Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...

Lots of talk this week about expected cold temperatures over the weekend here in Vegas.  And this evening all the local newscasts were talking about the "deep freeze" coming our way.

As of just after midnight Friday morning, here's the NWS weather alert for Clark County:

1124 PM PST THU JAN 11 2007 

...WINTER STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM FRIDAY AFTERNOON
THROUGH LATE FRIDAY NIGHT... 

SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF UP TO 2 INCHES WILL BE POSSIBLE ON THE
DESERT FLOOR ABOVE 2500 FEET FRIDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH FRIDAY
NIGHT. LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS MAY BE SEEN IN THE WESTERN
FOOTHILLS OF THE LAS VEGAS VALLEY AND OTHER HIGHER TERRAIN ACROSS
CLARK COUNTY. 

So I'm looking at this and thinking: above 2500 feet? Big whoop, there's not gonna be anything like an appreciable accumulation where I live.

Then I remember -- I'm not in Kansas any more.  Or rather, Portland.  I'm still used to thinking I'm at sea level (or at least within 300 feet of it) most of the time.  But then I remembered that McCarran Interantional Airport is officially at almost 2200 feet above sea level, and as I learned about a month ago the last time it snowed a bit where I live, my apartment is about 300 feet above that.  I live almost half a mile higher up than I used to -- putting me pretty much directly at the expected snow level.

Speaking of Portland, it seems that a couple of flakes were seen there recently.  Normally that wouldn't be news, being Portland and all, but these were SNOW flakes.  Yeah, sure, people in other parts of the country make fun when a place like Portland shuts down over an inch of snow or less, but then the native webfeet get to make fun when people in other parts of the country have to run to their cars (or better yet, wait under cover and have their cars brought to them) when the tiniest bit of liquid precipitation occurs.  Come on, people, that's not rain -- it's just real high humidity is all... stop being such a wuss...

Living now in Vegas, where it rarely rains and almost never snows, it's really mock-worthy.  But people here just aren't accustomed to inclement weather, and when you take a million and a half people who CAN'T FRICKIN' DRIVE in the first place, then dump rain or snow into the mix, you're just asking for trouble...

Anyhow, I'm actually looking forward to the snow, if not the cold that goes with it.  Should be interesting at least.  I might even have to break out a sweater... haven't really worn one of those since I moved down here... and perhaps stop off before work at the nearest evil Starbucks for a (finally) climate-appropriate Caramel Apple Cider.

Comments

[dan]

You'll probably get more snow than we're getting in Michigan. Hm . . . what's up with that. Enjoy the white-stuff.

[leslie]

I lived in Portland (well, Tigard) for a while with honey. My favorite Oregon commercial? Hamm's beer. "Have a nice day... somewhere else." haha

[David B. Wright]

Well, after all that talk, there wasn't any snow after all.

It was cold enough, to be sure, and when I left work last night it certainly smelled like it was ready to snow. But not a single flake, at least in my part of town. It was overcast, but I guess there just wasn't enough moisture in those clouds.

Ah well.