Winter Storm Jan 16 2008

It's January 16th, I'm at work, and we're under a Winter Storm Warning.
What, precisely, does this mean? Here's a direct quote from the National Weather Service:
A BAND OF MODERATE SNOW AND SLEET IS FORECAST TO MOVE NORTH OVER THE INTERSTATE 85 CORRIDOR FROM NORTHEAST GEORGIA ACROSS THE UPSTATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA BY MIDNIGHT. THIS BAND OF SNOW AND SLEET IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE A QUICK 2 TO 4 INCHES OF SNOW. A RAPID TRANSITION TO SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN WILL THEN FOLLOW DURING THE EARLY MORNING HOURS THURSDAY. ICE MAY ACCUMULATE TO AROUND A TENTH OF AN INCH UNTIL TEMPERATURES RISE ABOVE FREEZING AROUND NOON. A COLD RAIN AND PERIODS OF SLEET WILL PERSIST INTO EARLY AFTERNOON.
THE TIMING OF THE WINTRY PRECIPITATION WILL LIKELY LEAD TO SIGNIFICANT TRAVEL PROBLEMS ACROSS THE WARNED AREA THURSDAY MORNING. WET SNOW AND ICE ACCUMULATIONS AROUND A TENTH OF AN INCH MAY RESULT IN SOME TREES AND POWER LINES TO FALL...BLOCKING ROADS AND LEADING TO SCATTERED POWER OUTAGES.
A WINTER STORM WARNING MEANS SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF SNOW... SLEET... AND ICE ARE EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. STRONG WINDS ARE ALSO POSSIBLE. THIS WILL MAKE TRAVEL VERY HAZARDOUS OR IMPOSSIBLE.

What does this mean to me? One, that everyone in the building who can possibly get the hell out of Dodge has left and will be leaving ASAP. Two, that if there's any sort of accumulation or driving hazard, I can expect to be here all night because the Graveyard shift will call in, and because my department is 24x7, I'll have to stay. Three, this serves to emphasize my point that I absolutely, positively, beyond any shadow of a doubt, **HATE** snow.
The only potential bright side to this is that work compensates for what are called Snow Days by paying time and a half to those unfortunate enough to get stuck here. Yay.
The downside to this situation is the insanity that infects Atlanta drivers at the mere mention of the "S" word as I call it, by any news media. Doesn't matter whether or not there's accumulation, if the news media uses the word in a sentence, such as "there is a threat of snow to the Atlanta metropolitan area", you can guarantee 2 things. A traffic nightmare that makes the normal rush hour look like a holiday, and a run at the grocery store on bread and milk.
Yeah, we're idiots. However in our defense, we so rarely get snow that things like traffic nightmares and grocery runs on bread and milk are to be expected.
I'll write more as this develops.
It's currently 17:45 -

By the way, I've also checked the Doppler Radar for the Midwest, and it's really coming down out there too - which of course means that you're going to probably be born today or tonight in the middle of it, Andrea. Never fails, babies always pick the most inconvenient moment to make their appearance. I love you, little darling!