Snowphobia strikes again
http://www.insidenova.com/news/local/northernva/editorial-snowphobia-strikes-again/article_4bb2ba84-74be-11e3-b592-001a4bcf887a.html
It’s a winter tradition here in the Washington area, as inherent to the season as the lighting of the National Christmas Tree. So we decided it should have a name.
Snowxiety, snowphobia, Snowmageddon Syndrome, DMVfreeze? All good monikers, suggested by readers on InsideNoVa’s Facebook page, for the panic that sets in the second meteorologists even hint there might be snow.
It’s true, Northern Virginians rush grocery stores for bread, milk and toilet paper when there’s snow in the forecast. And it’s true we wreck our vehicles at alarming rates, even in less than an inch of snow.
But why?
To hear transplants tell it, we’re all really bad drivers with low IQs.
“Little bit of snow is part of winter,” one reader wrote on our Facebook page. “What if the northern states panicked like the people here, this country would be half of what it is now. Seriously, there are seasons!”
Social media the past week has been filled with stories from Northerners who had to go to school despite feet of snow, who just put chains on their tires and never slow down, who can’t believe the government would consider closing over something as silly as snow flakes.
In our defense, there are plenty of reasons why Washington just doesn’t do well with snow.
For one, the population here is a whole lot higher than Montana or Vermont or wherever these finger-wagging Northerners are from. Put hundreds of thousands of cars on any road during a snow squall and they’re bound to run into each other.
For another, our climate is different. Virginia, Maryland and D.C. are in the “humid subtropical” climate zone, meaning our summers are hot and humid and our winters are relatively mild, and also humid – not dry like it is in upstate New York or the mountains of Colorado. In our zone, no month has an average temperature below 32 degrees.
Because of this, average yearly snowfall in the Washington area is only about 15 inches, for the entire winter.
We don’t have a lot practice driving in snow and ice. And our governments don’t budget for massive snow removal. Also, when we do get some snow, it tends to melt fast and refreeze at night, leading to the dreaded black ice – an anomaly not found too often up north.
So, if you’re from a state where several feet of snow in winter is the norm, give us Northern Virginians a break, please.
We’re “snowperchondriacs” and we just can’t help our “premature snowclosulation” syndrome.
http://www.insidenova.com/news/local/northernva/editorial-snowphobia-strikes-again/article_4bb2ba84-74be-11e3-b592-001a4bcf887a.html
It’s a winter tradition here in the Washington area, as inherent to the season as the lighting of the National Christmas Tree. So we decided it should have a name.
Snowxiety, snowphobia, Snowmageddon Syndrome, DMVfreeze? All good monikers, suggested by readers on InsideNoVa’s Facebook page, for the panic that sets in the second meteorologists even hint there might be snow.
It’s true, Northern Virginians rush grocery stores for bread, milk and toilet paper when there’s snow in the forecast. And it’s true we wreck our vehicles at alarming rates, even in less than an inch of snow.
But why?
To hear transplants tell it, we’re all really bad drivers with low IQs.
“Little bit of snow is part of winter,” one reader wrote on our Facebook page. “What if the northern states panicked like the people here, this country would be half of what it is now. Seriously, there are seasons!”
Social media the past week has been filled with stories from Northerners who had to go to school despite feet of snow, who just put chains on their tires and never slow down, who can’t believe the government would consider closing over something as silly as snow flakes.
In our defense, there are plenty of reasons why Washington just doesn’t do well with snow.
For one, the population here is a whole lot higher than Montana or Vermont or wherever these finger-wagging Northerners are from. Put hundreds of thousands of cars on any road during a snow squall and they’re bound to run into each other.
For another, our climate is different. Virginia, Maryland and D.C. are in the “humid subtropical” climate zone, meaning our summers are hot and humid and our winters are relatively mild, and also humid – not dry like it is in upstate New York or the mountains of Colorado. In our zone, no month has an average temperature below 32 degrees.
Because of this, average yearly snowfall in the Washington area is only about 15 inches, for the entire winter.
We don’t have a lot practice driving in snow and ice. And our governments don’t budget for massive snow removal. Also, when we do get some snow, it tends to melt fast and refreeze at night, leading to the dreaded black ice – an anomaly not found too often up north.
So, if you’re from a state where several feet of snow in winter is the norm, give us Northern Virginians a break, please.
We’re “snowperchondriacs” and we just can’t help our “premature snowclosulation” syndrome.