I sense a lot of confusion (and mockery) from friends and family in Illinois over the way Marylanders handle snow. Maybe I can shed some light on the situation, as it is not a simple case of "people in MD are pussies in the snow." Although, sometimes that is the case.

The first winter we were here, it didn't snow much. I do remember being sent home early one day because "it might snow later," and thinking how insane that seemed. A year later, we got 5-6" of snow overnight, and everything just shut down. That was when I learned why things are the way they are here, and that it's a combination of several factors.

Factor number one is money. It always is, isn't it? Maryland and the counties within just do not have the budgets for dealing with snow that the Midwest has. It doesn't often snow enough to warrant plowing, so there's no reason to budget much for it. Why buy a massive fleet of plows that will sit unused except maybe once or twice a year? But of course that means that when it does snow, it can take a while to get things cleaned up, which means that schools/government/businesses close (or at least open late) for a mere few inches of snow.

Then there are the residents. There are a lot more people in Maryland that have little to no experience driving in snow than there are in Illinois. You can't tell who's who, so venturing out on the road feels slightly more dicey. And the roads are a big factor too- they are hilly and curvy and smooth, which makes things a bit harder. All this is especially scary when encountered at once, as some jerk follows you way too closely, downhill, around a blind curve and on an icy road.

Another factor is the power lines: they are not often buried. This means that they get knocked out by ice, wind, cars, and falling trees. And the trees, oh the trees! Maryland is filthy with 'em, and they go right up to edges of the roads. That means they not only fall on power lines, but right into the street, causing all sorts of havoc.

Considering all this, it's no surprise that when the forecast calls for snow, people flock to the stores and stock up. It's not that they actually think they'll be snowed in for several days... They just prefer to not have to deal with leaving the house until things are back under control. Especially if they're parents about to spend several days with their kids (who will likely be out of school), and would prefer not to drag them to the store.

While it's still frustrating at times, it does make sense. And the longer I live here, the more I find myself doing things the Maryland way, because that is what works in this area. So today I went to the grocery store, and am getting ready to hunker down for another storm. Frederick got 29.5" last weekend according to the Weather Channel, and by tomorrow night we may have another 10-20"! I left early today, and took tomorrow off; hopefully the roads will be cleaned up again by Thursday. Good luck to everyone getting hit a second time- may your heat stay on, and your roof not collapse!