Share this
Twitter
Myspace
Digg
Del.icio.us
Reddit
Slashdot
Furl
Yahoo
Technorati
Newsvine
Facebook
Export PDF
Print
E-mail
Tags
BY BOB HOLT
NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM
COMMENTARY
Back in December I recommended that we poo-pooh or blow off the next forecast of three to six inches of snow because we'd just seen about two feet of snow in the area.
Oops.
Pardon me, but I was referring to average snowfall forecasts of three to six inches. Once again we are looking at around two feet of snow. I'm sorry, but this is just wrong. It used to take five years to get two feet of snow around here, and wasn't the temperature in the sixties in December? Who knew those were the good old days?
We were prepared for this weekend because of the big storm in December. Residential neighborhood looters and vandals did not storm and pillage the Deptford Acmes or Shop-Rites to their bare bones this time.
No, this time they raided Sam's Club. Everyone knows it requires bulk quantities of Cool Ranch Doritos to survive a snowstorm on Super Bowl weekend.
Anyway, when you're stuck indoors whiling away your time until July or whenever the snow stops, you can always be entertained by television. Philadelphia mayor Michael Nutter traveled to television stations in Philly to tell people that it was snowing and they should stay inside. Unless I'm mistaken, Mayor Nutter would have needed to venture outside to visit these studios to tell us to stay inside.
Meanwhile, local television anchors and studio employees clearly were not listening to Mayor Nutter as they had apparently gone outside to report to work. Some even tracking down Gov. Chris Christie at New Jersey snow headquarters in Woodbridge, and then again in Cherry Hill.
Mayor Nutter should have just phoned the local stations. I would have taken his word for it. I'd heard the rumors that it was snowing. I would have looked outside myself, but snow was piled up against my door, making it impossible to check.
In defense of the local television weather forecasters, I miss the days when they used to screw up a lot of forecasts. They called this one accurately, but no one would have minded if the storm has passed by the area. Everyone would pretend to be angry and complain, because that's what we do. But we have a very forgiving nature. Honest.
I also miss discussing the heat index. Why don't we talk about that anymore?
Anyway, best of luck to everyone in digging out after this snow finally ends. Don't overdo it. Please remember to have your groundhog spayed and neutered. You know, Russia really does look a little better every day from my front porch.
And I'm sorry. I'll never disregard another snow forecast again.
Please wake me when it's summer. And tell me the heat index.
