This was the prediction about six hours ago.
Scared yet?
Here's the latest one:
Okay, now I'm a bit nervous.
That little pink oval in Kansas? Yeah, that's me here in Newton, and Wichita as well.
Forecast models from KSN Channel 3 in Wichita are saying that it's possible we could get more than two more feet of snow with this storm.
I'm not kidding. Not kidding at all. I watched a twelve-minute-long storm tracking report on it earlier this evening.
The NWS says at least 10-15 more inches is probable, and in all likelihood, we'll get at least that much. It depends heavily on how the storm forms and how it tracks.
People like Daisy (and her best friend) find it amusing that I get so worked up about snowstorms, that I freak out about them (I really don't) and that I sound so excited about them. I must step back for a moment and reiterate that for those of you who don't live in this area, this never happens here. Up until this week, only two storms in the past ten years have hit the Wichita area and given it any significant, dangerous amount of snow -- the one in 2011, and one ten years ago today in 2003. Aside from the 2011 storm, it is rare that we get more than a few inches of snow at a time -- three or four at most. Most of the time if it snows we get a dusting, if that. It is fucking unheard of to get two massive snowstorms back-to-back over the span of but five days. I can't reiterate enough to you folks that this just doesn't goddamned happen here, which is why it's so fascinating to me. This is likely such a crazy meteorological phenomenon that I doubt I'll see something like it again in my lifetime unless I move to, say, Canada.
O, Canada, our home and native land...
Ahem.
As mentioned before, we're starting a betting pool of sorts within my group of friends, trying to guess when and if the university will close down again. My guess is that it will be open Monday, but closed on Tuesday -- with the further side-bet of closing early on Monday (as they did last Wednesday), but I am unsure. What I'm thinking is that unless it really is close to double the amount of snow we got before (on top of what's still out there, mind you) they won't close two days in a row again. That is unheard of. But, by the way it looks right now, close or not, I'm not getting out of this house again until what could be, possibly, Thursday. For those of you keeping track, that's five days from now.
That leaves me with a unique dilemma: do I go out again tomorrow for supplies before it hits?
The roads here are still bad. My street isn't any clearer than it was before, at least. I'm guessing the more traveled roads and streets here in Newton are mostly clear by this point, but I'd also imagine that there are many of them which are still snow-covered and terrible. It's a gamble. I haven't been out since Friday afternoon, which means things have had the chance to melt and refreeze twice in the overnights since then.
"In all seriousness, if you need any help -- a ride tomorrow to stock up -- please don't hesitate," Parker told me a few minutes ago in a message. "I can hop on 96 to 135 and be in Newton in no time."
Parker drives a massive Jeep that I have dubbed "Gigantor." He lived in Denver for a while. He knows how to navigate snow -- this is nothing new to him. This also leads me to believe that more than likely, the interstates (right now, anyway) are mostly clear, which is a good sign for the time being. Life apparently gets to return to mostly normal for a day or so before the next storm hits.
I told him that I should be good for stuff, though if I do need to get anything I'll be sure to do so early in the day before the snow moves in tomorrow evening. Regardless of whether I go anywhere or not, I'm putting the car back in the garage tomorrow before this second storm moves in. Whether we get three inches or twenty, it's not fun to clean it off the car, and there's no reason to leave it out in the weather if I'm not going to be able to go anywhere anyhow. That car's seen its share of abuse over the years -- why subject it to any more? The garage will at least keep it somewhat warmer and drier, if nothing else.
Parker is of the opinion that if we get even the lowest of low-end predictions -- six inches or so -- that the university will close again, based on how it's closed in the past (2011). It's hard to say, really; they closed down on Thursday and Friday last week, so I'm guessing they'll be hard-pressed to close down again unless we get well over a foot. Safety is important, yes, but so is money, which universities tend to lose whenever they're forced to shut down for a day or two at a time.
For now, though? All we can do is sleep. And wait.
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