So today the wind is blowing hard. Hard enough to shut down governments and schools and force people inside their homes. Power lines are tumbling and trees are dropping. The airports are closed and railroad trains are stopped. All because of wind. Strong winds changed the daily life-plans of millions of people. Maybe strong enough winds blowing long enough can change the direction of history?
We’re currently experiencing our first major snowstorm since the “Snowmageddon” storms of 2010. It started snowing yesterday (Friday) noon in this area and has been snowing steadily ever since. I’d like to hang out in front of the TV and call for pizza delivery but with the roads covered in about 18+ inches of snow, I don’t think any pizza delivery person is going to be making the rounds for any amount of tip.
The month of March is said to “roar in like a lion and go out like a lamb.” It’s a bit too early to know how March will be going out, but it certainly roared in loudly enough.
We’re approaching the last day of February with outside temperatures still below freezing. We had another dusting of snow yesterday, the third snow shower this month. Not enough to shut down Washington, but enough to scare drivers off the road during commuting hours. For those of us brave enough, we had a pleasant drive during peak commuting hours which is a newsworthy event indeed for this area.
So it’s been a cold and snowy week here in Northern Virginia. The daily temperatures have not gone over 35 degrees F all week, and some mornings we’ve been greeted with commuting temperatures in the single-digits. We had (depending upon the exact area) six to eleven inches of snow on Tuesday which pretty much shut down the entire region for Tuesday and Wednesday. Yes, it’s been a true winter wonderland here in our nation’s capitol and I think I can speak for most people in wishing for Spring weather.
Our local newspaper is calling it “Snowzilla.” Other news media are calling it “Snowmaggedon” and “Snopocalypse.” Yet other helpful news sources are calling it “number 4 in recorded history for D.C.”. Whatever our media chooses to call it; I call it 30 hours of watching the snow fall, interspersed by periods of going outdoors and shoveling the winter wonderland off the sidewalks, driveways, and cars. When all was said and done, this past weekend we had 21 inches of snow pile up on top of the six inches left from the week before. With the weather services predicting more to come over the next several days.
Is summer here yet?
Question; What single thing can shut down entire cities, sends governments into closed door huddles, activates emergency response agencies, and sends people out into the streets in blind screaming panic?
Well, okey, but Godzilla pretty much hangs out around Tokyo. No, I’m talking about the first snow of winter.
