Snow that fell Wednesday across the Golden Belt was the start of a storm that could affect 80 million people by the weekend. There are reports that Washington, D.C., could see 2 feet of snow.
Here in Barton County, the wintery mix of freezing rain and sleet prior to 1-3 inches of snow caused some schools to start an hour or two late on Thursday. Then the storm moved out of the state, according to the National Weather Service. Today’s forecast is partly cloudy, breezy and cold, and by Saturday we should be back in the 40s.
Ah, those balmy 40s. Kids enjoying the My BackYard playground at the Great Bend Activity Center have been known to come inside the center on warm winter days to request that the staff turn on the misting pole — which sprays water in the summer. Those requests are denied in the winter, according to Diann Henderson, director of the Great Bend Rec Commission.
So, while the east coast prepares to be walloped by snow, the rest of us are sliding along as best we can. The city crews had sand on several intersections by Thursday morning and by the afternoon stuff was melting.
It will no doubt be slick again Friday morning, but with a little caution, we should all be just fine.