We Didn't Get Much Snow, But We Got A Lot Of Wind

If I see one more Facebook post about Blizzard Stella/Eugene being a bust or how inadequate meteorologists are, I'm going to scream. Seriously. Yesterday we were under a blizzard warning from 8 in the morning until 8 in the evening. They predicted up to 2 feet of snow, with greater totals in some areas, winds up to 60 mph, and widespread power outages. Well, that didn't exactly happen in our area.

The storm shifted a bit. The temperature got a little warmer than expected. Between noon and 1 p.m., after getting only about 6 inches of snow, it transitioned to sleet and, eventually, all rain.

The meteorologist we accurate with the wind predictions. The winds were horrible. At times, it sounded like a freight train going down our street. Our little Sophie was terrified. For most of the afternoon, I did a lot of work from the sofa.

Areas to the west of us, and northern New England states, got hit bad. A lot of locations in those states are without power. Trees are down. There's a considerable amount of damage to people's homes, property, and vehicles.

We got lucky.

This storm wasn't a flop or dud. It was massive and powerful and extremely interesting to watch as it progressed and shifted.

Weather is not an exact science. A lot can change in a relatively short amount of time. The information presented to us, in the form of the latest updates, isn't to scare us. It's to prepare us.

I am thankful for that. 

With 5 kids and Lisa's work schedule blowing up to all levels of craziness when there is a storm like this one, I will gladly take any updates provided to me so we can better prepare.

Again, weather isn't an exact science. Things can change at the very last minute and those changes, or the eventual outcome, has nothing to do with a meteorologists ability to get the latest, understand the latest, and communicate it to the rest of us.

I lived in 2 non-New England states for a while. It was long enough to experience quite a few weather happenings that were a first for me. Lake Effect snow. Microbursts. Funnel clouds. Hail the size of baseballs and softballs. Tornadoes. Tornado alarms. Rotating circles on Doppler where tornado activity was possible. Thundersnow.

I've cowered in a basement many times, with my fur-kids, because our location was under a tornado warning and the sirens were going off.

I've shoveled my way through almost 2 feet of Lake Effect snow.

I've stood at the top of the basement stairs, after getting a couple of human kids I was babysitting and our furkids to safety in the basement, when a storm gained strength last minute and dropped baseball to softball sized hail.

That's a sound I'll never forget. 

I have watched what the outside looks like when a tornado hits nearby. It was at my place of employment. I was a lead preschool teacher. We had no playground after the tornado hit and the front of a house was ripped off.

I have witnessed Microbursts uproot trees and rip off a roof.

I've seen lightening strike the pavement close by.

The list goes on.

With each incident, and there were many, we had some type of warning. We knew what was coming or, at the very least, informed there was a potential.

I'm certainly not going to criticize our meteorologists who keep us informed and updated.

Yes. The blizzard shifted at the last minute. It was a few degrees warmer than what they had originally anticipated. The meteorologists kept us updated. We knew it was going to switch over to sleet and freezing rain. We knew certain areas were going to get hit harder than what had been predicted only a few hours prior.

Meteorologists don't control weather patterns. The weather is unpredictable. They can only let us know what's going on, prepare us, be as confident as the weather models are, and go from there. 

I'm not disappointed by the snow totals or the storm shifting at the last minute. I wasn't thrilled about the potential of 2 feet of snow in March.

I'm ready for Spring.

I'm not going to criticize the people who have dedicated their lives to monitoring and studying the weather.

I'm grateful that we were kept informed.

I'm grateful that Lisa got to stay home.

I'm grateful that we knew enough to be prepared.

You know, just in case...