249 lines
9.4 KiB
HTML
249 lines
9.4 KiB
HTML
<!DOCTYPE html>
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<html lang="en">
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<head>
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<meta charset="UTF-8">
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<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
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<title>The Weather Check | Belinda Barnes</title>
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<style>
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:root {
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--sky: #0a1628;
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--cloud: #1a3a5c;
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--snow: #e8f4f8;
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--warning: #f4a261;
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--safe: #2a9d8f;
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--caution: #e9c46a;
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}
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* { margin: 0; padding: 0; box-sizing: border-box; }
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body {
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font-family: 'Georgia', serif;
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background: var(--sky);
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color: var(--snow);
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line-height: 1.6;
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padding: 2rem;
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}
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header {
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max-width: 720px;
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margin: 0 auto 3rem;
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border-bottom: 2px solid var(--cloud);
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padding-bottom: 2rem;
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}
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h1 {
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font-size: 2.5rem;
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letter-spacing: 0.05em;
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margin-bottom: 0.5rem;
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}
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.subtitle {
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font-style: italic;
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opacity: 0.8;
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font-size: 1.1rem;
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}
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main {
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max-width: 720px;
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margin: 0 auto;
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}
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.weather-grid {
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display: grid;
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grid-template-columns: repeat(auto-fit, minmax(280px, 1fr));
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gap: 2rem;
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margin: 2rem 0;
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}
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.condition-card {
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background: var(--cloud);
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border-radius: 8px;
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padding: 1.5rem;
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border-left: 4px solid transparent;
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}
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.condition-card.safe { border-color: var(--safe); }
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.condition-card.caution { border-color: var(--caution); }
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.condition-card.warning { border-color: var(--warning); }
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.condition-card h3 {
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font-size: 1.2rem;
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margin-bottom: 0.8rem;
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display: flex;
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align-items: center;
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gap: 0.5rem;
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}
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.threshold {
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font-weight: bold;
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font-size: 0.9rem;
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opacity: 0.9;
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margin-top: 0.5rem;
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}
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.protocol {
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font-size: 0.9rem;
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opacity: 0.85;
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margin-top: 0.8rem;
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line-height: 1.7;
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}
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.image-section {
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margin: 3rem 0;
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text-align: center;
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}
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.winter-image {
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width: 100%;
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max-width: 600px;
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height: 340px;
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object-fit: cover;
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border-radius: 12px;
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box-shadow: 0 8px 32px rgba(0,0,0,0.4);
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filter: brightness(0.95) contrast(1.05);
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}
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.caption {
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margin-top: 1rem;
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font-style: italic;
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opacity: 0.7;
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font-size: 0.9rem;
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}
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.narrative {
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background: linear-gradient(to bottom, var(--cloud), var(--sky));
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border-radius: 12px;
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padding: 2rem;
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margin: 2rem 0;
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}
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.narrative p {
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margin-bottom: 1.2rem;
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font-size: 1.05rem;
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}
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.narrative p:last-child {
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margin-bottom: 0;
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}
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footer {
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margin-top: 4rem;
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padding-top: 2rem;
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border-top: 1px solid var(--cloud);
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text-align: center;
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opacity: 0.7;
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font-size: 0.85rem;
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}
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nav.breadcrumb {
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margin-bottom: 2rem;
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opacity: 0.6;
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font-size: 0.9rem;
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}
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nav.breadcrumb a {
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color: inherit;
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text-decoration: underline;
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}
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</style>
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<script defer src="https://analytics.4ort.xyz/script.js" data-website-id="d3ed927c-888a-4a6c-ae5f-0b1c613ddf5b"></script>
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</head>
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<body>
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<nav class="breadcrumb">
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<a href="/">Home</a> → <a href="/routes.html">Routes</a> → Weather Check
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</nav>
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<header>
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<h1>The Weather Check</h1>
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<p class="subtitle">Before the engine turns, the sky speaks first.</p>
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</header>
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<main>
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<div class="narrative">
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<p>Thirty years on Macomb County roads has taught me one absolute truth: the weather doesn't negotiate. When the forecast says twelve inches, the road delivers eighteen. When it says "light flurries," the windshield wipers are working overtime.</p>
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<p>This is not a calculator. This is not a simulation. This is the protocol I run through before I even touch the ignition switch—the mental checklist that keeps thirty children safe when the world outside is whiteout.</p>
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<p>Every condition has a threshold. Every threshold has a response. And every response is measured in minutes gained, miles slowed, or routes rerouted.</p>
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</div>
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<div class="image-section">
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<img src="https://images.pexels.com/photos/6719853/pexels-photo-6719853.jpeg?auto=compress&cs=tinysrgb&dpr=2&h=650&w=940"
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alt="Yellow school bus navigating a snowy road between leafless trees"
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class="winter-image">
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<p class="caption">Route 7-B, January 2019. Wind chill minus forty-two degrees. Arrival: seventeen minutes late. Every child warm, every child accounted for.</p>
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</div>
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<div class="weather-grid">
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<div class="condition-card safe">
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<h3><span style="color: var(--safe)">●</span> Clear Skies</h3>
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<div class="threshold">Visibility ≥ 10 miles</div>
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<div class="threshold">Wind ≤ 15 mph</div>
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<div class="protocol">
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Standard departure. Full speed permitted within zone limits. No additional buffer required.
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</div>
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</div>
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<div class="condition-card caution">
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<h3><span style="color: var(--caution)">●</span> Light Snow</h3>
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<div class="threshold">Accumulation ≤ 2 inches/hour</div>
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<div class="threshold">Visibility ≥ 3 miles</div>
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<div class="protocol">
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Add twelve-minute buffer to total route time. Reduce following distance to double standard. Salt application verified on all major arteries.
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</div>
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</div>
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<div class="condition-card warning">
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<h3><span style="color: var(--warning)">●</span> Winter Storm</h3>
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<div class="threshold">Accumulation > 2 inches/hour</div>
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<div class="threshold">Visibility < 3 miles</div>
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<div class="protocol">
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Hold at depot until road crews confirm plow completion. If mid-route: pull to nearest shelter, activate emergency heat, notify dispatch. No stops in open fields.
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</div>
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</div>
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<div class="condition-card caution">
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<h3><span style="color: var(--caution)">●</span> Ice Glaze</h3>
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<div class="threshold">Surface temp ≤ 28°F</div>
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<div class="threshold">Precipitation + wind ≤ 5 mph</div>
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<div class="protocol">
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Brake pressure reduced to 40%. Acceleration capped at 0.3g. All curves entered at 50% rated speed. Warren High School stop deferred until pavement treatment confirmed.
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</div>
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</div>
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<div class="condition-card warning">
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<h3><span style="color: var(--warning)">●</span> Black Ice</h3>
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<div class="threshold">Road temp < air temp by ≥ 3°F</div>
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<div class="threshold">Relative humidity ≥ 95%</div>
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<div class="protocol">
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Total suspension of service. Not negotiable. Not debatable. The children will wait at home; they will not slide into the ditch.
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</div>
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</div>
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<div class="condition-card safe">
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<h3><span style="color: var(--safe)">●</span> Thunderstorm</h3>
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<div class="threshold">Lightning strike radius > 10 miles</div>
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<div class="threshold">Wind gusts ≤ 40 mph</div>
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<div class="protocol">
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Normal operations continue. Lightning detection system active. If strike within five miles: immediate shelter protocol, windows sealed, radio silent.
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</div>
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</div>
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</div>
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<div class="narrative">
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<p>I learned this on Route 14, February 1998. The radio said "minor advisory." The road said otherwise—a quarter-inch of glaze over eight miles of bridge approaches. I stopped at the last safe shoulder. Called dispatch. Waited forty-three minutes for the salt truck to pass us heading north.</p>
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<p>We arrived eleven minutes late. The principal nodded. The parents breathed again. That is the math that matters.</p>
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<p>Now I teach it to the new drivers. Show them this table. Make them memorize the thresholds. Because the sky doesn't forgive. And neither should we.</p>
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</div>
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<footer>
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<p>Grounded in: NHTSA Winter Driving Protocols | Michigan DOT Road Weather Information System</p>
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<p>© 2026 Belinda Barnes | Warren, Michigan</p>
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<p><a href="/weather-check-data.json">Download Protocol Data (machine-readable)</a></p>
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</footer>
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</main>
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</body>
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</html>
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