snowcapolypse (un)coming

while germans have been shoveling snow and have been driving on treacherous roads for weeks, washingtonians are getting ready for two days of "snowacopolypse".

that is, maybe half a meter of snow over the next two days.

winter storm warnings have been issued since yesterday, the radio ringing with them, throwing early school closings over the ether, announcing early closings of federal offices, and the swamping of groceries stores with pack-ratters.

snow doesn't come often in such quantities to the rather southern situated capital. but coming from a country with snow for days or weeks at a time in the appropriate(!) season of the year does make the fussing here seem a bit exaggerated.

i never had a snow day off at school in germany. if ice was on the sidewalks, people would pull socks over there shoes for better traction, students would glide to school on the slippery roads. it was a fun thing more than a nuisance. teachers were expected to show up, too, no matter how.

but just the announcement of continuous snow for 24 hours throws dc into a fit.

this morning, before a single snow flake was in sight, a plough truck shed thin lines of pinkish salt on the dry naked road. people at work hord emergency food, hotel rooms are booked. now, this not-yet-materialized (as of this writing) snow storm with, as the national weather service warned, near blizzard conditions, would be the second of its kind.

just right before christmas dc shut down almost entirely for two days, also over a weekend, to deal with what was about between half a meter and a meter of snow. side roads were impassable, big roads got cleared only after a while. busses didn't run, flights were cancelled, the metro hid underground. i can't remember seeing plough trucks then.

once iced, twice shy, dc might need a third date to get its timing between plough trucks and snow flakes right.

ps: for full disclosure, without going into details the washingtonians are so good at spreading this fussy exciting panic that even i (with an hommage to my indian friends) changed my plans today to accommodate the flakes. of course, i feel ridiculous now. where is my germanness?