Frost? Time to Panic in DC

I remember back in 1992 when President Clinton was first elected President the people on the radio in town were sure to give some advice to the first family as they had not really been part of Washington prior to winning the election. They were given recommendations about where to eat, where to go and what to do when they had some free time. They also were given advice about what to do in the event of inclement which in this area can range from early morning dew to a major snowstorm. I say that literally and figuratively since the reaction we get in our area to even the mention of snow can be comical but often more so distressful given the ridiculous way so many people react to the news.

Take this week for example. The weathermen in the area were predicting that there was a chance for snow flurries or even a passing snow shower today and so the prognostication began in earnest. Of course what they don't explain is that the "far northern and western suburbs" or the "higher elevations" that they often refer to are so far out of Washington that anyone commuting from that distance into and out of the city is probably better prepared for snow than those of us closer in since they virtually live in the mountains! And the higher elevations? Well that doesn't mean Capitol Hill but rather the mountains and foothills of the Shennandoah Valley which is again well beyond the commuting range of most Washingtonians. So then why the need to panic? I guess simply because it's a tradition in this town.

I have been driving now for twelve years and I've been through my share of snowy winters which required a little better control when it came to driving. I'm proud to say that I'm not a member of the panic-prone and am relatively comfortable driving when the weather is bad. What gets me is that unfortunately there are plenty of Washington outsiders who have no idea how to drive in the winter and because they've seen the SUVs they own crashing through snow drifts and going uphill in driving sleet they figure that a wet surface or icy surface is just like a normal dry surface and so proceed to speed down the roads at full racing speed. Then they scratch their heads and claim ignorance of what happened when being questioned by police on the side of the road where their vehicles usually end up after hitting a patch of ice and spinning out.

Maybe that's why so many people in Washington panic when there are even hints of snow. They just don't know how to deal with it. This morning too there was a touch of frost in my area and I just blasted the heater long enough to help melt it and make it easier to scrape off. But I'm sure there'll be a minor run on the shovels in the area as people "get prepared" for winter. The last two winters have been relatively mild in the sense that we'll get snow one day and then it will be clear and passable the very next. So for one day of panic and potentially being stuck at home, the majority of people in the area will stock up on milk, water, bread and toilet paper. Runs at the video store or far less frequent now since there are so many other options for entertainment available now.

The lead story today was the fact that frost was reported in some areas so at least a part of the prediction for the weather was true. I'm tempted to drive through suburbia this morning to look out for citizens armed with snow shovels staring up at the skies waiting for snow to fall. I'm also waiting to find the one guy who occupies every office and uses the excuse of 'snowfall' in his area to call in and say that he's not coming in. I remember encountering such a guy in another office and he called in to say he wouldn't be coming in due to the weather. We had transparent flurries falling in the midst of spotty sunshine and this guy only lived five miles from the office. Oh well. I guess we'll see how panic prone President Obama will be. Seeing as how he's from Chicago I doubt he'll raise a big stink and declare a federal emergency. Then again... who knows?