This weekend the governor of Pennsylvania declared a state of emergency, prohibiting commercial vehicles on the PA turnpike and advising a postponement of travel. Mind you, there was no sign of precipitation outside of my window. Which brings me to a regular banter my husband and I have about the weather. He loves to follow the radars and is regularly informing me of what the meteorologists are predicting. I make my decisions by looking out the window and assessing what is actually happening, because they are (in my informal information gathering) right less than 50% of the time. My fly-by-the- seat-of- my-pants approach confounds my love who is known to frequently quote, “Chance favors the prepared.” So when 24 hours passed and the roads remained dry and perfectly drive-able, I came up with my own forecast for a Polar Vortex:
Folks, it’s winter. This means you will experience low temperatures. We all know what that does to precipitation. It’ll freeze tonight, so if you’re planning to drive out there, use caution. You live in the North, you know what to do. Have a good night!
It is true to my experience, however, that this isn’t quite enough, so perhaps (without a single radar or declaration of a state of emergency) I’d take it upon myself to do a little coaching.
Perhaps some clarification is needed. Mind the speed limits (um, always). Don’t cut people off. Leave a generous following distance. If someone cuts you off, assume they didn’t see you, take a deep breath, and keep a level head. You’re welcome.