Do not turn on your TV. Ignore the radio.
Here is everything you will need to know about your morning commute. Don't forget to brush off your car windows.
In other words, all that talk about yesterday's snow storm and the possibility of 1-3 inches of flakes? Forget it. Didn't happen. At least not around here.
Of course, that did not stop lots of local schools from letting out two hours early, and the general panic that sets in every time someone mentions the dreaded four-letter winter word that starts with an s, not an f.
I did encounter a bit of snow on my own street in my development. And there was one side road that had a bit of mush on it. But once out on the main roads, all I saw was some wet surfaces. And even though temperatures were below freezing, I did not encounter any ice or even any slick spots.
That isn't going to change the way the local media handles the weather. The threat of snow will provoke non-stop hyperventilating by our friends on TV. Yesterday, on the noon and 4 o'clock broadcasts, there was no news. There was only weather.
Correspondents were dispatched near and far in an attempt to detail how bad it was. The problem was that all of them were standing next to roads that were only wet, not snow-covered. So most of them simply improvised and showed the light snow that had covered the grass, and also talked to people about how they were preparing for the 'storm.'
Not sure you need double-screen radar for that, but what do I know?
There is something else at work here. I think a part of this is a reaction to the missed forecast on Sunday morning, when what was expected to be a daylong rain showed up earlier than expected, along with temperatures that were colder than expected. The combination turned roads into ice rinks and resulted in several deadly crashes.
Here is what I know. Today is Jan. 22, the dead of winter. It is cold around here in the winter. And it snows from time to time. That is not necessarily news. But it will not stop our fascination with weather.
Oh, and one other thing. They are now calling for another storm, packing rain and snow, for Saturday.
Stay tuned.
Here's the latest forecast.
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