Good morning, Netizens...

(Picture of snow removal on campus in Lincoln, NE courtest of ROBERT BECKER / Lincoln Journal Star.)

Despite the fact you have to double-up your thermal underwear in order to travel very far in the out-of-doors today, outside of cars that don't start and perhaps frozen pipes, we do not have any real cause to complain. Most of the Midwest, in particular Nebraska are all but shut down since yesterday afternoon, and most government and schools are closed for the duration of today. We had this discussion once before about how Midwestern blizzards can truly shut things down, at least until the winds stop blowing the snow sideways.

There is a monster snowstorm that is inexorably working its way toward the Northwest from the Great Plains, and the roads throughout most of the regions are closed, truck stops are full of stranded passengers and commercial freight-haulers and most public events have been canceled until the winds stop blowing sometime tomorrow. According to the Lincoln Journal-Star, in northeast Nebraska, they are planning to pull the snow plows from the roads at 7:00 PM as of last night.

What makes this storm so radically different from that of last winters unanticipated and thoroughly nerve-wracking snow storms in Spokane is the wind, which is currently gusting between 40-45 MPH as the storm develops across Nebraska. Can you imagine what would happen in Spokane if we have twelve inches of snow driven by a 40 MPH wind?

Yes, having to dress for frigid weather is nothing by comparison to bracing for a real Midwestern blizzard. Even if you have one of the best snow-removal teams in the Midwest at your disposal, which we in Spokane do not, there comes a time when you simply have to stop the trucks, close the roads and wait for the winds to die down.

Dave

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