Yes, a local radio personality actually used that word yesterday to describe the winter storm that is approaching the Twin Cities.

I’m as excitable as the next person when it comes to winter storms—after all, it’s important to make sure that you have enough tea, soup, beer and cheese to survive until the plows dig you out.

But the breathless warnings as each storm approaches wear a bit thin after a while.

A couple of weeks ago we had our first snow “storm,” after which my friend Tom mused about the hype:

.A MAJOR STORM SYSTEM PRODUCING HEAVY SNOW...POTENTIALLY NEAR
RECORD IN SOME LOCATIONS...CONTINUES ACROSS CENTRAL AND
SOUTHERN MINNESOTA AND WESTERN WISCONSIN...
WHILE PRECIPITATION IS LIGHT THIS MORNING AND EARLY AFTERNOON
...DO NOT BE DECEIVED INTO THINKING THE STORM IS DONE 
AS HEAVY SNOWFALL WILL DEVELOP LATE THIS AFTERNOON INTO TONIGHT. 
... THIS EVENT MAY BECOME COMPARABLE TO THE
HALLOWEEN SNOW STORM OF 1991.

I guess I should be grateful that at least they didn’t use the word “pounded.”

In other weather-related news, this snippet from wcco.com made me smile:

If you’re planning on driving over the holidays, [WCCO meteorologist Chris] Shaffer said be sure to check the radar, as there could be pockets where the snow isn’t quite so bad. … “The one thing I want to stress is that those driving should keep an eye on the radar,” he said.

Here’s a word of advice: If the snow is so thick that you need radar to drive your car, it’s probably best that you stay home.