Lots of distractions here in recent days, but we much keep our eye on the ball. This is a post for the snow lovers…
I will be the first to admit I love a good snow. I grew up in Alabama, so seeing snow as a child was pretty rare. Prior to moving to Tuscaloosa in the fifth grade, I lived in Greenville, in deep South Alabama between Montgomery and Mobile. Snow flakes in Greenville are about as rare as a 90 degree day in Alaska. There were a few decent snow events in Tuscaloosa when I was there from 1966 to 1978, but they were few and far between.
Having said all of that, I am very aware that it has been a while since we have had a widespread snow event in Alabama. Many snow fans are getting a little frustrated, seeing the wintry precipitation over low latitudes over the western half of the nation in recent weeks. I mean c’mon, if Dallas can get snow, why not Birmingham? Aren’t we both on I-20?
Snow fans, rest assured, your day will come. Probably sooner than later. Nope, I am not forecasting snow through Friday. But, I am simply saying the pattern favors winter weather mischief across the Deep South for at least the next three weeks, and possibly longer. All of the players are on the field; the screaming sub-tropical jet stream that just won’t go away, a polar branch that delivers fresh shots of cold air from the Arctic on a frequent basis, a vast snow cover across much of mid-America, and the North Atlantic Oscillation trending negative. The medium range models are trending toward an amazingly cold pattern as we begin the month of February, putting much of the nation in a serious deep freeze. And, a few really good looking Gulf storms show up on a very consistent basis.
I can’t tell you if the big snow will be in Nashville, Memphis, Birmingham, Montgomery, Jackson, Atlanta, or Charlotte. And sure, someone always gets disappointed. And, yes, some people get angry because I write this. But I continue to believe that for a large part of the Deep South this might be a winter to remember. And don’t forget, for much of the nation, this winter has already produced record amounts of snow, ice, and cold. The pattern favors it, and the players are all on the field. We just need a winter weather touchdown.
