It is nearing 3:00, and our buses are still delivering children home. They appear to be running, at the end of our routes, about 20 minutes behind. Of course, the weather gods messed with all of us yet again. At about 9:30 this morning when the decision was made by the area districts to release students early, the forecasters were predicting 4 to 8 inches of snow and high winds during the afternoon hours. Nearly every district in the area - and most across the southern two thirds of the state - had an early release. By early afternoon, after our buses were already on the road, the snow totals and the wind speeds were downgraded. Still, it was a slippery ride home for everyone, and the extra time and daylight probably didn't hurt.
I've been involved in making weather related decisions for twenty years now. It is not the best part of my job but it does occasionally provide a light moment. Just a few years back, you may remember, WCCO's (then new) automated television announcement system had a glitch in it. This mistake set off a flurry of phone calls here at my expense, but I've had more than a bit of good fun with it over the passing years. Some of you may not have seen the announcement made that day. Flashed across the television screens for most of the state to see was the following message:
Based on the fun I've had today, this may in fact be the case (for me at least) Friday morning!
Thanks to all of you who calmly handled the heightened emotions that always emerge when the winter weather disrupts lives and schedules. I appreciate your extra efforts to keep kids safe on these challenging days. Stay well. Greg
PS. And, keep thinking spring!
