Bracing for Winter: Southern Style

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Rumor has it Jim Cantore (famous weather guy) landed at Charlotte-Douglas Airport. If true, the s--w they are predicting must be really a strong possibility. Jim usually comes to North Carolina for hurricanes, so to have him show up in January is a bit scary.

Those of you who live in Canada, Germany, Russia, etc. probably wonder why snow is newsworthy. Let me explain how those of us living south of the Ohio River in the USA respond to s--w forecasts:

  1. Five minutes after the first news person says "winter weather" everyone--really, everyone--is at the grocery store buying enough bread and milk to feed an army. Until it is all gone. Even if they don't need it. Even if they live alone with their hamster.
  2. Every scheduled event goes into emergency mode. For example, my church is having services tonight (Saturday) because sn-w is predicted for early Sunday. Schools will go remote days before any precipitation falls and will stay that way until the last flake melts.
  3. When the s--w starts to fall, everyone driving a car will panic, slam on their brakes, and end up in a ditch. Why wait till the road actually gets slippery? We know we are all going to die.
  4. After the sn-w stops, the temperature will immediately rebound to 60 degrees F. The kids will be out shoveling snow in boots and shorts and a T-shirt.

Having been born in Indiana and lived in the midwest till I was 27, I have now spent the last 32 years becoming Southern. I don't run to the store, nor do I drive into a ditch. But I do HATE cold and ice and s--w. I am thankful that winter here only occurs on a few random days during January and February, usually.

Y'all pray for us. We laugh at hurricanes, but this cold stuff is intimidating.



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I was born and raised here in the midwest. The only reason I don't mind the snow now is because I don't have to go out and drive in it. Or shovel it for that matter. Stay safe, warm and dry!

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Update: About an inch of snow in my part of central NC. Much more in mountains. I am trying not to complain, though. If it is snowing, it is not icing. Ice is worse because it brings down the power lines.

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