Weather forecasters have had an opportunity this month to employ a large part of their winter vocabulary as they did their work. They predicted that mid-December would bring a meteorological smorgasbord – rain, sleet, freezing rain, ice, bone-chilling winds and bitter cold. They were right on every count. Area residents have been tested by the elements during the last couple of weeks.
For a while, it was simply cold, much chillier most of the time than seasonal averages. There were a couple of days of bright sunshine, but they were a tease – more notable for the chill in the air than any warmth. Temperatures on the sunny days failed to rise above the mid-30s. As one resident put it, “We just shivered in the sunlight.”
There were a couple of tantalizing days when the thermometer reached the low 50s, but the weather, as forecast, soon soured. Temperatures dropped and it snowed – not a lot but enough to create difficulties in many parts of the region. By dusk, many roads were mostly empty, and rightly so. It was too risky to travel unless it was absolutely necessary.
The snow prompted numerous school closures and delays in the opening of many offices and businesses. Extremely cold temperatures that followed the snow exacerbated the situation. Then came freezing rain. The result was as predictable as it was dangerous.
Roads glazed over and the number of traffic mishaps soared. At one point last week, public safety officials ordered the closure of some roads, including a portion of Interstate 75. When the freezing rain ended, travel remained difficult in many locales. Some area roads remained so slick that law enforcement officials still were telling residents to stay at home even as temperatures climbed above freezing. It was sound advice.
Overall, weather-related problems in the last couple of weeks were kept to a minimum. Utility companies reported relatively few power outages and most that occurred appeared to be short-lived. Law enforcement agencies responded to hundreds of traffic accidents, but few were serious. And, thankfully, there were no reports of weather-related deaths. Area residents, to borrow a phrase, seemed to have weathered the chilly assault by employing generous doses of common sense and good humor to the situation.
They were helped, in no small part, by the efforts of public works employees in several jurisdictions. In most places, roads were salted, sanded and brined quickly and efficiently. Other city, county and state workers braved the cold, wind and precipitation to provide assistance in myriad ways. The public has been well-served by their efforts.
Forecasters now are predicting a somewhat milder, less active stretch of weather. If that proves to be true, the respite will be welcome – particularly since the winter and whatever it holds in store officially arrives tomorrow.