“Snow squall warning.” When I first saw this, I blinked twice and stretched my eyes to re-read what I saw. Again, it read: “Snow squall warning.”
What on earth is a snow squall? Mississippi barely gets snow. When it does, Mississippians rush to grab food off the shelves and eagerly watch out the window for any signs of snow flurries. So this new term, snow squall, shocked me terribly. Is the snow squalling? Will I end up squalling because of the snow? Can it do that much damage?
Photo credit: istock images
They say you learn something new everyday. Not sure how true that is, but that day I learned a snow squall is when the snow causes near white-out conditions. And if that isn’t enough, currently, New England is dealing with the aftermath of a blizzard.
It has been a tremendous change, going for hurricane and tornado prep to storm prep. In Mississippi, storm prep looks like securing patio furniture and leaving a slight crack in your vehicle’s window (if there’s a tornado and you remember). Contrarily, in Massachusetts, preparing for a storm is, what a friend of mine calls, “babysitting the pipes” to ensure they don’t burst and mentally preparing to possibly dig your vehicle out of inches (or even feet) of snow.
Then comes the aftermath. The worst that’s ever happened to me after a storm in Mississippi is that I’ll step in a puddle and get my shoes, socks, or whatever is near the ground wet. Is it annoying? Absolutely. But it dries and life goes on. What do you think is the worst thing that can happen after a snow storm?
It is falling. Luckily for me, I recently slipped and fell on a day I decided it was safe enough to wear my regular tennis shoes. Though they have some traction, it wasn’t nearly enough for the invisible black ice that ruined my day.
Besides different ways of preparing, one of the most significant differences is sound. In Mississippi, storms are roaring. Blaring. Loud. From rumbling thunder to tree branches being snapped from the trunks to the enormous raindrops plopping on the ground, the noisiness of it all sets Mississippi storms apart from Massachusetts ones.
In New England, the snow storms are nearly silent. Not much noise coming from the snow. Most people are parked at home. The most you’ll hear is the whooshing sound of the wind and a siren or two.
This contrast is disorienting at times. Although navigating the icy New England sidewalks has been interesting, I find myself missing the feeling of discussing upcoming storms with my fellow Mississippians. I miss being able to help my fellow neighbors prepare and help them in fixing whatever needs to be fixed in the aftermath. Rain, sleet or snow, there’s truly no place like home.
