was astonished watching women in open toed high heel shoes abandon their cars on the freeway to walk in the snow, rather than drive in it.

quote:

Originally posted by Jimbo Jones:
Was that the one when Chic-Fil-A was delivering sandwiches to stranded motorists?

That was here in Birmingham.

I know Mark personally and he's as good as they get. Truly a servant's heart.

https://www.foxnews.com/opinio...n-southern-snowstorm

quote:

Originally posted by Snake207:

quote:

Originally posted by Jimbo Jones:
Was that the one when Chic-Fil-A was delivering sandwiches to stranded motorists?

That was here in Birmingham.

I know Mark personally and he's as good as they get. Truly a servant's heart.

https://www.foxnews.com/opinio...n-southern-snowstorm

CFA was a client of mine some yrs ago. They hire that way intentionally.

Even store mgrs … the test was, “Would I trust this person alone with my kids.”

I wonder how much of your charge the heater eats up to keep the passenger compartment warm. If it’s on par with what a gas engine burns while constantly idling then ICE vs EV is not much of a thing.

You may be better of in an EV than ICE since you are running nothing but the heater and other small electronic devices, not having to have an engine circulate to keep the car warm...

Doesn’t cold temperature affect batteries negatively? It does way up here in the north.

quote:

Originally posted by 1s1k:
I wonder how much of your charge the heater eats up to keep the passenger compartment warm. If it’s on par with what a gas engine burns while constantly idling then ICE vs EV is not much of a thing.

Until they run out. Emergency crews can bring gas out to the ICE vehicles. A couple gallons will get them to the next gas station. On the other hand, the EVs will need to be towed.

My coworker got stuck in this last night. I had to come in and work night shift. Thank god he made it in by 9PM and I could leave. Was not looking forward to working 20 hours straight on my last day of vacation.

A lot of people don’t know how to drive in snow, even in New England where snow is a usual occurrence in the winter, I can imagine how bad it is in a place where a couple of inches is unheard of.

I think it’s way more a factor that these southern states aren’t prepared to treat roads for ice and snow like us northern states are. That was the issue here is what I’m gathering, that stretch of I-95 was not treated whatsoever.

I don’t even think a lot of states have equipment like snow plows because they are so used to not getting much snow at all.


At the first forecast of any snow around here in Pennsylvania they are dumping so much salt on the roads it’s not even funny…