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Would you rather have a foot of snow or a windstorm?

 
gardener
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Credit to Jay for this one.

Would you rather have a foot of snow or a windstorm?
 
Matt McSpadden
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This is a no-brainer for a Mainer like me. Definitely rather have the snow.
 
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Snow!
 
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I have lived in tornado country and snow country.   I will take the snow.
 
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Just a foot........?  
 
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Absolutely LOVE the snow!

Eric
 
Matt McSpadden
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Robert Ray wrote:Just a foot........?  



Hahaha! That made me laugh. I don't think Jay lives in a snowy place. Maybe we should have gone to extremes. Blizzard vs Hurricane?
 
Timothy Norton
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If you haven't, I would highly not recommend being in Buffalo, NY, USA when it is experiencing lake effect.



It was not many years ago that the sheer amount of snow/ice was popping people's doors open...
 
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Yeah, a foot of snow is a nice, moderate load. I'll take that without blinking.
 
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Yup, a foot of dry snow is wonderful insulation!

A foot of soaking wet snow....umm, then I'll take the wind.
 
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I live on top of a mountain where the wind blows hard and fast.

I have never lived where there is a foot of snow.  We get just barely enough to make a snowman.

I would still say I would take a foot of snow over these winds.
 
pollinator
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Haha no one has chosen the wind.  And I won't either.  I like snow, so I'm choosing the snow.
 
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I would take the snow
 
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Greg Martin wrote:A foot of soaking wet snow....umm, then I'll take the wind.

This is the catch! We get *very* wet snow (read, most times it rains on top of the snow, or rains and snows at the same time). Wet snow doesn't snow blow well and doesn't even push well. We take shovel-fulls and carry it to where we're going to dump it.

We get enough "Gusts to 70 km/hr" forecasts, that our trees are generally used to them.

Hurricane vs Tornado - that would be truly a difficult choice - both have high winds. I'm thinking it might be easier to organize a property to be resilient in the face of hurricanes, but they've been getting bigger and bigger lately - I think I'd rather have 3 at level 3 than 1 at level 5!
 
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Who wants wind? It's cold, dehydrates, and breaks things. Snow at least is full of water so up in the mountains snow means the creeks run in the summer.
 
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I live where the forest meets the sea. Trees everywhere, and these trees never get significant snow. A foot of snow would mean breaking trees blocking every road, knocking down every powerline, etc.

We get a lot of wind, coming directly off the Pacific. A bad wind storm can cause problems, but a heavy snow would cripple the area.

+1 for the wind vote.
 
pollinator
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Snow as that is moisture would be the choice.(one of the driest places on earth)  Since I live in windy Wyoming that is fine to.  While I am writing this there is about a 30 mph breeze blowing and the roof it howling.  It hasn't shut up for days.  Now if you were saying 10 or 20 feet of snow that might be to much.  1 foot is nothing as I do that most winters and also regularly see 60+ mph breezes too.  So either is fine.
 
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Another tricky one.

As we don't get much of either kind of weather, and with more trees per powerline than anywhere else in North America, both will shut the city down for at least 10 days.

That's fine by me.  I love staying home.  But what I hate is doing the farm chores when it's freezing as it adds an extra 4 hours to my day having to lug the water around in gallon buckets.  

So wind is my choice.  
 
John F Dean
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I lived in northern MN and I currently live in southern Illinois.   Blizzard vs tornado……I will take the snow ….even 4 feet of it.   I find snow to be calming….can’t say that about high winds.
 
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I didn't realize this was an option.  I don't think I've ever seen a foot of snow without a windstorm.
 
pollinator
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Snow, definitely! Even a couple of feet!. Wind will drop trees on you and your buildings. Snow may make it hard for a day or two while you dig yourself out, but it will eventually melt and you will get life giving water. Just for that, a Wisconsin winter is worth it.
 
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I'd take a blizzard over a hurricane, for sure.  Where I live, we get both.
Well, we used to get both.  I have a feeling that due to the climate changing, blizzards will be few and far between.

Bird netting for wind storms protected my garden!!!

https://permies.com/t/164058/permaculture/garden-resilient#1444561
 
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In my opinion the problem with snow is it's cold. I hate being cold. Went to college in Minnesota. Had enough snow there to last a lifetime.

Wind gets my adrenaline pumping. This is a good thing for an adrenaline junkie. Sure hurricanes & tornadoes are destructive but they are usually over fairly quick compared to a foot of snow. Have been through many hurricanes & few tornadoes. Unless you are at ground zero they are more of a nuisance than a real problem.  I lived on a lake for 10 years & was a serious windsurfer for about 20. I was one of those people you see on the news playing out in the ocean before a hurricane hits. Or on the lake mid winter (in the deep south) when the whitecaps are kicking hard. 66 mph wind speed is my measured personal record. So wind is my preference any day of the week. Bring it!!!
 
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Snow beautiful snow, wet or dry 12 inches or 3 feet I love snow.
 
pollinator
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Umm will that foot of snow come down horizontally or vertically?  If it is falling straight down yep a foot would be fine as we can always use the moisture but far too often our snow comes down at an angle cause it is being driven by the wind...  
 
Susan Mené
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Dorothy Pohorelow wrote:Umm will that foot of snow come down horizontally or vertically?  If it is falling straight down yep a foot would be fine as we can always use the moisture but far too often our snow comes down at an angle cause it is being driven by the wind...  



That thought popped into my head yesterday; a blizzard is a whole different animal.
 
pollinator
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Snow, please! Any deleterious effects seem more temporary, and potentially less damaging to my thinking.
 
pollinator
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Matt McSpadden wrote:Credit to Jay for this one.



Would you rather have a foot of snow or a windstorm?



SNOW! More Moisture!!!

Sandy
 
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A foot of snow, you can play in it for awhile then later it just melts, but wind can cause all sorts of damage. Bring the foot of snow!
 
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