Breaking News: Winter Storm Warning Extended for Storm Mincemeat

It may not sound all that exciting, but the National Weather Service's decision to extend the length of the Winter Storm Warning period is the BEST piece of news snow day lovers could have possibly received at this point in the developments.

Typically, we think of an extension as time added to the end of the warning period. But the NWS has extended the Warning period on the short end--the storm window is EARLIER than we thought, beginning at 5 AM instead of 7 AM. It's pretty easy to excite the GSD Staff, but this news has us all a-flutter in the Home Office.

Even if the snow starts falling as late as 8 AM, Superintendents will have to debate whether or not they want buses running at 11 AM or 12 PM when the snow intensity will be starting to pick up. Because the air has been so warm the last few days, it's likely the snow will not stick immediately. We're guessing that after three or four hours of snow the roads will be slick but, realistically, passable. Your more conservative Superintendents will not want to deal with the potential headache and call school off; the bolder Superintendents will hope to eke this one out. Also, geography will play a major role in the decision. South County schools will likely see the snow start closer to 5 AM; North County students will have to wait a few more hours.

So far, the only school to cancel for tomorrow is Berkshire Community College. We are guessing we'll see more schools throughout the night, especially in New York.

We will give the True North Confidence Meter a boost because of this news, but we're still not completely convinced all districts will cancel school tomorrow. Several will, and most probably should, but not all will enjoy the fruits of Storm Mincemeat.

Thanks to Steve Caporizzo for this image, the most encouraging one we've seen.