DES MOINES — A random Facebook weather page announced Monday that Iowa could receive approximately eleventy billion inches of snow this winter, citing a colorful map, historical trends and a feeling that this one could be a big one.
The forecast, released before September had even ended, warned that a strengthening subtropical jet could produce significant winter storms if enough cold air occurs, a development meteorologists confirmed would indeed be necessary for snow. The page cautioned that snowfall totals could vary depending on several factors, including weather.
“I’ve been doing this a long time,” the page’s administrator said. “And when you combine northwest flow with a strong jet stream and a map I made on my computer, you’re looking at a potentially historic winter.”
Within minutes, thousands of Iowans shared the forecast, tagging relatives and announcing they were already sick of winter. Several residents began purchasing bread and milk, while one man in Newton started his snowblower for the first time since March and immediately broke it.
The page later clarified that the eleventy billion-inch projection was only a rough estimate and that actual snowfall could be significantly higher, lower or completely different.
At press time, the administrator was preparing a summer forecast warning that Iowa could experience temperatures ranging from 40 to 115 degrees, depending on how hot it gets.
