Polar Vortex Part 2 (rant)
 

I haven't really had the TV news on except for a little bit. But I have been watching the news online during the day. When we had the so called polar vortex a couple of weeks ago, they cancelled school and made a huge general fuss about it. It was all over the news.

Now, it's snowing.

Tomorrow it's supposed to be just as cold as a couple of weeks ago. Where's all the panic? The mentions of freezing to death in 10 minutes??? Does all that not still apply?

When it was 55° yesterday and I was at the carwash, the news radio was talking about how you should turn off the hoses and winterize the sprinkler system. Wait, what? If you didn't do it 2 weeks ago, you don't have a sprinkler system anymore.

WTH?

The weather channel is naming winter storms now. Just the weather channel, nobody else. That pretty much says it all.

The polar vortex came up today at work. It used to be, it's going to be damn cold. Cold weather is nothing new in Chicago.
It's the 24 hour news cycle. They have to make news. They tell people what they want to hear,not what they need to know.

someone should tell them that it's freakin' winter.

"polar vortex" is the new "chipotle". If I hear that phrase one more time, I'll scream!!

Christie is more popular than polar vortex.

Cold weather is only a filler and a weak one at that.

The local weather mouthpiece was bemoaning the fact that the temperature would only top out in the mid-30s last week. I suppose she forgot that it is JANUARY.

Now with this storm, "4-6 inches" became "8-14" overnight. Actual accumulation? MAYBE 6 inches.

I just use forecasts for generalities; it will be warm/cold, there will be some snow, maybe rain. They have no idea as to the specifics.

I was in Dallas back in December when they had a winter storm. The news channel said that everyone should "be prepared to survive outside for up to a half hour." If they were going to travel. A HALF HOUR!!! The reporters were bundled up like Eskimos. It was all a bit amusing considering I've lived in Alaska for a few years now. Heck, today was an abnormally warm day (20-35f) and I had a short sleeve shirt on all day.

Up in an RV resort in Portland a few years ago...on a Sept. eve. sitting around a campfire with neighbor motorhomers...65' F.
A guy from AZ jumped up, scooted into his RV saying, "Brrr...I need a jacket".

It was better than 70 here today, drove around in short sleeves with the top down.

Hey some of us liked Chipotle before it was cool. Ketchipotle is The Bomb!

Oh contrare. One station here in Ct is naming them, after towns in the state. This latest blast was WS Chester, nice, real nice.

Can we add "applewood smoked bacon" to that list!!!! AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!:mad:

Just saw a guy in a Miata with the top down! Now to some of you, that is not a big deal. But the temps are about 4º F. and snowing pretty good!

chipotle vortex

Of applewood smoked bacon. Mmmmmm, bacon.

I'm the guy who plows the snow off of my parking lots, so I pay close attention to the weather forecast and when it's wrong it's more than an inconvenience. Snow means I have to get up at 4:00 AM to clear my lots before cars show up. When I wake up at 6:00 to 2" of "partly cloudy" it really messes up my day because it takes twice as long to work around the cars. I'd rather have get an exaggerated forecast than one that underestimates the snowfall.

What annoys me is the assumption that weather is always going to be bad. The morning weather program on our local TV station is called "First Warning," like every day the weather is going to be a hazard to us.

I think naming winter weather events is a great idea. It's handy shorthand for referring to the event and keeping it distinct from others of that year.

Allan Ginzberg even wrote a poem about it:

from “Wichita Chipotle Vortex Sutra” (1966)

I'm an old man now, and a lonesome man in Kansas
but not afraid
to speak my lonesomeness in a car,
because not only my tortilla
it's Ours, all over America,

that big tortilla

that big tortilla with chipotle

still pining for the love of your tender tortilla

oh children of Witchita



- not be confused with the more famous poet, Allen Ginsberg

Come back in mid August when it's 108 and humid and we'll talk then :D

Why is global warming only on Mondays?