The Snowstorm That Wasn't

So there was supposed to be the first snowstorm of the season on Friday.  It's been unseasonably warm and dry so far; we may have had a couple clippers drop up to two inches a couple times, but that's it.  It's also been way above average ... until now.

Winter is supposed to have finally come over the weekend, starting with a storm that was going to dump snow.  At first it was 1-3", then 3-5", then 4-9".  Because of the increasing snowfall projections, I scuttled my dream of going out to a speakeasy Friday and decided to stay close to home.

The snow was supposed to start in the afternoon, but it didn't.  There were flurries coming home from work Friday evening, and I thought they would worsen, but it didn't.  And then I saw that the projections of snow radically changed -- maybe 1-3", maybe.  And once it was all over yesterday/Saturday morning, we got maybe a dusting.

From up to nine inches to basically nothing?  This explainer/confession from Minnesota Public Radio Weather explains what happened, or didn't happen.  TL;DR, meteorologists did not see that a rush of dry air would in fact drive through and settle over the Twin Cities.  They all wildly overestimated the dew point of the air over MSP -- 16 degrees when it turned out to be 0.  And with no moisture in the air, there was no ability for any precipitation to fall.

I am one of those people who couldn't give less of a damn if there wasn't a blizzard.  I hate the snow -- driving in it, shoveling or plowing it, dealing with it.  I have enough crap I have to deal with in my life.  And I remember we got hit with a lot of snow last winter.  Much of it fell after Christmas, and I will accept snow on Christmas only because of the nostalgic tableau of a White Christmas.  Dealing with a foot of snow in March?  To hell with that.  So I disagree with snow lovers and, more importantly, people who get upset with weather forecasters who get forecasts wrong, especially when bad things don't happen.  We didn't get socked with half a foot of snow and you're angry?!  What the hell is wrong with you?!

Now the cold ... I'll take the cold over the snow, but that doesn't mean I like it.  And the forecast for bone-chilling temperatures is true.  That's bad for me, because I'm now thinking I should bring my car back to the mechanic again, and that means I need to drop off my car and take the bus back, and that means I need to wait out in the cold.  But hey, at least I don't have to deal with snow!