Temper Your Enthusiasm for Storm Moonracer

At least one school we know of will be ending the day early tomorrow, and that is Gabriel Abbott Memorial up there on Florida Mountain. Congrats! Your elevation is working for you on this one; it will be a mess up there no doubt.

Let's play a little game of SCENARIOS: BEST CASE/WORST CASE, shall we?

WORST CASE: The storm doesn't get going until 8 or 9 AM; after a brief but intense period of snow, sleet begins to mix in; rain takes over the sleet by noon; a hard, cold rain falls for the rest of the night as temps rise toward 40 degrees. The school day is not impacted. Moonracer is a bust.

BEST CASE: Around 4 AM the NWS changes the Watch to a Warning. The snow starts to come down just as the Superintendents of Berkshire County wake up and take their first peek out the window. The temperature predictions are lower than expected, and the snow and sleet is expected to last into the afternoon (thus the change to the Warning). Snow quickly coats the roads and comes down steadily until around 11 or 12 when the sleet kicks in, making for treacherous driving conditions for the afternoon. Superintendents decide it's all too risky and cancel school. Boys and girls up and down Berkshire County rejoice and are so grateful that they make snowflake cookies, miniature fruit cakes, and creative candy cane ornaments to give to their Superintendents on Wednesday. Everybody's a winner!

The GSD Staff would be delighted to see the best case scenario, but--here comes the wet blanket--our confidence is just not very high for Storm Moonracer. We don't want to sell this storm short, as it does have the potential to create dangerous conditions tomorrow--slick roads, heavy snow sticking to trees again, some power outages (that's why there's a Winter Storm Watch--but the warming air is a huge stumbling block for us. It's already 26 degrees at GSDHQ and it's creeping up ever so slowly.

When you wake up tomorrow morning, the first thing you should check (yes, even before you check GSD) is the temperature. If it's above freezing--make that lunch, you're going to school. At 30, 31 or 32--you might get the delay call; wait for it. Twenty-nine and below--hit the snooze button because you probably aren't going to school.

Mmm, mmm ice pellets. More ice pellets, please.

By all means keep an ear out for the robocall tomorrow morning, but be prepared for a messy, slushy, unpleasant day.