Photo by: iStock

North V. South And The Snow Storm

Photo by: iStock

Those of us not on the East Coast have found ourselves watching in amazement as a monster snowstorm dumped literally feet of the white stuff in New York and the surrounding areas. Even southern snow rookies in states like Tennessee and Georgia found themselves scooting to the store to invest in a snow shovel and lay in a supply of bread and peanut butter.

Within the last few weeks, a wide swath of communities and states have found themselves discovering the nuances of being “snowbound” and experiencing what many would call SNOWMAGEDDON!

Earlier in the week I was chatting with a good friend in Tennessee who, during a Skype meeting, shared that her local school had been shut down for two days because of cold and snowfall. “It’s horribly cold here,” she stated gravely. “It’s only 16 degrees and there’s six inches of snow on the ground!”

Do you know what we call 16 degree weather and single digits of snowfall in Minnesota? SPRING.

The threat of multiple impending winter storms seem to be prompting sheer panic for those in the southern states, while us Northerners are secretly thrilled that the resorts, ski lodges and the snow-toy dealers will have a banner selling year. As the National Weather Service continues to declare that “tens of millions of people could be affected,” these two geographical areas of the U.S.A deal with the news in very different ways 


Storm Prep (a.k.a “laying in supplies):

In the south, it appears that residents bum-rush stores, grabbing up soda, bread and frozen pot pies to “ride out the storm.” Northerners know that their main staples will be canned soup and dry pasta (great base for hot dishes and casseroles), butter and wine (for mom). Oh, don’t forget the bacon; a.k.a The World’s Most Perfect Food.

Transportation:

Southerners have been known to abandon their vehicles in the middle of the freeway when snow fall accumulates enough to cover the color of the asphalt. Northerners opt to “Put ‘er in low gear and git ‘er done.” We also know the ancient ancestral secret of “added weight in the back end.” That being said, several bags of cat litter or dog food post-storm is a natural investment and, once stacked in one’s trunk, provides a low-cost boost to traction that can help them get from Point A to Point B on a daily basis.

Daily Routine:

If you find yourself changing your daily routine and canceling all attempts to leave the house when snowflakes begin to waft from the sky, you might reside in some of the southern states. In the north, it takes a full-blown SNOWPOCALYPSE to slow folks down. Northerners bundle up their offspring until only their eyeballs are visible and hustle them off to school as usual. In Minnesota, school is only canceled due to bad weather when the temps are as cold as the Planet Hoth or the snow is “butt-deep-on-a-tall-human.”

Digging Out:

We’ve all seen the images on social media and the evening news of southern residents digging themselves out by using soup-ladle-sized shovels and snow-throwers powered by cords. Northerners tend to be a hearty lot who know that, when the snow gets to shin-deep, it’s time to call in the Big Guns. These Tools of Snow Destruction come in the form of a Craftsman Pro Series 28" 357cc Three-Stage Snowblower and almost everyone has an uncle’s-sister’s-cousin’s-brother who has a full-blown plow affixed to the front of their 4×4 for moving that pesky snow.

All joking aside, these quirks and differences are noted only in fun with no malice intended.

We all need to laugh at ourselves on occasion, right? In fact, one of my Northern friends told me that we need poke fun at ourselves often because, if we don’t, the giggles will go down and expand our hips.

The struggle is real, people.

As a Northerner myself, the biggest piece of advice I would give to those unfamiliar with dealing with heavy snowfall and low temps for 6 months of the year is this; board games, hot cocoa and quality family time make even the longest storm seem short.

Wine helps too.

Rebecca is a freelance writer and blogger living in Northern Minnesota. She is the dedicated mom to two beautiful kids, a veteran blogger at Frantic Mommy and someone who loves to laugh about the trials and tribulations of parenthood. If another mom reads her corny stories and thinks, “Thank gawd it’s not just me!”….mission accomplished. You can also follow Rebecca on Pinterest

Like This Article

Like Mamapedia

Learn From Moms Like You

Get answers, tips, deals, and amazing advice from other Moms.

For Updates and Special Promotions
Follow Us
Want to become a contributor?
Want to become a contributor?

If you'd like to contribute to the Wisdom of Moms on Mamapedia, please sign up here to learn more: Sign Up

Recent Voices Posts

See all