Snowmageddon

A lot of snow today. And, by a lot of snow, I'm talking in relative terms for my locale. I lived in central Washington State for about 15 years – during which, it would snow several feet between Halloween and Easter. It was something no one really thought much of (the same way any sustained wind less than 40 miles per hour was considered less than “a breeze”). Here in Western Washington, however, anything up to 3 inches of snow on the ground is considered a “significant Winter storm”, while anything more than 3 inches is considered a “storm of the century”. 

From last night, through early this morning (as I was preparing to hit the road to get to work), enough snow collected on the road to warrant the “significant Winter storm” thing. Anyone turning on the TV first thing in the morning would be greeted with “the most comprehensive storm coverage” (it didn't matter which channel you were tuned in to. The “comprehensive” coverage involved dumping most local news in favor of school closure announcements (live listing WITH the same information scrolling at the bottom of the screen), and sending the junior-most reporter somewhere with more than an inch of snow on the ground (usually up to the mountain passes, where no one lives), do to what I call the “poke and scoop”.

The “poke and scoop” involves the junior-most reporter or anchor being sent outdoors, for a live shot of them road-side (it's always important to be road-side, to show the traffic impact of the snow). Sometimes, the shot is in a rural neighborhood, but usually is in a mountain pass, where most folks already know not to travel under snowy conditions. The reporter's report involves a wide-angle shot, establishing their location, then the “poke” - poking their finger (or, in rare occasions, a ruler) into the deepest pile of snow they can find. The “scoop” follows, as if you weren't convinced the snow is of Armageddon-levels. They scoop their hand in the snow, to present you with a fistful of ski powder, convincing you that conditions are at their most dire. Some TV stations insist on following the “poke and scoop” with the “curb kick”, where they do another wide-angle shot of them kicking snow on the street curb, to emphasize the hazardous driving conditions. This is how TV stations fill in between traffic and weather when it snows – with traffic and weather.

I've gotta tell you – numerous times a day, I get some exercise by walking out to my office's mailbox and back. If what I saw on TV was anything like real life, I would have lost in the snow - buried up to my man boobs in Snowpocalypse - the first time I hit the office driveway this morning.
The forecast calls for more snow tonight and tomorrow morning. I can't wait for the TV coverage.