Snow

Today on Msn.com I read about the latest snowstorm in Minnesota which we all know is where I grew up and where my parents still live and my brother just told my 94-year-old dad to please stop trying to drive out the lane to get the mail because he keeps getting stuck in the snow. And then he has to walk back in that long lane through deep snow which is a chore at the best of times and especially when you're 94. And then my brother has to dig out the car.

Anyway, yes, the news story about Minnesota:
MINNEAPOLIS — A major snow storm dealt another winter wallop to Wisconsin, Michigan, and northern Ohio on Monday as it moved east out of Minnesota leaving more than a foot of fresh snow in its wake.

The National Weather Service reported the storm dropped 12.5 inches of snow at the airport by Monday afternoon. . . the highest state total was 19 inches in Madison in far western Minnesota. The storm had dwindled by Monday evening.

Minnesota Department of Transportation spokesman Kevin Gutknecht said travel conditions throughout the southern half of the state were difficult Monday, but that plows were making the roads passable.

However, he warned drivers to watch out for piled snow at entrance ramps and intersections. Small cars perched and motionless on top of packed snow were a common sight Monday morning.

"Ground clearance is a significant issue," Gutknecht said.

Minnesota State Patrol Lt. Eric Roeske said many people were driving too fast for the conditions and losing control.

"A plowed road doesn't mean full speed ahead," Roeske said.

Minneapolis declared a snow emergency on Monday, joining St. Paul and many other cities in the southern half of the state that declared them a day earlier. It was the eighth snow emergency of the season for Minneapolis, which officials said was the most it has ever declared in a single winter.

And now I live in Oregon, where it looks like we might get snow too! Yes, really! Accuweather announced the news on its website in a pink box emphasized with an exclamation mark in a red box. And then there was this long warning all in capital letters.

...WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 2 PM WEDNESDAY TO 10 PM PST THURSDAY FOR THE CENTRAL COAST...THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN WILLAMETTE VALLEY...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PORTLAND HAS ISSUED A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR SNOW...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 2 PM WEDNESDAY TO 10 PM PST THURSDAY. THIS REPLACES THE WINTER STORM WATCH THAT WAS PREVIOUSLY IN EFFECT.

* TIMING...RAIN MIXED WITH SNOW IS POSSIBLE WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON...THEN HEAVIER SNOW BEGINNING WEDNESDAY EVENING AND CONTINUING INTO THURSDAY.

* ACCUMULATION/SNOW LEVELS...2 TO 4 INCHES ARE EXPECTED LATER WEDNESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. SOME LOCAL ACCUMULATIONS OF 5 TO 8 INCHES IS POSSIBLE MAINLY IN THE HIGHER HILLS...ESPECIALLY WHERE THE VALLEY MEETS THE CASCADE FOOTHILLS.

* IMPACTS...ROADWAYS MAY BECOME ICY AND SNOW COVERED... RESULTING IN SLICK DRIVING CONDITIONS. THIS MAY SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACT THE COMMUTE THURSDAY.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR HEAVY SNOW MEANS SEVERE WINTER WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF SNOW ARE FORECAST THAT WILL MAKE TRAVEL DANGEROUS. ONLY TRAVEL IN AN EMERGENCY. IF YOU MUST TRAVEL...KEEP AN EXTRA FLASHLIGHT... FOOD...AND WATER IN YOUR VEHICLE IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY.

It's no wonder Minnesotans laugh at non-Minnesotans and their definitions of "winter," "storm," and "snow."