We’re Not Out of the Woods Yet

2/6/2020 (Permalink)

We are not out of the woods yet but there is a small path leading to the light.

The prognosticators have spoken and one has already been proven to be wrong…Will the other? The Farmers’ Almanac predicted that the winter of 2020 would be frigid throughout our region of Appalachia. The phrase “Polar Coaster Winter Ahead” was used by this legendary meteorological medium to describe the winter that we are currently engaged in. This once reliable source has been just flat out wrong this time…so far.

So what of our other prophet of precipitation? Punxsutawney Phil, America’s favorite varmint weatherman, emerged from his hole to see no shadow, which means the coming of an early spring. Although this winter has seemed like just an extended fall, with mild temperatures and little to no snowfall, Phil’s prediction seems to be more likely than the Almanac’s, but we’re not out of the woods yet.

As anyone who has grown up West Virginia will tell you, we’re just as likely to see heavy snowfall in March as we are in December. My own birthday is on the Spring Equinox, March 20th. With my 40th birthday quickly approaching, I for one can tell you that I’ve spent just as many birthday parties sleigh riding as I have playing whiffle ball in the front yard.

So far this winter has been gentle on freezing pipes and snowmelt flooding but this fortune teller thinks that Mother Nature isn’t quite done. She’s lured us into a false sense of security only to hit us when we least expect it. I can’t remember a single year without a major snow event and I don’t expect this year to be any different. So… before you start planning your spring cleaning you might want to spend your next February day that is 70 degrees double-checking the insulation of your exposed pipes and the cleanliness of your drains. However, if you choose not to heed this Birthday Boy’s warning, and disaster does descend upon you, Just remember that the mitigation and restoration professionals of SERVPRO® of North Kanawha and Teays Valley are here to make it just like this winter, “Like it never even happened.”