An Open Letter to These Hudson Valley Haters

You can't really do anything lately without the internet twisting things into a full-fledged debate. And we can all nod along and blame whoever we're in opposition to, but really, it's almost everyone - probably even including you reading this.

I've been pretty good about practicing my patience and biting my tongue when it's clear someone will do whatever mental gymnastics necessary to oppose even factual points. But over the weekend, a slew of unnecessary vitriol came hurdling at one little Facebook page that has really only ever offered its services and help to the community. And I'm tired of it.

It All Started With a Snowstorm

Last week, you couldn't hide from the news about the pending snow dump the Hudson Valley was forecasted to receive. Everyone was covering it.

If you've already forgotten, the area was looking like it was headed for nearly 10 inches of snow. And if you take a look at this weather map, you can piece together why many meteorologists believed we would be getting quite the snow emergency.

While we're not all practicing weather experts, many of us at least know that BLUE = SNOW.

Cut to Sunday morning and many of us found that we did not get the suspected 9-10 inches of snow. It ended up being more to the tune of 2-4 inches. And the Hudson Valley went nuts.

This is where I've got multiple bones to pick.

First of all, I haven't forgotten the incessant moaning that erupted the day that little groundhog in Philly popped out to see his shadow. A lot of you people were pretty upset at the prediction of 6 more weeks of winter. So why are you now complaining that a massive snowstorm turned out to be not so bad?

Second of all, don't come for the meteorologists, ok? Yes, everyone made a big deal about the idea of almost 10 inches of snow. Governor Hochul even ordered emergency salt deliveries in response to the prospect of 10 inches of snow. But isn't that better than being unprepared?

If 2 inches of snow were predicted and then we suddenly got 10 inches, it'd be a state of emergency! Roads would be completely impassable and maybe we wouldn't even have enough salt for the roads.

Local Weather Source Breaks Down What Happened

So, in the wake of lower snow totals, local weather source Hudson Valley Weather took to Facebook at 4 in the morning to provide some insight into why the expected 10 inches didn't happen.

In a lengthy post that began with, "Well...that didn't go according to plan" Hudson Valley Weather went into scientific detail about what kept a massive amount of snow from dumping on the Hudson Valley. For your TLDR: the air was simply dryer than it initially seemed. Without that moisture, snow won't form.

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In the comments of the post, Hudson Valley Weather went on to share a really sweet, human response to the people complaining about the snow total mishap.

"I’ll be honest with you all, I used to lose sleep and let what some of you felt and expressed ruin my day. Now the only thing I get upset about is not being as perfect as possible with the forecast." The comment began. "My disappointment comes from not being perfect in an imperfect science, it’s that hunger and desire that makes forecasting so intriguing. We are trying to corral a force that makes its own rules."

They went on to address the negative commenters, reminding them that there are much bigger and more important things to focus on than a snow forecast inaccuracy and wrapped up with a cheeky quip.

"Only thing that matters today is…..GO BILLS! Cause even NFL refs have a lower accuracy than us."

It was beautiful to then see a rush of supportive comments in reaction.

So while this particular forecast might have changed and missed the initial mark, one thing is for damn sure and Hudson Valley Weather hit it right on the nose.

There are an incalculable amount of issues around the world, in our communities, and in our minds that we work through every day. Perhaps now is the time to grant your peers some grace. While you can't control every problem, you can always control how you react. So instead of piling on someone when they've made a mistake, maybe help 'em out and show them some kindness. And if you can't find it in your heart to do that, just don't say anything at all.

P.S. If you want a ton of snow so bad, maybe move to one of these places: