Earlier this week, a winter storm moved through the eastern half of the U.S. … yes, another one … sigh. Now, I know this may come as a shock to some, but it is winter and that means that those of us who are not fortunate enough to live in Southern California or Florida will likely be treated to snow, sleet, freezing rain and cold temperatures when a winter storm comes. A century ago, people read the Old Farmer’s Almanac and tried to predict when a storm would likely hit, but today we have this marvelous thing called Doppler radar and meteorologists to interpret what the Doppler images might mean for various parts of the country. These meteorologists and their minions then proceed to warn us all via television, radio, and the internet of the impending storm, even to the point of telling us exactly when it will start, what will happen, when it will end, and how much snow or ice we can expect once it is ended. Now, I have two points I want to make on this subject

Point one is that meteorology as a science is yet imperfect and in reality, though it may appear that a given storm will take a certain path, Mother Nature has a really sick sense of humour and is just as likely as not to blow it a bit to the south, a bit to the north, or fizzle it out altogether. So, while it is wonderful to have the technology we have, one must always understand that what the meteorologist sees at noon may vary vastly from what he sees five hours later, all of which may have no connection to the reality of tomorrow. Additionally, the meteorologist you see on your television is not a pure science guy and is being paid big bucks for being the most popular “weather guy” in the neighborhood and thus earning ratings for his/her station. What this means is that he may find it necessary or desirable to … shall we say stretch the truth just a bit or expound on the effect of the coming weather, turning a forecast into a major drama, an entertainment event, causing people across the nation to write millions of Facebook posts along the lines of “did you hear that we are going to get two feet of snow?”. Then, of course, every man, woman and child in the area heads to the nearest Kroger to “lay in supplies” ample for at least two weeks of being snowed under. More often than not, the snow is a few inches or never shows up at all, but every household has a full pantry and overflowing refrigerator. Ever wonder why winter lends itself to obesity? Wonder no more. The whole point being that television ratings trump science and, while it is always a good idea to be prepared, if one believes everything he/she sees on Channel 9 or The Weather Channel, one will need psychotherapy by the time spring finally arrives.

My second point is that, while some are stocking up at the grocery store, the other half of the population seems to not heed the warning at all and goes on about their merry business-as-usual. Yesterday morning hundreds, perhaps thousands of motorists were stranded on I-65 south of Louisville, Kentucky, for nearly 20 hours when the highway was shut down due to snow accumulations, ice and jackknifed tractor-trailers. The highway crews, of course, were unable to clear the highway because they could not get around all the cars and trucks that were using the highway as a parking lot. One woman who was interviewed had a young child with her and had been stranded for ten hours. Where were these people when the aforementioned meteorologists were spreading their message of gloom and doom throughout the area? I certainly feel empathy for anyone who is stuck in a snowstorm on the highway for hour after hour, but I must ask why, having heard the forecast at least a hundred times during the 24-hour period before it hit, were these people traveling to begin with? Why weren’t they at home foundering on the potato chips and candy bars they bought at Kroger? Furthermore, my own opinion is that to travel in this weather with a small child in tow amounts to nothing less than neglect and irresponsible parenting, but I won’t delve into that here.

In the words of the immortal Mark Twain, “everybody talks about the weather, but nobody does anything about it”. We will probably never be able to alter the weather, nor should we, as there would likely be catastrophic consequences if mankind were given the opportunity to further decimate the earth’s climate. We do, however, have tools at our disposal that should make it possible for everyone to prepare in a rational way and stay safe during the worst winter storm. The key word here is “rational”. A trip to the store is rational, but except in the most rural areas, it probably isn’t necessary to buy every pack of disposable diapers and every stalk of broccoli. And planning ahead, whether it’s cancelling non-essential appointments, preparing to spend the night at the office, renting a motel room, or bringing extra work home, will enable most to stay off the highways so that road crews can do their job and restore some semblance of normalcy as quickly as possible. Winter happens every year and yet every year people seem to be caught off-guard. I don’t get it … I just don’t get it.