A Tale of Two (Snowy) Cities

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Washington, D.C. has become the nation's capital of snow, with over two feet being dumped this past week.  During a normal winter, they usually get around 15 inches.  Another two feet will fall, according to forecasters, before it ends Wednesday.

Almost everything there has been shut down, from schools and businesses to the federal government.  This is a city where a light dusting would put officials on high alert.  More than that is a catastrophe.

(The storm in the mid-Atlantic was partially responsible for the Super Bowl's record TV audience of 106.5 million viewers, surpassing the final episode of "M*A*S*H" as the most-watched show in history.  Only CBS, indeed.)

Here in the Twin Cities, we just concluded a snowstorm that lasted three days and accumulations in most of the area was less than a foot.  All it really did was to bring traffic to a standstill.  The season-to-date totals, according to KSTP.com, comes to 37.8 inches.  But then, we have a phalanx of snowplows and sanding trucks at the ready (as the budget allows) to keep the roads passable.  Washington doesn't have as many.

We don't mean to be smug about winter weather.  Not in the least.  It's just that it's more a fact of life which makes us better prepared to deal with it.  Those who don't like it can always go to Florida.