With some flakes in the forecast for this morning, it seems time to dust off the predictions of the experts (as if there is such a thing as a “weather expert” …) and peruse the wintertime forecasts in terms of snow in the D.C. region.
We go to the source — the Capital Weather Gang — which puts out its own prognostication, collates those of others and asks readers to weigh in.
First of all, the reader predictions. About 900 people participated, averaging out to 12.2″ of snow and a median of 9.8″, with a range of 0.2″ to a whopping 70″. (Not betting on either of those extremes.)
The consensus view of the Capital Weather Gang (one of the many tentacles of the Bezos/Post empire) is that we’ll see 8 to 12 inches at Reagan National, lower than the long-term average of 13.7 inches.
(Keep in mind that DCA generally has lower snow totals than most of the region, as its location near the water keep things warmer.)
Most of the local TV weathercasters also seem to be predicting lower-than-average snowfalls.
Of course, being a weathercaster is kind of like being an economist; you don’t have to necessarily be right in order to keep your job. But we’ll circle back in spring and see how they did.
YOU NEVER FORGET YOUR FIRST SNOW: My mother used to tell the tale of Beau, one of the family cats that arrived as kittens after I had left for college, and his first snow experience.
She thought it would be a good idea to take the kitty outside so he could get a look at this type of weather. So she held him in her hands, he looked up at the sky to see wet white stuff falling his direction … and he promptly and panickily deposited some, mmmm, let’s just say boom-boom into my mother’s unsuspecting palms.
Lesson learned.
Beau was a good cat, and anyone who has had felines will be amazed by this, but what he loved, when I came down to Florida (where they all had relocated, humans and cats), was for me to drape him around my shoulders, twirl around a couple of times and (gently) deposit him on the floor, kind of like a pro rassler might do.
Any other cat would’ve gouged your eyes out in your sleep if you’ll pulled that stunt, but he seemed to love it. Different strokes ….
— Scott McCaffrey