Big Snowstorm Coming Here ... or Not?

 

So I realize Snowstorm Fern is going to hit somewhere, we just aren't sure where yet - we have a 50% to 60% chance here, at present.

The Lexington Herald Leader has an article today about the biggest snowstorms you can remember here.

The article seems to be focused just on snowfall, when for me, it's more about the true ice storms than snowstorms - or snowstorms accompanied by ice.

We are never as prepared here, as the northern states, that's true, but the biggest memories for me in Lexington are the ice storms which didn't make the list. 

They're either caused by rainfall just before the snow that freezes so you can't see it under the snow OR that wintery mix where the temp is right at or just above freezing, where it feels like tiny darts hitting your face in the wind.

Besides car accidents, power lines snap, giant branches of trees snap off and fall, people slip and fall. 

When this happens, because the snow causes of a blanket of silence overall, the only thing you can hear when there's ice involved is the crackling and snapping of limbs falling off from trees all around you for miles, and worse - the crackling and snapping of powerlines - it's creepy as heck.

The ice covering everything is beautiful, but also deadly.

It's funny how you mostly remember the ones when you're an adult, because when you're a kid, it's heaven - you're out of school, you can still play outside if you're bundled up, and the ice and snow mix are great for sledding.

You remember tornadoes and hurricanes from childhood, but snowstorms, not so much, unless your power went out for days - you mostly remember the fun you had!

Except I do remember living in Cincinnati when the blizzards of 1976/77 and 1977/78 hit - but only the after effects because we were in Florida both times.

It actually lightly snowed there, too, which is rare, and we have pictures where we were visiting St. Augustine in heavy winter coats with hoods, and the next year, Disney World in sweatshirts and heavy jackets.

But I remember my friends' accounts when we got back PLUS the pictures coming in from the Cincinnati Enquirer of people walking across the Ohio River because it had frozen over!

This happens with northern rivers more frequently, but it has only happened 3 times with the mighty Ohio in Cincinnati -  1917/18 and those two times when I was a child, 1976/77 and 1977/78.

I was like "Mom, can we drive back early so we can walk across the river, too?" 😂

Yeah, no ... of course not!

I mean, I'm at Disney World, but wanted to cross the frozen Ohio, for some reason, can you believe it?

Yeah, I was a weird kid.

And that's actually a very stupid thing to do!

Other than that, though I remember the big snowstorm here in Lexington in 1998 with 12 inches within hours, I mostly remember the 2002 ice storm where we were out of power for 4 days and started huddling around the charcoal grill (outside, of course) for 10 minutes at a time, but luckily, it warmed up after 48 hours. The power just didn't come back on for another 2 days

Then the 2021 ice storm where we couldn't get the doors open on our apartment without using a hair dryer first (the ice damage causing the wood to peel off and break later).

And in 2023, when we lost power for 8 hours, huddled by the fireplace, and were just about to check into a hotel when the power came back on!

This one promises both snow and ice somewhere, we just don't know where yet, or even if it's going to be as bad as they say, or maybe even worse.

Just in case, if you haven't been to the grocery yet, get thee to the grocery now, because we went last night and it was already almost cleared out - and you would've thought it was Black Friday at Walmart in the 90s, and there were only 10 Tickle Me Elmos for sale!

Okay, not that bad, but people were breathing heavy and there was a lot of snatching/grabbing, going on. 

For the record, yes - I did get up at 4 a.m. on Black Friday in 1996, to show up at the Nicholasville Walmart to try to get my daughter a Tickle Me Elmo at Walmart. 😂

I went there because I thought less people would go to that one, but when I asked the people in the line in front of me what they were there for, and heard "Tickle Me Elmo," I realized I had virtually no chance with at least 50 people in front of me, but still waited anyway -  until the doorman shouted they were all gone. 

No fights broke out here, people were orderly, but the general national craze was cray cray!

I wouldn't have fought anyone over it anyway.

I have always been of the mindset that if people want something so badly they're willing to hurt others to get it, emotionally or physically, then I say "Here, just ... take it, it's not worth all of this drama on everybody. You can demean yourself get down in the gutter if you want to over it, but don't expect me to follow - - but ill gotten gain does no good, ya know."

And no worries - in the end, after I told her dad she wanted one and I had tried and tried, he somehow bribed somebody at work out of theirs and she got one! (Thank you, Z! lol.)

Then I think she played with it for about a year and never touched it again! 😂

And there's the lesson - how long was the child going to play with it anyway?

Sometimes I wonder if people that were willing to treat others badly to get what they want, for survival or not (usually not), ever ask themselves - "Was it worth it?"

But then I remembered that most non-therapized people always believed they're justified AND I remembered ... I really don't care how things turned out for them, in the end. 😂

Regardless, let's settle down, people, this isn't a zombie apocalypse or even a hurricane, it's a snowstorm.

Preparedness and caution is warranted, not panic.

Be careful, be safe, be prepared, but also, be kind ... and help others if/when you can!