Winter Wonderland?

In an earlier post just last week, I wrote: "It will be my turn to snicker when you have ten feet of snow on the ground and it's 20 below zero." Actually, I'm not chuckling at all, even though this has apparently come to pass much sooner than expected. From the Associated Press:

BISMARCK, N.D. - Broad areas of the Dakotas remained shut down Tuesday by the Plains' first blizzard of the season, with highways closed by blowing, drifting snow and thousands of people without electricity as temperatures hit the low teens.

Five deaths had been blamed on slippery roads in Minnesota, South Dakota, Nebraska and Kansas. Travelers trying to get home after Thanksgiving had been stranded in hotels, truck stops and churches across the Plains.

The storm was heading toward the Great Lakes on Tuesday after dumping snow as far south as the Texas Panhandle. Utility officials estimated that 50,000 customers were blacked out across eastern South Dakota on Tuesday, and many communities in North Dakota also had no electricity. The morning's low at Grand Forks, N.D., was 14 degrees. Power companies in North Dakota said it could take days to restore power because the storm tore down major transmission lines.

Interstate 94 remained shut Tuesday by poor visibility and icy pavement for about 100 miles across eastern North Dakota from Fargo to Jamestown, and I-29 was barricaded from Fargo to Watertown, S.D., a stretch of about 140 miles. Numerous other highways also remained closed in the Dakotas, as well as eastern Colorado and northwest Kansas.

Here in S.E. Texas, it's in the upper 30's this morning which is considered pretty chilly for this area. We normally get "snow" -- by which I mean white flakes actually visible in mid-air -- about once every other year. Even then, it usually melts as soon as it hits the relatively warm ground. An actual accumulation, where outdoor objects are covered with a discernable white layer, occurs maybe every 5-10 years or so. What's interesting is how everyone here completely freaks out whenever this happens. "Snow! My God, will you look at it!" people say. "Call all the friends and relatives! Take pictures of it! We can throw snowballs! Wow, snow!" The local newspaper then features a front-page photo of some poor, deprived child who has never seen snow before in his life, building a snowman on his front lawn. We need to send these unfortunate disadvantaged children to North Dakota for a couple of weeks in January.

The worst part is drivers with no winter-weather experience attempting to navigate slickened roads. Accident rates soar as cars skid off the road or into each other all over town. With anything more than an inch or two, the entire area shuts down while people hunker in their homes trying to keep their pipes from bursting. Northerners must find this all very strange.

So anyway, today I'm sending my regards to folks up that way who may be able to read this after their power comes back on. I feel your pain. :^)