Y'all remenber....the huge threat with this cold front is the very intense wind chill. Earlier, the NWS said the wind chills would be so low that any exposed skin could develop frostbite in 30 minutes or less. So, based on that, I understand all the closings. When Tim left for work this afternoon, he did everything the NWS recommended....extra clothing, a heavy blanket in the car in case you become stranded, a full tank of gas, drinks and snacks, etc.....and he was headed south! Of course, by he time his shift ends and he's headed north, the cold front will have come through here already. They told us this would be a moderate El Nino and we'd see modest changes in our weather...basically slightly colder weather and a little more precip than usual. Based on what we've seen since....well, let's say mid-December, I think they are wrong and this may end up being a severe El Nino. Who needs El Nino anyway? LOL Paula, You be careful tomorrow. I think you'll be out in weather so cold it will hurt. What's wrong with those folks at the FAA anyway---putting y'all at risk in one of the worst cold spells we've had in years? Quailhunter, Woo hoo! A day off. Too bad the weather won't be nice enough to let you work in the garden. I'm pretty sure nothing will close this far south unless the forecast freezing drizzle actually falls and coats roadways or power lines or something. Or, since Marietta's old water lines in town break at the drop of a hat, I guess if a water line that carries water to a school broke, then they might cancel classes. I also expect a lot of marginally hardy plants won't make it through this cold. What can you do though? You choose plants that are supposed to be able to handle the average lowest temps in zone 7 or zone 6, and then your plants get hit by below-average temperatures and wind chills and they may not survive it. Dawn

Hi Dawn, Nothing happened around here, but the school said it was because of power outages. I don't think it was a school in our system, but it could have been. It also could be that so many teachers live in Tulsa that they were calling in sick since they had no power. If teachers living in Tulsa suddenly and unexpectantly had to stay home with their kids, they would call in sick, and possibly there were too many absences and the classes couldn't be covered. I'm just guessing, but one of our schools starts before 8:00, and 7:00 is very late to announce that the schools are closed. We have been counting on the 24th as our last day for months. It is really a downer to think now that we must go on Tues also. I live and work in the Union district outside of Tulsa, but our schools are separate from Tulsa Public. This entire email sounds a little confusing to someone who doesn't live here. In the meantime it is too wet to work outside. oh, well. Sammy

All of the schools in our district have AC so they went the full days this past week. But the schools in the surrounding areas that do not have AC all let school out early. Most between 1:00-2-00 pm. The heat and humidity here in Illinois has been awful too. The kids can't learn in this heat so what is the point? Our kids were kept in from recess one of the worst days this week. We should see some relief about Monday.

Where I grew up, snow never even stuck to the ground, so the school was never closed for snow. But further north in the state, yes, the schools were closed for snow sometimes, in the sixties and seventies. I think it was a good decision. Back then it was much more sensible and cost efficient for schools in the northern part of the state to just stay home rather than keep equipment to plow the roads and everyone to buy show chains or tires. I remember hearing as a little girl about schools up north closed due to triple digit heat waves and laughing. We never closed our schools due to heat, and triple digit temps were business as usual. Now that I'm older and wiser, I realize those schools were wise to close due to the heat, which was probably as unsafe for them as the snow and ice are for us. Atlanta has grown bigger and it's probably better that the metro area invests in the equipment and personnel to keep the roads safe even during the snow. But I'm nostalgic enough to hope we always close the schools here when it snows. I think people are more safety-conscious nowadays. We never used to wear seat belts, put babies in car seats, wear helmets when we biked or snow skied. My mom said when she was a teenager, a fellow 16-year-old student drove the school bus. So sorry about your enforced holiday. I'd rather have a beautiful spring day off, too.