Sorry, South. Yes, it's sad people got stuck in their cars and schools, born on the highway, etc. BUT, the fact is these results over TWO INCHES OF SNOW AND A DUSTING OF ICE is absurd. The comparisons over heat or hurricaines: The north and east experience both without falling apart or suffering fatalities any worse than dear ol' Dixie.
This reaction to two inches of snow and a little ice is akin to the north calling a "heat advisory" for it getting over 85. Northerners aren't bemused at kids being stranded in school or on the highway, but because from our perspective Atlanta's "crisis" could've been solved by 50 midwestern bus drivers.
Ohio doesn't exactly have the best system either. I personally find the use of Level 3 Snow Emergencies ridiculous and mostly unnecessary. As for comparing this to calling a heat advisory for over 85, the impacts of an ice storm are a lot more significant than 85F temperatures. I'm also not aware of any WFO who issues a heat advisory at 85F (the criteria are actually based on heat indices, not temperatures, but the humidity would have to be higher than 95% at 85F).
That's my point, Inks; no place up here is any more likely to declare a level-anything snow emergency over two inches plus a little ice then we would declare a heat advisory over 85 degree weather.
beyond that, it's the height of semantics to debate whether a two inch snow plus dusting of ice is the equivilent public safety risk as 85 degree heat vs (e.g.) 90. The point is the south's utter inability to handle minimal amounts of cold white stuff on the roads was absurd.
