When a light dusting of snow blankets the South, you’d think it was a blizzard setting in. The reaction is often nothing short of comical and, at times, baffling. Let's take a deeper dive into why the South tends to overreact to even the slightest flake of snow.
First off, it's essential to understand how rare snow is in the Southern states. Unlike places like Minnesota or Colorado, where snow is an everyday winter inconvenience, most Southern states see snow maybe once or twice a year, if that. When it does happen, it's like the weather has made a special appearance, prompting everyone to go a bit wild.
Key Reasons for the Rare Snowfall:
Geographical Factors: The temperature rarely drops low enough for snow to form in many Southern regions.
Humidity Levels: The warmer, humid climate doesn’t lend itself to consistent snow like the northern states.
Unprepared Infrastructure: Southern states often lack the equipment and resources to handle snow, leading to a heightened sense of urgency when it does fall.
Once snow starts falling, chaos often ensues. Grocery stores see shoppers clearing out bread, milk, and eggs as if preparing for the Apocalypse. Social media feeds light up with overly dramatic posts like, “We’re snowed in!” or “The end is near!”
The First Signs of Panic:
Rush to Grocery Stores: Shelves empty within hours, as if people are prepping for a year-long hibernation.
Traffic Jams: Highway mishaps become a major headline, as locals struggle to navigate the icy roads, often causing gridlock.
School Closures: Schools tend to preemptively close, leading parents to scramble for child-care solutions.
Social media plays a huge role in amplifying the reaction to snow in the South. Memes, videos and hashtags surface almost immediately, and soon every social media platform is buzzing with commentary and humor.
A Few Entertaining Examples on Social Media:
Snow Day Memes: Photos featuring excited dogs playing in the snow paired with captions like, “When it snows in Alabama, I become a snow angel!”
Video Meltdowns: Clips of people trying to drive in the snow turn into viral sensations, highlighting the comical side of Southerners’ lack of snow-driving experience.
Weather Man Reports: Local news stations often turn these weather alerts into mini-events, bringing in meteorologists to deliver live reports that feel like they’re announcing the next lunar landing.
For many Southerners, snow isn’t just a weather occurrence; it’s a delightful anomaly. Snow may bring back childhood memories of building snowmen or having snowball fights, which can create an overly sentimental attachment to the white stuff.
Why Snow is a Big Deal:
Memory-Making: It’s more than just a weather event; it signifies joy, family time, and unique experiences.
Gone Too Soon: Since snow is rarely seen in the South, when it does fall, it often melts within hours. This fleeting quality turns each snow event into a cherished, albeit panic-filled, occasion.
So, while the South's overreaction to a simple dusting of snow might seem excessive to outsiders, it's all about context and culture. This unique response intertwines with regional identity, nostalgia, and the thrill of experiencing something out of the ordinary.
Next time a few snowflakes descend in the South, instead of chuckling from afar, join in the jubilation. Grab some hot cocoa, enjoy the majestic beauty of the snow, and perhaps snap a few selfies to document why a little snow garners such big reactions. After all, life’s too short not to enjoy these whimsical moments, even if they do come with a side of chaos.
Brett Campbell
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I grew up in Tennessee in the '50s and '60s and remember vividly the ice storm of March 1960. In that and other years, snow events occurred multiple times every year. Every man, woman and child would listen intently to Luther on the radio to determine whether school had cancelled classes or that a place of business was closed. It is amazing that a one or two degree change in temperature in the upper and lower atmosphere can make such a profound difference in the outcome of a winter event such as what occurred in 1960. Thank goodness current technology helps meteorologists more accurately forecast our weather, but even the best prognosticators cannot bat a thousand when matched against fickle mother nature.
Mr. Campbell expressed one feeling that I agree with, that snow can and should be enjoyed and savored. It would have been more palatable had Mr. Campbell had said these things at the top of the column rather than waiting until the 15th, 17th and 18th paragraphs to say so. Most of this opinion piece was throwing jabs at Southerners for their understandable lack of experience driving in the snow and for taking precautions in the event of being snowed in. For us old-timers whose families weathered the 1960 ice storm, it does not feel comical to stock up on perishables when an imminent weather event is forecast. On the contrary, it shows a certain common sense based on our memories from 65 years ago.
My neighborhood was without power for over a week; my mother had to hand wash diapers for my little brother and my dad prepared most of our meals during that time on a kerosene heater. We were not allowed to play outside as we would normally do after a typical snowfall due to the danger of falling trees, limbs and power lines.
I do admit that some of the typical memes and overreactions that show up on social media do elicit a certain amount of headshaking. Mr. Campbell's sarcastic and hyperbolic comments engage in and amplify the ludicrous memes that social media continually pumps out, only in a written version. Nobody, nobody, nobody overreacted to the extent that they expected a snow "apocalypse" or that "the end is near" as he suggested.
Mr. Campbell noted, and I quote ...1) "most Southern states see snow maybe once or twice a year, if that" and 2) "Southern states often lack the equipment and resources to handle snow". The first quote is a perfect explanation for why the second quote is true. How financially irresponsible would it be for any governmental entity in our area such as state, county or local government to invest heavily in underutilized equipment or to hire an overabundance of personnel for the sole purpose of handling the infrequent occasions when roads are covered in snow? Hardly a day goes by that I am not made aware of the current high cost of living, which includes income, sales and property taxes. If Southern governmental entities purchased enough of the aforesaid underutilized equipment to handle those infrequent snow events, which citizen would be happy to have their taxes increased to cover the cost? I for one would not.
I have lived in Oklahoma and have visited Kansas, Utah and Minnesota numerous times in the winter, and have been in Switzerland, Austria, Germany several times in the winter months. Mr. Campbell accurately stated that southern states have "a warmer, humid climate". There is no comparison between most Midwest or Western snow, which is usually dry powder, and most Southern snow which has a much higher moisture content due to "warmer, humid climate". The "snowman snow" we usually get here in Tennessee will compact into ice with the slightest amount of pressure from a toddler's gloved hand. Skiers love powder because it won't compact easily into ice due to its much lower moisture content. Further, when wet, Southern snow melts and does not evaporate, dry off or drain off quickly enough from a roadway during the day, black ice forms, and it can be deadly especially at night because it is almost invisible.
Superintendent Justin Robertson has under his indirect care over 40,000 children in the Hamilton County School system. I for one am glad that he and his administration shouldered their responsibility by making the cautious (and perhaps unpopular to some) decision to preemptively cancel school on Friday the 10th and again on Monday. No inconvenience is worth the health, safety or life of even one person, whether it be a student, parent, bus driver, teacher or other employee.
Woody Sibold