Skip to main content

The Magic of a Christmas Forecast


The frenzy picks up every year the week before Christmas at the mention of possible snow in the forecast...and when I say frenzy, I mean businesses start running promotions around it, people stock up on sleds and snowball makers, viewership of weather casts go up just to catch the latest inkling that snow might happen.
I LOVE IT!
Honestly I get caught up in the frenzy too since moving to the South where it's not common at all to have an official white Christmas with an inch of snow or more on the ground. But why?
Christmas is ultimately the celebration of the birth of Christ. To many, a timeless miracle. Families identifying as religious or not are brought together and united. The festivities, parades, concerts and traditions surrounding the special day invoke a spirit of giving and love. The joy felt by believing and celebrating is why people can hardly wait to put up their decorations in November. The anticipation of Christmas Day builds as Santa and his reindeer travel the globe to spread cheer. It becomes more clear through the passed down storytelling and song singing involving a wintry scene like the classic, Jingle Bells, with "dashing through the snow on a one horse open sleigh." 
For a meteorologist, predicting snow for Christmas becomes a prideful duty, along with tracking Santa and his reindeer on radar. It's knowing that we might be able to bring a little more magic to the Christmas spirit and we look forward to that chance of making wishes of a while Christmas come true. Living in the South means that the likelihood of being able to fulfill both in a given year is sadly impossible. 
So what does one do? Personally I hang on to the romanticized magic of snow on Christmas, even if it's just a few flurries, until its no longer atmospherically possible. I revert to the inner child and cross my fingers collectively with everyone else and wait! Wait for that next timeless miracle. :)
To finish up this last post of 2017 I want to send meaningful wishes of health and happiness to all of you for the New Year and joy spent with family and friends during this holiday season. While this Christmas will be spent as a celebration of life for my Grandmother Rukavina, I am grateful that her passing was relatively peaceful and it will bring our family together from near and far after time has separated us for too long. I'm incredibly grateful for my mother, husband, children, in-laws and extended family that they too are healthy and bring much joy to my life. Here's to a prosperous and happy 2018!!!

Location: Paducah, KY, USA

Comments

Unknown said…
Blessings to you and your this Christmas as well, Jennifer! Thank you for your post and I offer condolences and prayers in the loss of your grandmother. May you and your family find much comfort, and maybe a little laughter, as you reminisce about and honor your grandmother.
Beverly Steele, Mayfield, KY
December 20, 2017 at 6:17 PM

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Planting Zones Heading North

As our global climate changes, so does our planting zones, helping us determine which flowers/shrubs/trees are hardy in specific areas. The Local 6 area has always been split by 2-3 growing zones so placement becomes very important to those in the agricultural community. The image below represents the average over the past 30 years. Climate Central published the following information:  "What kinds of flowers, shrubs and trees you’ll find at your local nursery depends on your climate — how warm it tends to get in summer, and how cold in winter. A plant that’s happy in Wisconsin might be miserable in Alabama, and vice versa. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has formalized these differences into " hardiness zones " — strips of similar climate that run more or less east-to-west (except in the high mountains), where particular plants should do especially well. But as the planet warms under its thickening blanket of greenhouse gases, those zones are shifting northward. Th...
46 comments
Read more

Tri-State Tornado Double Take

Credit: Chris Conley, Spotter  A well-forecast severe weather event unfolded Tuesday night starting in Southeast Missouri then blowing east into Southern Illinois, The Paducah National Weather Service along with local media gave people in Perryville, MO the early alarm that a large tornado was barreling their way. Storm spotter Chris Conley captured power flashes (right) from the violent tornado hitting power lines as the storm traveled from Perryville across the Mississippi River into Rockwood, IL after claiming one man's life on Interstate 55 and injuring 12 in Perryville. Credit: John Humphress, Spotter The supercell thunderstorm parent to this tornado was only getting started. Confirmation of a tornado and a trail of damage was reported in Rockwood, Ava, Elkville, Christopher, Buckner, Enfield and Crossfield, IL. Storm spotter John Humphress captured the wedge tornado (left) that struck Crossville where a man was killed trying to take shelter. Humphress recal...
Post a Comment
Read more

Round 3 on deck and wrap-up of snow depth thus far

Snow Depth as of December 30, 2012 with additional snow expected New Years Eve night. (Reports from viewers) It is becoming quite clear where the jet stream has set up for the start of winter. People in Southern Illinois and neighboring MO counties along the Mississippi River can barely keep the roads clear while everyone south of the Ohio River is wondering if we'll ever see snow this winter! :) New Year's Eve night is when we are expecting another (although light) snow event across the same areas where you see higher snow depths above. A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY begins Monday at Noon and continues through Tuesday at 6AM for most of Southern Illinois and SEMO. The latest advisory map is below.  Winter Weather Advisory - Paducah/St. Louis National Weather Service Snow totals are not expected to be significant but with icy snow pack across much of the advisory area, any additional snow/sleet may make for hazardous conditions again for New Year's Eve night and New...
1 comment
Read more