“We’d better stock up on Diet Coke before the storm hits”.
Those were Kim’s words to me tonight as she headed out the door to Fred Meyer. One hasn’t been able to turn on the radio or local news without hearing warnings of an approaching snow storm.
Seattle and snow don’t mix. Many blame the lack of snow removal equipment. Some say the rain creates icy conditions no matter the preparation. I’ve even heard people blame the salmon as the reason the city seldom drops salt on the roads.
Whatever the reason, Seattle loves a good weather warning. We can’t get enough of them. You’d be wrong to assume we’d take it all in stride given our penchant for perpetual rain storms.
Shortly after moving to Seattle, I started a round of golf in a light drizzle that turned into a downpour by the fourth hole. I turned to my playing partner and native Seattleite and suggested we ask for a rain check and return after the storm blew over. He gave me that “are you an idiot?” look and I continued to slosh around the next five holes soaked the bone. I must have dumped two gallons of water out of my bag after that round.
Seattle has no problem with rain. Rain doesn’t stop or slow down anything here. We golf, jog and schedule outdoor weddings in the rain. Everyone here expects it to rain so, when it does, nobody is disappointed.
But the mention of snow sends the natives to the grocery store to stock up on the essentials. And by “essentials” I mean coffee beans and lottery tickets. I’m not a Seattle native, but I’m starting to feel like one having spent 17 years here. I still can’t get used to two inches of snow causing schools to close. I grew up in Utah where, if the janitor made it to the school to turn the lights on, school was in session!
There’s been no escape from the mass hysteria caused by the latest prediction of “up to 4 inches” of snow by Wednesday morning. If this is your first winter in Seattle, you’re probably expecting a storm on the same level of Katrina. So try not to act too disappointed when Seattle Snowpocalypse of 2011 is less collapsing levees and more yoga instructors abandoning their Range Rovers alongside 405.
I’m hoping for enough snow to create a snowman. The last one was full of leaves and dog turds leaving the kids less enthused to show the neighbors.
Bring on the snow, I say. I’ll be ready with my Diet Coke 24-pack.
Nordquist Blog 
I’m so glad you have stocked up on essentials, otherwise it could be a long, dangerous trip to the market some dark 1:00 in the morning. Very good post … other than I can’t seem to shake the visual of your last snowman.
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I have always, even before I moved here, laughed at the Puget Sound response to snow. I remember watching television coverage of the 1990 storm when people abandoned their cars on the freeway with bemused wonder. I was in college and drove a school bus back in Missouri at the time having recently gone through a snow storm when we had to have sixty buses towed out of jams, mine included.
I never let it keep me off the roads until this year when a Puget Sounder totaled my car in the last snow episode. I still think it’s humorous to see how Seattle responds, but I keep a safe distance from the locals.
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