The final call.
Not The Final Call, the official newspaper of the Nation of Islam.
The final call, as in my latest thinking about the upcoming storm.
It's a complex and rapidly changing storm, and one that has been problematic for the forecast models.
That's meteorological jargon for "we don't have the faintest g.d. idea about what is going to happen."
But I shall try! It is what I do.
The "bull's eye" (area of heaviest snow) appears to be West Virginia, the upper hump of Virginia, DC and Maryland. And maybe South Jersey. That's in the 8-10 inch range still, and maybe a foot or more in isolated areas.
Philly, Lancaster, Chesco, and Delco look to be just north of this bull's eye, so that would put them in the 4-6 inch range.
Allentown is in the 2-4 inch range.
Reading and Berks are in an interesting position with this storm: I believe the "cutoff" that separates half a foot from 2 or 3 inches will run through Berks. It's impossible to be precise yet, but I would surmise that southern Berks (Gouglersville, Mohnton, Shi-town, Morgantown) will be in the 4-6 inch range, while northern Berks (Temple, Kutztown, Hamburg, Fleetwood) will be in the 2-4 inch range.
There have been (and there will be) other entries in the category I would like to christen the Man Meat Mullet: Chuck Norris, John Stamos circa "Full House," Simon Le Bon, Billy Ray Cyrus, Mario Lopez circa "Saved by the Bell." But no one has ever imbued that most ill-advised of hairstyles with as much je ne sais quois, as much raw sensuality, as much elegance, as The Hoff. NO ONE.Macungie will be in the 2-4 range. (I don't know anyone who lives in this Lehigh County borough, I don't think, but I visited there as a child and love the name. It derives from the Lenape word maguntshe, or "bear swamp." This etymology sounds like something I would make up and try to convince people of its authenticity, but not this time.)
Hampomoxin will be in the 4-6 range. (This is a little burgh outside Philadelphia whose name derives from Hamphomoccaxii, a word the Delaware people had that loosely translates to "the white man wears shoes made of lies.")
Now, see, that one was made up. There's no place called Hampomoxin. But the Macungie action is right on.
Where was I? Ah yes, the weather.
We'll see light rain and snow showers beginning by late this afternoon. Snow falls more steadily by 9 or 10pm. The bulk of the snow (such as it is for Berks) will fall overnight, and snow will be intermittent. It will end by about 9 or 10am Monday.
Here's the thing, though: the air behind this system is REALLY cold. Like, ass-cold. Monday morning at 7am it will be 16 degrees. Overnight from Monday into Tuesday, the temperature will drop to -2. Negative two! So right now it's 38 degrees. 40 degrees colder than that.
In fact, we won't get back up above freezing again until Friday afternoon. I don't see any more snow, really. Maybe a little bit on Saturday the 8th, but no big deal.
Oh! Updated school closing information for Berks:
Chance of delay Monday, 80%
Chance of cancellation Monday, 65%
Chance of delay Tuesday, 40%
Chance of cancellation Tuesday, 13.242%
Stay tuned throughout the storm for updates...