I know them all by their first names: Barry, Shiri, Mike, Nelly, Chris, Todd, and the two Danielles.
Boston’s meteorologists and weather casters have become my information port in the storm, appointment viewing throughout this never-ending winter. And I’ve been glued to the screen for the last few days when they began predicting today’s precipitation.
I’m now fluent in weather speak—snowpocalypse, polar vortex, freezing fog, bombogenesis –that’s rapid intensification occurring at the center of the storm leading to extreme weather—in case you didn’t know. But, my extreme interest in local weather forecasting this winter has nothing to do with weather geekiness – and everything to do with all things snow.
I’m a snow wuss. I don’t like snow. So, I always want to know way ahead of time what I might have to face. Out of fear and trepidation I’ve learned to read the movement of the jet stream like Cindy Fitzgibbons and Matt Noyes (well, okay, almost). But I know that a slight movement of the jet stream can determine whether I’m slogging through snow up to my knees, or licking snowflakes from a passing snow squall.
As a transplanted Southerner I’ve come by my distaste for snow honestly. But my complaints fall on deaf ears around here, as hardy New Englanders tell me to buck up, only too happy to point out New England winters are supposed to be cold and snowy. But this year even thMeteorologist David Epstein describes this as “a significant winter” and says of the past three winters “this is by far the most difficult.” There, an expert assessment.
This winter has been so awful that the Today Show’s normally cheerful Al Roker has gotten publicly snippy to the mayors of Atlanta and New York for not taking his and other forecasters seriously. You don’t have to tell me twice Al. Besides, I know what it means when Eric Fisher is outside in his parka for days on end.
Even some of the smuggest New Englanders are ready for this winter to be over. The weeks of back-to-back storms have taken a physical and emotional toll. There have been examples of snow rage like the guy attacking a snowplow driver. Then there is the numbing debilitation from the ugly sight of countless space savers deteriorating as days pass, plus navigating around blinding clumps of snow flying off car roofs, and the endless shoveling, shoveling, shoveling.
This is Boston’s coldest winter since 2002/2003 and we’ve weathered nearly 60 inches of snow.
Spring arrives on March 20, just 17 days from now. But we know we’ve got plenty of winter left.
I was here that winter we had a blizzard on April 1. So until spring is really sprung, I’ll keep heading to the grocery store, and settling in to see what Harvey and Jeremy are predicting.
Callie Crossley is the host of Under the Radar.