Weather Changes Everything

By: Justin Cooper | WSPA-TV
Published: January 09, 2009

Weather is interesting. There, I said it. Mother Nature has a plan and she really could care less about “our” plans at the time she makes “her” plans, if you get what I am saying.
Case in point is my recent West Coast leg of my world tour. No, I am not a rock star. I just traveled out to California and Nevada to visit family and friends for the holidays. I also threw in a football game for good measure (Go Raiders!).

First stop was San Francisco, which is usually pretty mild year round and can be foggy at times. The day I arrived…rain showers and cold temps. “OK, no problem,” I thought. Then, the next day at the Raiders game in Oakland, to which I sat outside, rainy and cold all day. Thankfully, I didn’t get sick. Weather check in South Carolina: partly cloudy and mild. 40s and 50s for me, 60s and 70s back home in the Upstate.

Whatever.

Next up was Reno and Lake Tahoe, which I figured would be chilly. However, they had not had ANY significant snowfall or winter storm all season…until the day I arrived. Reno weather-snow showers, temps in the 30s. Upstate-mostly clear, upper 60s.

“OK,” I thought. “Surely my hometown of Las Vegas will be nice and mild with sunshine and all the shrimp I can eat at the Golden Gate casino, right?” Wrong again, bucko. I actually got stuck at the Reno airport because the Las Vegas airport was CLOSED due to weather. That hasn’t happened in 30 years. Just my “luck” as they say. Weather in Greenville-Spartanburg: sunny skies, low 70s.

At the end of my journey, I started getting excited to be back in the warm weather here in the Southeast. So, what do you think Mother Nature had planned for me? A cold spell with rain showers as I arrived. Weather check in Las Vegas: sunny skies, low 60s.

The moral of the story is, weather ALWAYS changes and can affect the best laid plans. That’s why you have to always count on Storm Team 7 for the latest updates. (Sorry, shameless plug!) But, even being a part of Storm Team 7 did not give me a free pass to pleasant conditions.