I'm not sure if you know this or not, but there's really no difference in the forecast you'll get from one local tv station to the next. In fact, that's true of almost every weather outlet, even the big guys like The Weather Channel and Wunderground... Do you know why that is? They all get the weather forecast from the same place.

The National Weather Service was started way back in 1890 under a different name. It's was a governmental bureau before adopting its current name in 1970. Collectively, the people working for The National Weather Service are responsible for predicting the weather across the United States. This is how it works...

They use an inflated governmental budget to study weather patterns across the globe as it pertains to our US states and territories. Through the use of weather balloons, weather stations, and over 130 years of searchable data, they issue forecasts and predictions for regions across the country.

Our local National Weather Service office is located in Norman. It covers pretty much all of Oklahoma West of I-35 and into portions of North Texas. This is why most tv station forecasts are overwhelmingly the same.

Sure, some stations will take a little latitude, adding a degree here or there since our weather region can vary five to ten degrees on any given day from North to South, but for the most part, it's all the same forecast... but there is another...

The Oklahoma Mesonet is a "cooperative venture" that mixes the weather observation power of Oklahoma State University with the University of Oklahoma. Their bread and butter is generally the afterthought of a big winter storm as they mostly observe what happens instead of trying to predict it... but the Mesonet has decided to get a little skin in the game.

Enter the power of the meme.

Let's say you wanted to pass along as much relevant information as possible to a public that mostly ignores anything scientific... Make a meme about it and the hoards shall eat it up.

In the funniest and probably most accurate scale of Oklahoma's winter weather potential ever, Mesonet has opted to declare a DEF-CON1 situation on the Braum's Milk and Bread scale of seriousness.

The millions shall share it because it's hilarious, but it gets the point across that there's something to be worried about here.

The entire state is looking at getting a piece of the impending winter storm... Snow totals vary from dusting to feet much like it did last February, but there's a more gruesome prediction that will likely hit first.

In our swath of the wintery prediction, Lawton and much of SWOK is expecting up to an inch of ice prior to the snow that is still too iffy to predict totals on yet. After all, the snow is days away, and after bumbling last year's record storm, nobody is putting their reputation on accuracy this time around.

The point is, if you're a milk and bread person, get it today well before the rush. You don't want your grocery store trip to end in fisticuffs with the corn-fed people that are traveling to Lawton because their little podunk stores ran out days ago.

All the same, instead of buying perishables to prep for a storm, buy stuff that will last. The canned goods are almost always the last to go from store shelves.

Furthermore, worst-case scenario, even if it's like last year's storm, you'll be able to go out and get food and stuff within two or three days. There's no reason to rush the stores in a panic, just be smart and rediscover your crock-pot.

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