Winter of '05 - '06 to be a killer - literally

If you think that the death toll in the hurricane ravaged Gulf Coast has been catastrophic - you will need to prepare yourselves for the coming winter as it will likely dwarf Katrina's death toll by orders of magnitude.

You think gas prices are high now and a real inconvenience and , well, a real pain in the rear? Wait untill the oil stops flowing this winter and heating oil and natural gas distribution ceases.

Worried about the rising prices of food now due to increased fuel charges? Be glad that the supermarket is still stocked and food available in abundance. When the shelves run bare , and their is no resupply, starvation will be knocking on your door.

Paranoia you say? maybe - chance favors a prepared mind - now is the time to prepare.

With global weather patterns basically intensifying worldwide, it is hard to say with certainty what will be the forecast of the coming winter. The only thing climatoligists are sure of is that they aren't sure of anything.

Here is the scenario:

US temeratures are above average for the summer of 2005, this much we know. Precipitation patterns are wild , in some places unexpectedly severe and in others catastrophic. Ocean levels are on the rise, global temperatures on the increase worldwide creating , in fact a much more humid atmosphere, planetwide and growing. This extra moisture in the atmosphere in the Northern hemisphere's summer season has directly related to the increase in frequency and severity of tropical drepressions, tropical storms, and indeed hurricanes ( typhoons too ). As the temperature starts to drop as winter comes upon us , this will translate into record setting winter storms, snowfall, ice storms and destruction.

All would be well if the souce of fuel for our heaters would continue to be available, however with this scenario and a likely one at that, this will not be the case. Imagine for a moment, if you will, a severe winter storm in late November / early December . One that blankets the midwest to the North East from the Mississippi to the Atlantic , from Maine to the Carolinas. A snowfall of record setting proportions, a snowfall say of 5 feet average over the entire area. Imagine it keeps snowing. Temeratures keep dropping. Snow, ice, more snow. Day light is short, there is no sun, just snow and more snow. We keep ourselves burrowed in our artificilal habitats with thermostats set at 72 degrees. Its beautiful and serene from our decorated windows. The snow, the Holidays are upon us, this is what its suppose to be like for Christmas. Well the Holidays come and go, the days become like night, the cold has a firm grip on the country and all of a sudden something catastrophic happens. The house of Saud falls in Saudi Arabia to a group of well organized Muslim fanatics hell bent on the Caliphate. The Mullahs in Iran decide to stop providing oil. Our surrogate nipple of the Middle East oil has dried up. Venezuela embargoes the United States after failed attempts to oust Chavez as the Military Indurtial complex of the United States tries in vain to secure an oil supply. Overnight oil hits over $100 barrel , then $ 200 - a gallon of gas is $ 20 and thats if your local station is supplied.




The supermarkets cant afford to pay to have the truck bring in food. The shelves start to run bare, there is no resupply. Restaurants are closed, gas stations out of business, the economy is taking a major blow. All the while its getting colder and the heaters are running non stop. The president adresses the nation and pleads for everyone to reduce their thermostats down to 60 , a week later 50. People are starting to die. Food supplies run low, then they run out, there is no escape , there is no where to go.




Airports closed. Highways deserted. People are starting to panic. The armed make there presence know, the national guard are deployed. There will be no looting. Looters will be shot on sight. Curfews in effect - stay in your homes or be arrested. All the while its still snowing. The plows have stopped , city stereets are impassable, there is no escape. Rural roads are closed, 10 to 15 feet of snow and ice block every escape.



The electrical grid collapses as ice detroys much of the grid distribution. There is no repair as there is no access to the downed lines. Power goes out. Millions without electricity. Its cold and now its dark.





You are in your house with whatever food still remains, but with no electricty to cook it. Its cold, its dark and its only January. The old and infirm either freeze to death or starve to death and then freeze. The young are hungry and cold. what are you doing about ? nothing. There is nothing that can be done. The prepared are the ones with smoke coming from their chimneys , they are overtaken by the have nots. Its everyone for themselves , just as in New Orleans, your children are starving - what are you going to do about it?

What are you going to do ?

Prepare now. Stock food and water. Stock wood and alternative heating fuels.

Better safe than sorry.


The above scenario is a very real possibilty. I will add scientific, geopolitical, energy, and socioeceonomic data to support this scenario in my future posts to this thread.

As always your responses are appreciated and awaited

Alias Jones

I would say that this scenario is a possibility, but we still have decades before this might happen. What you are describing reminds me of the nuclear winter scenario.

One has to wonder though. If the govt has access to weather manipulation and modification machines, and if this scenario was about to happen you would think they would be able to stop it?

Another good question is if one hurricane alone (Katrina) can do this much damage, I am scared to think what would happen if the scenario you described above were to happen.

Just my two cents worth.

lovely scenario ya got there. the whole month of non-stop snow thing is interesting and a bit unbelievable.

I will, however, ensure that my ski gear is all up to snuff and I will kiss some the butts of my friends and relatives in the south, just in case.

oh, and there will be popcorn. lots of popcorn. because a movie like this is a two bucket film at least.

Those of us who've lived through mid-west winters aren't strangers to endless amounts of snow and subzero temperatures.

But yes, it does seem that such a "nuclear winter" wouldn't happen overnight.

My husband thinks that winters dictate summers (or is it the other way around). He says that if we have a cold, wet winter, it gets followed by a hot, dry summer.

I know last year, here in Ohio, we got a ton of snow, and around December 23 the power went out for a couple of days. The temperature was dropping and we were under a Level 2 snow emergency. My husband was at work, and seeing that the temp was dropping about one degree an hour, I took my 3-year-old son to the community center where the Red Cross had a shelter set up. I figured, my van has heat, and I have a cellphone if we get stuck, and the community center was only across town.

Had to wait for my husband to get home so we could fire up our kerosene heater. We set it up in our bedroom and had our son sleep with us so he wouldn't freeze.

The only thing we'd have to worry about is our rent going up. $535 a month plus electric isn't bad--and we have gas heat. Our landlady pays for gas and water. I wouldn't blame her, though, if she raised our rent.

We've got problems down here right now, but I assure you, we Southerners will make room for you guys up there. We'll even take the time to teach you the proper way to use the word "y'all" while waiting for the world to thaw out.

Hrm, interesting possiblity, not that it would bother me that much; just means i get maybe a month straight off of class and work. My advice to those worried about this is to get a good quality wood stove and start stacking up that wood. My only real concern is that snowfall like that could really mess up hunting season which actually is rather important in my area in terms of food.

Originally posted by Thomas Crowne
We've got problems down here right now, but I assure you, we Southerners will make room for you guys up there. We'll even take the time to teach you the proper way to use the word "y'all" while waiting for the world to thaw out.

Thanks but no thanks. I hate hot weather and the South is too hot. In fact I actually like cold weather...I just hate driving on untreated roads.

I grew up in Michigan.

Look - I realize the scenario sounds like the next big disater movie , but hear me out.

It is not the snow per se that will be the cause of loss of life . It will be the lack of food and the lack of heat. I suppose though in a way the cause will be the snow and ice but the effect will be the resulting lack of transportation of fuel and food. A major storm kills people, a major storm that lasts awhile kills more, add lack of fuel for transport of food and you lose eve more lives , factor in electrical outages, and international oil embargoes, and well you can see where I am going.

The premise is seemingly farfetched, but the reality is these relatively unrelated events, if they did occur in a nearly simultaneous fashion , well, the results will be compounded and the effects magnified exponentially in terms of casualties. This can be argued but I believe in the end of if these factors came together at the right time, in the right maginitude, the reults would ne nothing short of catastrophic.

Originally posted by Crakeur
the whole month of non-stop snow thing is interesting and a bit unbelievable.

Spend the winter east of Lake Ontario and you would believe...

With those you can always take from those who have food and shelter and the strong will survive.

Originally posted by Thomas Crowne
We've got problems down here right now, but I assure you, we Southerners will make room for you guys up there. We'll even take the time to teach you the proper way to use the word "y'all" while waiting for the world to thaw out.

I'm a southerner trapped in a northern body. Did my college time at Tulane and managed to witness a pair of floods in my time there (4 feet of water - not much but enough to waterski behind a truck).

I just hope y'all get the place rebuilt before the big freeze begins.


Alias, a storm that sits and dumps 5 feet of snow on an area as large as you are predicting, would be a storm of biblical proportions that would not just suddenly pop up. there would be ample time for many to get out of dodge. Now, given what we've seen in n'awlins, I would imagine the % of evacuees would be larger than normal as people will begin to take these things more seriously.

Originally posted by Alias Jones
Look - I realize the scenario sounds like the next big disater movie , but hear me out.

It is not the snow per se that will be the cause of loss of life . It will be the lack of food and the lack of heat. I suppose though in a way the cause will be the snow and ice but the effect will be the resulting lack of transportation of fuel and food. A major storm kills people, a major storm that lasts awhile kills more, add lack of fuel for transport of food and you lose eve more lives , factor in electrical outages, and international oil embargoes, and well you can see where I am going.

The premise is seemingly farfetched, but the reality is these relatively unrelated events, if they did occur in a nearly simultaneous fashion , well, the results will be compounded and the effects magnified exponentially in terms of casualties. This can be argued but I believe in the end of if these factors came together at the right time, in the right maginitude, the reults would ne nothing short of catastrophic.

I'd think ice would be more of a problem than snow. Recall that ice storm that froze Montreal a few years ago? Something like that can really disable a city. Snow, can be plowed and roads can be sanded/salted.

Sure, ice can get salt and sand, but as far as driving goes it's considerably more dangerous. Hell, a proper ice storm could potentially freeze your door shut, requiring some brute strength to bust through.

IMO a series of ice storms would be more destructive and probable, as opposed to a storm covering half the US with 10+ feet of snow. Five feet of snow is a ridiculous amount, just seems very unlikely to me. I've seen snow drift up the side of a building and be 8-10', but to actually get 60" of snow is pretty incredible for a majority of areas in the US.

If we (sthrn NY) are expected to get a foot, and there is 8 inches....everything shuts down.

Geez, after the blizzard last winter (busted my pipes, 3+ft of snow) I've lived in dread of that scenario!!! It was bad enough for a few days, I'm definitely going to stock up on canned goods, water, batteries, etc. before this hurricane/nor'easter season. Everyone should- that was scary stuff. I was worried mostly about my oxygen-dependand mother, and when the power goes out, well, that's when her life is measured in oxygen tanks. I am trying to get her to "stock up" for this winter, but Medicare will only let people have a certain amt. at a time.

Originally posted by Rise and Fall
Everyone should- that was scary stuff. I was worried mostly about my oxygen-dependand mother, and when the power goes out, well, that's when her life is measured in oxygen tanks. I am trying to get her to "stock up" for this winter, but Medicare will only let people have a certain amt. at a time.

You can actually purchase oxygen yourself, for your mother - yes, it's more expensive, but isn't it worth it to be sure? If you need the name of supply companies, just U2U me and I'd be glad to help

You're absolutely right though - people should at least have the basic "emergency kit" at all times...I suppose living in North Dakota as I do, you get used to the threat of horrid weather; it just becomes something you don't even think about, really, because youknow that winter sucks, that there are days when you're not going to be able to get to work, and that there will be more "snow days" than the rest of the country (generally).

Heh looks like Toronto a few winters ago.

I believe this can happen and you need to be prepared for it.

Know your neighbors
Know where you can get guns and ammo
know where the food is grown locally
because that will be the last 3000 mile salad we will eat!!

Art Bell polled his guests one night and most were prepared to to kill and steel for survival.

Originally posted by sardion2000


Heh looks like Toronto a few winters ago.

That's a photo from Quebec, isn't it?

Amazing thing is, we got very little compared to Quebec, and it was still very bad. I remember that winter very well. It was beautiful, seeing the trees and everything coated with ice, but so much damage was done.

I heat the house with a wood burning stove... have a big stack of logs out back. My shelves are full of glass jars of grain and dried beans. I always keep 30 gallons of spring water at the house.

Though I guess I'd be the one that would have to worry about armed bandits.

Still... No Fear,

Sri Oracle