Midwest Braces for Winter Storm, Combination of 2006 Ice and 1982 Snow!

Today it is 45 degrees and sunny. Mother Nature seems to be taking it easy on us, or laughing hysterically, as the Midwest braces for the winter storm ahead. The weather men are scrambling to watch the radar and analyze conditions for the week ahead.

They have described the approaching winter storm as a combination of the ice storm of 2006 and the blizzard of 1982. Unfortunately, I remember them both very well. Each one separately paralyzed my small community.

The 1982 Midwest Winter Blizzard

My family lived in the country, about a mile out of town in the winter of 1982. At first it wasn't bad, but the snow continued to come. The roads were so bad, that a neighbor came by on a tractor and said he was going to town for a few groceries.

My husband donned heavy coveralls and hitched a ride on the tractor to get milk and bread for us. It is a small country town of about 600. The local grocer knew everyone and managed to get to Main Street to have the store opened.

We thought we were okay, until the power went out. No power equals no heat and it started to get cold. People in town had power but we were on a rural provider. We had family in town that knew we were without power, so they decided to come and get us.

It took my husband's two uncles over an hour to travel the mile to get us. They both had 4 wheel drives, yet they had to continuously push and pull each other through the huge snow drifts. They finally made it and we loaded into cars to get back to town. We spent several days at relative's houses until the roads could be cleared.

The 2006 Ice Storm

We had moved the mile into town by 2006. When the freezing rain began to fall it came with a vengeance. Trees and power lines were snapping all over with the weight of the ice. The ice storm was so widespread, people everywhere were without power.

This time it was the rural provider that actually got their power up and going sooner than the in town power company. One of my sons lived in the country and had power, so 7 of us fought the roads to get to his house. We spent a week in a house with 6 adults and 6 kids and 2 dogs. Actually it wasn't so bad. It was like a little family reunion as all of my kids and grandkids were there.

My husband had to fight the roads to go into town and run a generator long enough to heat the house to avoid broken pipes. He did this a couple of times a day, and each time he came back, we hopefully asked about the power. "No power trucks in sight."

The day the trucks rolled into town was like a huge parade! Everyone cheered and began contacting each other. It took months to clean up all of the downed trees and damage that the ice storm of 2006 left behind.

Approaching Winter Storm for the Midwest

Freezing rain is supposed to start falling Monday afternoon. The weather men say anywhere up to an inch of ice will fall, followed by heavy snow. They keep saying it is too early to predict exactly, but they also keep saying a foot or more of snow is likely in some Midwest regions.

The snow doesn't bother me near as much as the ice. Ice causes power lines to snap. I have moved and am once again on a rural power provider in a tiny town of about 300. The village has no snow removal equipment and must rely on the township to clear our roads.

There is nothing here but a group of houses. We are on a state highway, so hopefully state trucks will be quick at plowing it. Of course that won't do much good if I can't get out of my driveway to get the 5 blocks to the highway!

I'll keep you all updated on the winter storm that is about to hit the Midwest. If I have power, that is! I am going out to get milk and bread while the sun is shining....