Southerner Survives Her First Midwest Winter Storm 

Hi, everyone! My apologies for the glitch in the middle of the video. I'm not sure what happened, but the same thing occurred in the book channel video I did. Hopefully, I'll be able to figure out what the issue is and fix it for future videos soon. If you'd like to become a member of my Patreon, you can do so here: patreon.com/rikkipoynter

Good job on surviving on your first snowstorm Rikki :)

Good luck Rikki, I’m glad you’re surviving.

I'm from the Midwest, Illinois to be exact. It definitely gets cold here in the winter but you do get used to it after awhile. Although our windchill was never -50°. That's crazy! We got down to like -36°. Run a trickle of warm water in your sink when it gets below freezing. It'll help keep your pipes from freezing.

When I moved where I am, I had to talk to the gas company to setup a payment plan. Normally its $20, but during winter its $300, but last winter they without notice upped it and it was $650. Its more managable with a fixed monthly payment and not have to freeze my family because a $20 - $300 is more than I can take for 3 months straight. I also stock up on rice and beans just in case, its cheap if I get snowed it for 2 weeks, we wont starve.

A tip I have (from Michigan) is that most automatics can actually start in second gear from a stop. Try putting it in second gear and you should notice a lot less power going to the wheels, combined with a light foot on the gas this should help any slipping and sliding from a stop. Just remember to put it back in auto once the speed gets high enough for 3rd gear. Driving in snow is not about the speed as much as the power going to the wheels, better to be going faster in a higher gear with lower RPMs than slower with a lower gear at higher RPMs. If you notice yourself slipping while going fast you can put it in neutral which stops all power to the wheels until you get it under control.

in terms of your boots, if they're hurting your pinky toes, they are probably too narrow, consider trying a wider boot. never by your winter boots without doing a test walk in the store for pinch points. and for winter driving, if it's super snowy/icy, keep it slow and if you start to spin every do not slam on the breaks, pump them gently with a steady rhythm to keep your vehicle in control,

That’s really cool you did great. It can get really cold and you did awesome. So glad you are not in the previous house arrangement.

Long ago, I grew up in California. No snow. In 1978, I moved to Seattle. Two years later, I drove in the snow for the first time ... driving a school bus! But, I handled it well. The problem was some other drivers, spinning in circles. ❄️

It was a typical snowstorm in the Midwest, but congrats on your surviving your first snowstorm! I just moved into my first apartment in Kansas City, and it's pretty tiny too (500 sq ft), which was hard for me cuz I moved out of my old home that had over 4,000 sq ft. Hope you're enjoying the Midwest so far!

Glad you made it through! 🎉

I'm orignally from Phoenix, AZ so it can get down to late 40s during the winter time. I'm currently up here, near Chicago, IL. Took me couple of decades to get used to the Artic Blast that comes down during winter. I'm still not used to it and rather be back in the southwest 😅😅😅 But very slowly getting use to the temps, usually 30s I wont step outside but now if its in the 20s to the teens, it like nevermind. It's starting to warm up here now, just got bunch of flood warnings cause my town is next to IL River. It be in the 50s for awhile up here soon. Anyways stay toasty!!!

Excellent video, Rikki! We had a bit of a cold snap in the UK this month but it didn't go below -12C/10F in the worst hit places. What we have also had are a couple of storms with 80-90 mph winds (RIP garden fence)!

Thanks!

Rikki slowly becoming a northern girl. I noticed Malala on your left and Zane w/Pikachu on your right 😊

Congrats for surviving frigging -20 oh my God, are you talking in °C of °F ? When i was a kid i moved from southern close to the sea France (sun all year and 15°C in winter) to still-southern-but-more-northern France. Nowadays it's way hotter but i got -10 on my first winter and rain 9 months of the year (the last two months and a half were clouds and snow) and i barely survived. I would've died feeling that -50 wind chill lmao

I just got a pair of winter boots from Orthofeet, and they're sooooooo comfortable! Also easy on/off (with Velcro). I've only tested them down to about 0 degrees, but they were plenty warm for that.

Interesting! I somehow haven't heard people talk about Nebraska winters. Do you have winter tires? Everyone tells me they help but I've never been organized enough to get them.

Congratulations on surviving the January cold snap. One thing that's true about Omaha is if there's rain or snow in a 35mph zone, Omaha drivers insist they must go 50mph. If speed limit is 60mph and weather is bad, Omaha drivers will go 80mph. Also, snow tires/winter tires are very rarely used in the Omaha Metro Area. Tip, buy sand tubes at Lowe's and ask the staff to haul them from the stack to your trunk. If they won't, try Home Depot.

Have you seen a dr for your carpal tunnel. I have bilateral as well. I got the shot and it has helped a lot. Especially with the job I do.

The link to your booktube channel isn't working for me, what's the channel name? edit: Found it!