I, Kris Relucio, am a survivor of Midwest snowstorms. Having lived 30+ years in Illinois, I’d like to think I’ve experienced a lot of inclement weather, including rapidly falling (and rising) temperatures. I’ve had my share of snow days. But I’m realizing that nothing is more dangerous than when one inch of snow hits Portland, Oregon.
We received our first snowfall a few days ago, with temps dropping into the mid-20s. I woke up to a 1-inch blanket of snow covering the beautiful pines lining the street, and also to the morning news reporting cars skidding off the road. Schools were cancelled. My appointment for that morning was rescheduled, and so were my plans for the evening.
Why, Portland?
–Portland doesn’t salt their roads. It’s corrosive to cars and equipment, expensive to store, and bad for the environment. I was told by a local that the city tried salting the roads in a specific area, and it killed off a lot of slugs. True? I’ll leave it up to your imagination.
–Portland doesn’t have that many snow plows. This one kinda blows my mind. Obviously, the city is smaller in surface area than Chicago, but as of 2 years ago, they have fewer than 100 trucks.
–Portland has less experienced drivers (snow-wise). Hands down, Portland drivers are not aggressive like Illinois drivers and are scared of their own shadows.
–Portland is hilly. It’s pretty common to own tire chains, though they’re not used often enough to keep in the car.
We moved to Portland only 5 months after they received 15.5” of snow, causing people to abandon their cars, akin to Chicago’s Snowpocalypse 2011 (20”+). We heard businesses shut down for days on end. Like all other broken promises, the city claims to make better for future storms.