Douglas: Despite talk of a big Saturday storm, it could end up a dud

Looks can be deceiving. Like an early look at a potential storm. It looks like something in a catalog, snowfall totals all bright and shiny. As the storm approaches it looks more and more like your driver’s license photo. Underwhelming.

The Saturday storm that has some people losing their minds may be a dud, a no-show. In the words of my 94 year-old father: “What a disappointment.”

What happened? Storm track too far south and a limited fetch of moisture from the Gulf. Limited upper air support. The result? A scant 1 to 4 inches of snow by Saturday night. For the sake of snow lovers I hope I’m wrong, but snow trends are downward.

Canada will be exceedingly generous in handing out cold-weather grants in the coming weeks: Temperatures will run below average with mostly teens for highs. Another five to 10 subzero nights before the month is over?

Please resist the urge to panic when someone posts wild snow totals for a storm a week away. Accuracy and confidence increase as the event approaches. We want to know. But often we can’t.