Snow kidding: we could be feeling flaky this weekend
There’s no business like snow business! It’s snow joke! Chill
out, everybody!
These and other corny, predictable story leads were making the
rounds in the media earlier this week, as some forecasts called for
snow to fall at sea level by this weekend.
Snow kidding: we could be feeling flaky this weekend
There’s no business like snow business! It’s snow joke! Chill out, everybody!
These and other corny, predictable story leads were making the rounds in the media earlier this week, as some forecasts called for snow to fall at sea level by this weekend.
Weather forecasting being what it is, and column-writing being what it is (I wrote this on Tuesday, when it was mostly sunny) I apologize if these predictions don’t come true. But if they do, it’ll be pretty cool – in more ways than one.
Seventy-two hours before the weekend arrived, the National Weather Service was predicting that an approaching cold front would have the right components to drop snow at sea level by Friday night.
The hills surrounding San Benito County received a dusting of snow last weekend, which is a common site in the winter. The white stuff falling on the valley floor, however, is much rarer.
It’s been more than a decade since I saw snow flakes falling on Hollister. My wife videotaped the event in our front yard. It was a short-lived thing – just a few minutes in duration with none of it sticking on the ground – but it was amazing.
Our temperate climate means weather events like thunder and lightning or hail are infrequent occurrences, so when they happen it’s the talk of the town. If we get some snowfall below the usual Fremont Peak and Lone Tree Road sites, it’ll be unbelievable.
Writing about it is probably jinxing it, as if these words have any meteorological power, but I hope not.
We never get a white Christmas, though we do get wet Christmases. Once, just once, it would be great to have a little February snowfall in Hollister.
From age 5 to 11, I lived in Virginia, where snowfall was a common occurrence in the winter. I got to build snowmen and snow forts and check out icicles hanging from the roof and throw snowballs at my sister.
Then we moved back to California and snowy winters became a thing of the past, unless we drove to the Sierras.
I’m hoping for snow just to see the reaction of my sons. My eldest drove up Lone Tree last weekend with some friends just to get to the right elevation to see snow falling. They packed a lunch, put on some warm clothes, parked the truck and just stood there for half an hour and looked skyward as the flakes fell, amazed at the event.
If only we get so lucky down here this weekend.
A report in the San Francisco Chronicle said the Alaskan cold front scheduled to sweep in this weekend would likely drive temperatures low enough for snow to fall at sea level by Friday night. The story said snow falls when the temperature is at or below 36 degrees and it sticks on the ground when it’s 34 or below.
I’m going to dust off my gloves and get my knit cap ready, just in case snow falls in Hollister this weekend. And if it doesn’t, I hope it doesn’t rain at all, because baseball season has begun and we don’t need another rainout. A snow-out? That’d be cool.
Adam Breen writes a blog at http://thebreenblogspot.com and teaches newspaper and yearbook classes at San Benito High School. He is a reporter for The Pinnacle and former editor of the Free Lance.
