DENVER, Colorado – Denver is currently in the middle of a monster snowfall, with parts of the city’s surrounding area already receiving near a foot and more snowfall expected. High forecasts were claiming up to 18-20 inches, while the lowest forecasts were, at the lowest, just around five inches. So how did the city react? Was everyone cool and calm headed into this storm?
If the produce section of the local grocery stores ay anything, the answer is no. According to Kyle Clark of Next on 9News, keeping an eye on the number of bananas that remain in the grocery stores heading into a storm acts as a solid storm prep gauge, with bananas nearly disappearing across the city ahead of the worst storms.
So is this storm prep reaction valid? A majority of school districts in the area have cancelled classes, and government offices have closed ahead of the storm. Meanwhile, hundreds of flights have been cancelled at Denver International Airport (DIA), and Colorado’s I-70 is shutdown in several locations throughout the mountains.
According to the Denver Post, areas in and around the city have received at least half a foot of snow, with some areas (especially West and South of the city) receiving a foot or more. With that much snow, I certainly believe that closing schools and government buildings is the right move to make, and I don’t fault DIA or the Colorado Department of Transportation for shutting down flights and roads.
I’m just struggling with the concept of the bananas. My preparation for this storm, as someone who lives in the Denver area, included… nothing. I had plenty of food already. Sure, the storm is pretty bad right now, but it’ll be 45°F on Saturday. The snow will be gone over the weekend. Do we really need to prepare by buying out all of the bananas?
The reality is that a whole load of people are going to go grocery shopping the day before a major snowstorm and bananas are a fairly popular item to purchase. So it’s probably not doom prepping so much as it’s just a lot of people doing their usual shopping, all in the same afternoon.
What do you think, does Denver overreact to snow storms?
Related: Arapahoe Basin Is CLOSED 3/14 Due To Extreme Weather Conditions
Image Credit: Andie Bush via TikTok