Jonathan Hunter @chattwjonathan@qoto.org

2 to 3 feet of snow for Donner Pass on I-80 in California starting late Sunday through Tuesday. Pass height is 7200ft.

Expect chain controls, potential closure on Monday.

#roadweather #weather

At the Head of the Hootch Regatta downtown Chattanooga with my boys.

Tornado Outbreak yesterday evening in the Mid-South US, well predicted by the Storm Prediction Center of NOAA.

Strong tornadoes tore trig NE Texas, SE Oklahoma and western Arkansas, with particular destruction in Idabel, OK and New Boston, TX.

Below is a map of storm potential forecast, with Tornado Warning boxes on top and preliminary Tornado reports.

Hats off to the SPC and local FOs

#weather #tornado

No Hard Feelings

Got a video from one of my trucks witnessing a shopping cart roll out on to the interstate, another truck clip it, ricochet it in front of a pickup truck in front of us, which hit it hard enough it shattered into pieces. Crazy stuff.

It's fun that QOTO is a techie place, because a few people will read about the adventures with an AS400 and realize the state of a lot of the worlds' computer systems.

The collarary to that is that 25% of America LITERALLY doesn't know how to use a computer even in this day and age.

I love that we're back-integrating new features into an old AS400 system for trucking company running on software from the 90s.

I love that AS400 "just works" but hoo-boy the flexibility.

I-84 in northeast Oregon is also closed due to snow and accidents at this hour.

I-80 was closed in Western Nebraska for a couple of hours due to ice, but has reopened.

#USRoadReport

Ugh, first employee write-up of the winter season.

Damnit people our drivers rely on us!

I-40 is icy this morning in Western New Mexico - crashes everywhere. No Winter Weather Advisory came out for that area.

I-80 slick spots from Kimball Nebraska out to Wamsutter Wyoming, and a little north and south on I-25.

Chain up required on I-70 west of Denver to Vail.

#USRoadReport

This is Plus's truck with purported Level 4 technology at work, but due to regulatory controls, they don't enable certain features like automatic lane change, and they do require driver contact with the truck.

I rode in a Level 2+ automated truck outfitted by Plusdrive at the Freightwaves "Future of Freight Festival" at the Chattanooga Convention center.

Full automation takeover with the driver present to touch the wheel. Tech scaled to not change lanes on its own, but suggested a few lane changes. Stops and starts on its own in stop and go traffic.

Super impressive on the interstate. Very impressive demo.

60mph wind gusts on CA-58 at Tehachapi Pass in California.

Chain up Required on I-80 at Donner Pass in California

Snowy/Icy Roads reported on I-80 in Western Wyoming.

Snowing at Flagstaff AZ on I-40, Cedar City UT on I-15 and Vail, CO on I-70

Feels like real winter this morning.

That song by Aerosmith from the movie where Bruce Willis blows up that asteroid to save earth is the most well known lullaby of the past 50 years.

My little corner of forest at my Parents' house has seen so many changes over the past 25 years.

Massive undergrowth of briars, controlled by preteens beating it back and clearing it out to make a "fort". Followed by covering by grapevines after the children grew, and then collapse of the shallow canopy. Deer destroying the lower grapevines followed by slow encroachment of surrounding trees. New rapid tree growth.

And now undergrowth is mostly limited. Trees are mostly taller. Deer and animal paths have altered through the years. A new community trail sits above on the hillside. Parts of the fort remain. I'm sure I altered the ground compaction & top soil personally. And I took over a spring-bed anyway.

It's neat in a quiet way.

In many areas of Tennessee we've reintroduced much of the wildlife - although thriving is another question.

And the forests look beautiful, but are mostly only on their 2nd or 3rd tree replacement cycle.

I wonder how this will continue to change.

I wonder if THIS will feel unnatural in 30 years.

It's hard to imagine here in southeast Tennessee today, but 80-90 years ago the hills and mountains were fully logged and mostly devoid of trees.

It's hard to simply visualize let alone scope the environmental damage through erosion and wildlife displacement.

Weather pattern in the Western US has definitely shifted towards winter. A little late for it, but snow making it's way down to Flagstaff Arizona for tomorrow morning.

Will continue to see that pattern through at least early next week - and perhaps longer than that.

Figured I'd check in to Mastadon via qoto . Build up and find a new environment for the case that either Twitter degrades or find a new community that's better.

I went from mIRC > Reddit > Twitter > Mastadon following better conversations. We'll see if this is a place for me.