SNOWPOCALYPSE

Before: This is what Missouri Science & Tech looked like before the SNOWPOCALYPSE. On T's friend's facebook wall, some are referring to it as Snowpocalypse 2.0. It's been that kind of winter. I do hope Taryn photo documents this REAL "Snow Event".



Major Storm - Click on all 4 days!

I thought, as a concerned mother, perhaps I should investigate what I was reading on facebook. So I went to weather.com. Boy, have I been out of touch! The MOTHER OF ALL STORMS IS HEADED STRAIGHT FOR MY BABY!!!! I don't even have time to overnight a winter storm kit! At least she has her trusty ginormous flashlight and plenty of food and water, a double layered toasty warm jacket and subzero winter boots and gloves. I feel a little better now.

Of course, I couldn't leave well enough alone. I went to her county's severe weather warning alert to read about it. Somebody thought they would only getting 6"... I'm not so sure about that honey... weather.com said this baby is HISTORICAL. As in a 500 Year Storm affecting one third of the country! By the way, I made up the 500 year part, but not the 1/3 of the country part. Read up on this. It's good stuff. We're gonna get TORNADOS out of it. I've got the migraine that ushers in the storm systems that verifies this is THE MOTHER OF ALL STORMS!!

Severe Winter Alert: (note, her college is basically ON interstate 44. I've spruced it up a little, because boy is that alert dry reading.)

• 6-12" of snow AND sleet. 12" plus for central Missouri. (Hello?!)
• Significant sleet = 1/2" (I'd say that's significant, wouldn't you) along and south of interstate 44 (uh-huh & that's gonna freeze, right?! )
• On Tuesday, snowfall will exceed 1" per hour (But wait, there's more...)

ICE.....

• Freezing rain of 1/4" accumulations on the I-44 corridor, south of the corridor up to 1/2" (that is enough to cause power outages that lasts days to weeks...surely the campus is super techno and has underground power, right?! According to the weather.com map, T's campus is squarely located in between the colors denoting "nuisance and crippling" from ice storms. Hmmm, the damage key kinda reminds me of a certain event not so long ago, huh T? )

WINDS.... (oh, this is good)

• Strong winds from the (frozen tundra wasteland) north, with little visibility (good thing some guys can be identified by scent alone)
• Winds will be 20-30 mph (whoa! that's enough to take Taryn OUT!!)
• Higher gusts can be expected on Tuesday (seriously?) causing blowing and drifting of snow
• Snow drifts may exceed 4-8 feet in some locations (wait, that's not a snow drift!! It's a frozen ZOMBIE!!!!)

IMPACTS.... (good question, unless the power goes out, what would it take to IMPACT a MS&T student?!)

• Travel will be increasingly treacherous on Monday (gotta WORK for that cafeteria food!)
• By Tuesday, WHITEOUT conditions and near BLIZZARD conditions will make travel near impossible at times ("hey did someone say BLIZZARD? Dairy Queen's just across the street!!! Let's form a human chain and drag everyone across on the snow shoes made out of 100% recycled materials the freshmen engineering students designed YEAH!!!!! We'll put the toilet lids back on when the plumbing works again)
• Localized power outages especially south of the 44 corridor can't be ruled out. (quit with the corridor my kid lives on!)
• Bitterly cold temperatures follow this storm to LAST UNTIL FRIDAY MORNING (you've got to be freakin' kidding me)

JUST HOW COLD IS IT?!

• Sub-Zero temps likely by Thursday A.M. (did we just read what we thought we read...SUB-ZERO, that would be colder than 0, negative something, minus degrees... I think your eyeballs freeze when you go outside. Brain cells are destroyed. We have genius' in harm's way here!)
• Wind chill drops into 10 to 20 below zero at times (pretty sure I'm right about the eyeball thing)
• Consider taking a winter storm kit with you. (consider NOT LEAVING THE SAFETY OF YOUR WARM BED!!! How about that?! If your cruel, heartless, raised by a pack of wolves professors do not call a Snow Day, oh the horror of it all, consider using your handy dandy tall boyfriend as windblock, snowdrift shield, Tower of Heat, and ice slippage preventer!!! How's that for an excellent idea?! Tell him there's a TLC kit in it for him! And last but not least, consider calling your mommy and letting her know you are all right!!!)

One last thing: I'm really not that worried. Here's a photo I found of some enterprising MS&T students. Even if they lost all power, they know how to stay warm....