Snow Report: Historic but not Impressive?

Midland’s official snowfall yesterday totaled 4.5″ which, as
some commenters implied in the previous post, is not worth sniffing at compared
to what they’ve had in their northern climes. But put it in perspective: that
total was the 9^th heaviest snowfall in our area’s recorded weather
history. Midland has never had more than 10 inches of snow (officially) in one
day (the record of 9.8 inches occurred in 1998). So, for us and our anemic
snow-handling infrastructure, yesterday provided an event of historic proportions.

Of course, by 3:00 pm the sun was shining, the streets were
[mostly] clear, and those who’d gotten “snow days,” while enjoying their good
fortune, were doing so with just a tinge of sheepishness. (I initially used the
term “guilt” and then decided that it probably wasn’t applicable at all.)

I chauffeured my wife to her office around 8:30 a.m. so she
could grab her laptop and work from home. The streets were a bit treacherous,
but traffic was light and well-behaved. Even though her office was officially
closed, several employees showed up, either because they weren’t intimidated by
the weather or – more likely – hadn’t gotten word of the closing. She was
able to be productive the rest of the day from the comfort of our living room.

The
best thing about snowfall around here, besides the fact that it’s rare and
doesn’t stay around too long, is that it makes for some pretty scenery.