Preparing For Winter Weather

I received an alert from my Weather Channel app today for this:

WINTER STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM TUESDAY MORNING THROUGH LATE TUESDAY NIGHT

TIMING

THE GREATEST SNOW AND SLEET POTENTIAL WILL BE BETWEEN NOON TUESDAY AND 3 AM EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING.

ACCUMULATIONS

POTENTIALLY GREATER THAN 2 INCHES OF A COMBINATION OF SNOW AND SLEET. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS

A WINTER STORM WATCH MEANS THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT SNOW

SLEET

OR ICE ACCUMULATIONS THAT MAY IMPACT TRAVEL. CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE LATEST FORECASTS.

We don’t often get this type of weather here in Alabama. Yes, we generally get at least some snow once a year, but rarely is it considered a “winter storm.” I’m not sure how bad this might be, and I actually expect it won’t be much of anything. Yet, two inches of frozen precipitation can wreak havoc here, since we are not accustomed to icy road conditions.

Sometimes in icy conditions we lose power, so we will definitely get some gas for the generator, and I plan to cook a large pot of corn and potato chowder to warm things up in the chilly days ahead.

The worst part about Alabama winters is not the cold, but the extreme fluctuations in temperature. Yesterday, we had mild temperatures in the 60s and tonight it will drop to 28 degrees. The extreme swing in temperatures gets everyone sick.

When in the South, you get used to weird weather. Like most things in the South, you just have to deal with the eccentricities, whether they’re from family, friends, or Mother Nature.