Foot-deep ruts in the alley near my house from a snow/ice storm in January 2024 CREDIT/GINA LONG
By Gina Long
Christmas music, decorations and the second annual Light Up Hutchinson Christmas Parade and Festival helped me get into the holiday mood, but I am still not completely immersed in the season.
We need snow.
We have had none of the white fluffy stuff since spring, and even that capped yet another historically dry winter.
Because I grew up in Western Nebraska, snow was automatic. Snowless Christmas was very unusual. Moving to Kansas and having a white Christmas in, at best, four of the fourteen holiday seasons I have experienced feel incomplete.
We need moisture badly. I prefer rain and not ice, so snow is a decent compromise. The 13 inches of fluffy powder we received after 2023’s Thanksgiving was nice; dry, it didn’t stick or pack down, and it moved nicely with a push broom. Most importantly, it didn’t strand me in my garage.
The cold snap/wet snow/sleet/ice/wind storm that arrived in mid-January brought many problems. It finished off my limping battery, leaving me stranded for several days. I park off an alley, so the city didn’t plow for nearly a week, leaving me to shovel wet heavy snow from the garage to the street.
The 20233-2024 snow season gave us more precipitation than in the past 2-3 winters, but that goodwill disappeared in March. Reno County received less than one-tenth inch of rainfall in April and most of May.
Dry winters lead to dry spring, and the scan moisture we receive in summer usually disappears from October to January.
We need moisture, whether it be rainfall, snowfall or drizzle. As long as it doesn’t freeze and turn into sleet, freezing drizzle or, worse of all, bad ice storms. Remember March 2007?
While writing, I received a weather alert about dense fog through 8 a.m. this morning. Fog is dangerous, and I ask that motorists use fog lights, give themselves extra time and be very cautious at intersections.
So, as I finish holiday errands and prepare to hunker down for colder weather and visits with family and friends, my holiday wish is that we receive a Christmas snowfall. Not enough to snarl travel — just enough to sparkle in Christmas lights, to make snowmen and snow angels, and to make Christmas 2024 feel like a vintage postcard.
