The most watched channel in our house at least while I’m home is the Weather Channel. I’m probably the only person in the country that is disappointed when it’s sunny and calm from California to Atlanta. But the last couple of days the coverage of this storm lining up and hitting the northeast has been nothing but a marvelous popcorn-and-pop distraction that I’m happily watching from the fifty degree and sunny midwest. But don’t fret, I have a bad feeling our turn is coming. And if you’ve been paying attention you already know how I feel about snow.
First of all, may I say I think that naming a winter storm is total bullshit. The national weather service, which is run by the government so it has a modicum of authority, can name storms specifically hurricanes, and it’s official. Everyone agrees on the NWS storm name and uses it. But the Weather Channel thinks its authoritative enough to name storms too. IT’S NOT. No one else pays attention to the name – not CNN or Fox Noise and I only saw msnbc, a sister cable channel of the Weather Channel, verbally use the name Juno once and in a super once. Everyone is using some form of the traditional Blizzard’15. One problem might be their poor choice of names. This storm they called Juno and they kept referring to ‘the last big one, Nemo’. I’m guessing they might have better luck if they quit using movie character names for the storms. Does anyone out there remember a major movie character named Katrina or Sandy? Hey Weather Channel! Give it up! You only look silly!
And now its the day after the storm and of course folks are complaining that New York City authorities over reacted. Well, they should cast their gaze up the road to Massachusetts and Maine and think that there but for the grace God go I. All it would have taken is another flap of butterfly’s wing in South America and that storm could have hit them too. Predicting land fall of a blizzard is just as hard as predicting it for a hurricane. The National Weather Service has nothing to apologize for. Geezy Pete, some people would complain if they were gonna be hung with new rope.
Well, here’s hoping everyone stays safe and warm. And those of you that did get a foot and half or more, here’s your opportunity to curl up in a blanket and binge watch Netflix. Or better yet how about a good movie? Might I suggest ‘The Day After Tomorrow‘.