We Survived Snowpacalypse 2010!
Can’t tell yet whether I prefer Snowpocalypse or Snowmageddon.
Anyway, the worst of it is over. Or so I’m told. I’m also told that there is a 30% chance of “Few Snow Showers” on Monday. Of course, if this weather report is anything like the last few, by Saturday, there will be a “90% chance of flurries” and by Sunday, “170% of wintry parfait by the crapload.”
Surprisingly, the reports were correct to suggest we “expect the worst.” I get a tingly, “Boy Who Cried Wolf” feeling every time there are reports of snow. Fact is, two inches of snow is enough to cause widespread panic around here. Mobs of people pack the supermarkets and wipeout the sausage section. Seriously, sausage is the first thing to go. Frozen pizza is second. Beer, third. Displays of water and canned goods are really only there to control the flow of traffic.
To be fair though, the drivers here are awful, so two inches of snow really should cause some panic. It doesn’t matter if there’s more than a foot of snow and that 40 mph winds drop visibility to less than 20 feet, the folks around here refuse to drive slower than 45 mph on the local roads, 60 on the highway. And if the snow is causing your pickup truck to fishtail through the Target parking lot? The only answer is to gun it. Swerve, stagger, and weave, but as long as the gas pedal is all the way down, you’ll get there eventually.
Despite growing up in Connecticut, at the top of a steep hill/mountain, I can’t say I know much about the appropriate use of salt and sand in conditions like this. But I will say, plowing a day later, after all the snow has already been packed down by drivers who really need to get to IKEA right now, and then tossing a little salt on top is not the answer. There is brown/gray slush everywhere. So now, not only isn’t it safe to drive, but we can’t walk outside without waders.
Luckily though, severe weather advisories and over-turned tractor trailers aren’t enough to stop the local pizza delivery guys. Even in life-threatening conditions, there are still a few for whom a $2 tip is a king’s ransom - thank goodness for the current economy!
Anyway, the worst of it is over. Or so I’m told. I’m also told that there is a 30% chance of “Few Snow Showers” on Monday. Of course, if this weather report is anything like the last few, by Saturday, there will be a “90% chance of flurries” and by Sunday, “170% of wintry parfait by the crapload.”
Surprisingly, the reports were correct to suggest we “expect the worst.” I get a tingly, “Boy Who Cried Wolf” feeling every time there are reports of snow. Fact is, two inches of snow is enough to cause widespread panic around here. Mobs of people pack the supermarkets and wipeout the sausage section. Seriously, sausage is the first thing to go. Frozen pizza is second. Beer, third. Displays of water and canned goods are really only there to control the flow of traffic.
To be fair though, the drivers here are awful, so two inches of snow really should cause some panic. It doesn’t matter if there’s more than a foot of snow and that 40 mph winds drop visibility to less than 20 feet, the folks around here refuse to drive slower than 45 mph on the local roads, 60 on the highway. And if the snow is causing your pickup truck to fishtail through the Target parking lot? The only answer is to gun it. Swerve, stagger, and weave, but as long as the gas pedal is all the way down, you’ll get there eventually.
Despite growing up in Connecticut, at the top of a steep hill/mountain, I can’t say I know much about the appropriate use of salt and sand in conditions like this. But I will say, plowing a day later, after all the snow has already been packed down by drivers who really need to get to IKEA right now, and then tossing a little salt on top is not the answer. There is brown/gray slush everywhere. So now, not only isn’t it safe to drive, but we can’t walk outside without waders.
Luckily though, severe weather advisories and over-turned tractor trailers aren’t enough to stop the local pizza delivery guys. Even in life-threatening conditions, there are still a few for whom a $2 tip is a king’s ransom - thank goodness for the current economy!
posted by Dave at
2:26 PM
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