Surviving My First English Blizzard

“Something about me has always liked the drama and inconvenience of bad weather. The worse the better, really.”
From Let it Snow By John Green

I have been asked (by ignorant people, I'll admit) if we have snow all year round in Minnesota. While Minnesota isn't known for our hot summers (honestly, there are many days that the high is over 100F/38C plus humidity!) we aren't in the arctic circle. However, we proudly survive every winter where the average snowfall is 55.9 inches (142 cm), with a record of 98.6 inches (250 cm) the winter of 1983-4; we all still talk about the "Halloween Blizzard of '91" where we had 21 inches (53 cm) of snow in a 24 hour period and many still went trick 'o treating; we recognize that it could snow as early as September and the white stuff can stay as late as May (for more fun MN weather facts visit the University of Minnesota Cilmate site by clicking HERE).

Don't get me started on temperatures, I could discuss that ad infinitum, as any good Minnesotan can. Oh, did I mention that these are the records in the Twin Cities - which is located in the bottom third of the state - not outlying areas or places like International Falls? This great town has temperatures that have dropped as low as -46F (-43 C) and averages 70 inches (178 cm) of snowfall each year (but even people in the Twin Cities think people who live there are crazy). I'll admit that there is some truth the statement of a Russian I met at Warwick when he said about Minnesota weather - "sounds like Moscow". Many similes can be drawn between the two places. With all those facts in mind, you can imagine my doubt when told that there were going to be "Blizzard-like" conditions in the up-coming storm descending on Coventry. As of yet I've seen no evidence that such an event could occur in the more temperate climate of England.

Thursday evening the snow began to fall and everyone seemed to brace themselves for the predicted three days of snow. I held off judgment. Who knows, maybe it would be a mild blizzard? Thankfully I didn't have any reason to go on campus Friday, so I hankered in for a good old-fashioned winter storm. 

When I got up Friday I pulled back my curtains and let out a little laugh, it had hardly snowed at all overnight. Again, I gave them the benefit of the doubt - they still had three days to whip up a good storm. Flurries continued for the rest of the day. I got great entertainment from watching the crawling traffic on the street in front of my flat. 

By the time I took the picture out my window at 1 pm (see Picture of the Day, January 18) many classes at the University had been canceled and bus service had been suspended. (Please see picture to understand my next statement). REALLY!!!!!!!!!!!! I know that they don't have snowplows here, and the roads twist and turn, but all buses? 

My favorite part of the whole thing is that people freaked out and bought groceries like they were going to be trapped in their homes for days. A flatmate and I went for a walk to the local market Friday evening (we'd been trapped in the house all day and needed to get out, plus I was craving stuff shells) and there wasn't any skim milk left and many other sections of the store were picked clean! 

Today, day two of the "winter storm", we haven't seen a single flurry. 

So, now I shall make my judgment: 

My Official Report as a Minnesotan on the "Blizzard-like Conditions"  in the West Midlands: 

1. It didn't even snow 3 inches between 9am-5pm
2. There was almost no wind
3. It didn't get much below freezing all day
4. No snow piled up on roads with frequent traffic

Hum, not a blizzard. really more like your average January day in Minnesota (not saying we wouldn't complain about it - complaining about the weather is the official Minnesota pastime).

That does, not, however, mean that I didn't enjoy a lovely day at home with white flakes making the world look like a snow globe. For me, winter isn't complete without snow and, after a green/brown Christmas, there's no one (expect maybe my flatmate Zain) more excited to finally have a real covering of snow; even if it doesn't stay long.