My first real ‘snow day’ in decades

So, this is what it’s like. Reflecting on the shift from the high-stakes adrenaline of a local newsroom to the quiet of a "real" snow day.

A massive winter storm slammed its way across the Eastern United States this weekend, leaving significant accumulation in its wake. Here in Philadelphia, up to a foot of snow—or more—could fall before the system finally moves out. Schools are already closed, sports games have been rescheduled and most stores (outside of the essential grocery runs) have shuttered their doors.

I woke up this morning with a feeling I haven’t had since college: this is an actual “snow day.”

The local news ‘Super Bowl’

More than two decades working for NBC10 in Philadelphia has left me a bit jaded when it comes to winter weather. The flakes—especially when they fall fast and heavy—are like a local news “Super Bowl.”

The "news game" during a storm is a relentless cycle of:

• Snow estimates and rising totals

• Live snow cams and viewer photos

• Video of kids sledding and plows rolling

• Footage of cars struggling to climb those "slight" Philly-area hills

• The latest multi-colored radar plastered across screens and devices

  
  

For 20-plus years, any time it snowed in the region, I was called into service. I was the go-to guy to work with the First Alert Weather Team to break down the storm preview. Once the flakes started to fall, I handled video, wrote stories, edited blogs and tracked totals.

"Here we snow again:" Across social media, the website and the app, my focus was entirely on the "Snowmageddon," the "Snowpocalypse" or the many lesser storms.

Life in the ‘snowstorm hotel’

The only times I ever missed a storm was if I happened to be on vacation. Otherwise, I was in the office at all hours of the day (and night), weekday or weekend. In the pre-remote work days, that meant being holed up in a hotel on City Avenue or staying at my grandmother-in-law’s apartment near the station.

I remember trudging up the road or brushing off my car after 12-, 14-, or even 16-hour shifts. In the local news world, snow was both mentally and physically exhausting. I didn’t get to sit around in my pajamas playing board games with my kids or appreciate Mother Nature's beauty out the window from the comfort of my home.

Smiling after a run in the snow

A Change of Pace

This storm, I finally got my chance to focus on having a lazy snow day. Honestly? It feels really weird being without all the distractions.

I’m listening to music and drinking hot chocolate. I’m gazing out the window instead of monitoring a radar. I even managed a run in the drifting snow with zero concern about clocking in for a marathon shift. Soon, I’ll be taking my kids sledding.

There is still some work to be done; I have my shovel ready to clear the sidewalk for my family and my neighbors.

Enjoy the snow while it falls, because it turns dirty and icy the moment the sun comes out.

In the meantime, see you on the sledding hill.