Sports Guys & The Dry Slot

If it wasn't so infuriating, the ignorance about the weather shown by sports people during yesterday's winter storm would have been more amusing. It's infuriating because hindsight is always 20/20 with the weather.  Just like it is in sports.  In sports we can always second guess the decisions players and coaches make. Choose a different strategy, and maybe you get a different result.  But second guess the weather forecast? Until we come up with a way (other than burning fossil fuels) to directly control the weather, the weather is what the weather is going to be.  The weather guys just take their best educated guess as to what will happen.

When the forecasts for this storm first came out, there were some crazy amounts forecasted in the region.  And some of those crazy amounts materialized around Kansas City, where thundersnow dropped a foot of the white stuff.  But yeah, not here.  And those forecasts mitigated as the week went on.  Most predictions called for 8 to 11 inches in Omaha.

So yesterday, suddenly we had all of this taunting from sports guys about the "dry slot" and the "blizzard that wasn't to be".  Well, nobody said it was going to be a blizzard.  But some heavy snow, yes.  But the sports guys locked on to Jim Cantore of the Weather Channel, who was standing in downtown Lincoln away from any weather equipment, and called "Winter Storm Q" a bust.

DRY SLOT of the storm will drastically cut down our snow totals in Lincoln, Omaha and Des Moines: intellicast.com/National/Radar… #IAwx #NEwx
— Jim Cantore (@JimCantore) February 21, 2013

If this snow doesn't even amount to cranking up the snowblower, I'll be very disappointed.
— John Bishop (@JohnBishop71) February 21, 2013

In honor of the over-hyped #Snopocalypse I'll be taking your nominations for the most over hyped players in sports today. #Overhyped
— Michael Grey (@TheMichaelGrey) February 21, 2013

@husker_mike Two words:Dry slot.Go look.
— AJ (@AJtheHater) February 21, 2013

Well, guess what...  That "dry slot" never materialized in Omaha.  It snowed all afternoon.  My informal measurements show that in West Omaha, we got 9".  Other reports of  8 inches throughout town.  Basically, at the low end of the forecast.

Yeah, it did hit Lincoln...but overall the forecasts were right.  So what are the sports guys saying about the snowstorm now?

Here's to the REAL Snow Angels...and by that I mean neighbors with snowblowers. #TakeThatPlowGuy
— Michael Grey (@TheMichaelGrey) February 22, 2013

So much for that "dry slot" and all that ridicule, eh?