Nothing Takes Longer Than Waiting for Snow

By Steve Tracton

A Snow Lover's Refrain

Welcome to winter, but where's the snow? From the latest (sometimes sensationalist) news reports, it seems snowstorms are everywhere (even New Orleans!) -- except, as local snow lovers (including myself) can attest, in the D.C metro region.

Although we've had periods of sufficiently cold conditions for snow, almost all the significant precipitation has been rain. To me, rain in winter is a decided waste of precipitation, and below-freezing temperatures an unquestionable waste of cold air.

Keep reading for a detailed look at the unfavorable odds of getting big snowstorms locally, and the difficulties predicting them...

Unfortunately, it is not unusual in this area for wintertime precipitation and the requisite cold for snow to be out of sync. Moreover, the characteristically narrow (often less than 10 miles wide) band of "wintry mix" between snow and rain frequently runs up the gut of the D.C. area. Suffice to say, getting a snowfall of consequence around here (let's say, more than an inch or two) is no easy task, and the odds of a substantial snowfall (say, greater than 6") this (or any) winter are a long shot.

All of which evokes what I believe is unquestionably the most apt expression describing the sentiments of snow lovers, "Nothing takes longer than waiting for snow" -- a refrain from a verse of the song, Waiting for Snow, in the John McCutcheon album, Wintersongs.

Hey! you may think that this news item on winter snow was published in December 2012 or in  January 2013, but you be wrong. It was published in December 2008, clink this link to read the rest of the article.