It was a trend, some four, five years ago: forecasting the 'horror winter'. Each winter the weathermen were certain it'd happen, yet this year it remained awfully quiet in the matter. Yet still I think the trend might make it's return today on the six o'clock news: yesterday it started freezing and the temperatures haven't climbed above the zero mark since.

The result of the past day or two :)

I'm going to be honest with you: I live for this kind of weather. I thrive under sub-zero temperatures. Five years ago, the horror winter was my dream. I fondly called it the Dutch Horror Winter of Doom and eagerly awaited the first signs of it.
It would start in November, the first rumours of the upcoming horror winter. Suddenly the weather forecast would be full of pictures of past winters, the words 'snow and ice' made up 75% of the text the weatherman would say and it would always, always end with: 'This weather is going to be a long and cold one. It might become the horror winter of the decade.'
The weather forecast promised us at least a month of sub-zero temperatures. Not just any sub-zero temperatures: minus 6 degrees Celsius was the highest it would get. Snow in abundance: at least two feet. Schools would be closed, roads inaccessible. To me, that meant ice-skating until I'd fall over from exhaustion. Building snowmen twice my size. Beating my dad in a snowball fight. Sledding down the dykes. Do all that and more - for a month. That was what the horror winter promised me. On what world doesn't that sound great?

The horror winter didn't come that first year. But the next year I was promised a horror winter again. The first horror winter forecast came in the first week of November that year. The next year it came in October. Each year the first horror winter forecast came earlier, the scenerios became worse. It was like a contest between the weathermen from all the different tv channels: the first to present his horror winter forecast would win, bonus points were added for most creative and original scenerios. But my Dutch Horror Winter of Doom never came...

So the years passed by and 2015 ended without any mention of a horror winter of any sorts. 2016 started with snow in the north, then ice. A day later, the east was covered in snow too. Here in the Fisher family we're currently placing our bets: when will the first weatherman say the words 'horror winter' on national television? Tomorrow? The day after? I really don't know... After the extremely warm December we've had, it's already a surprise to wake up each morning and see that the water of the pond is completely frozen. Yet something tells me we'll hear extreme forecasts soon enough, just like all those other years.

Dutch Horror Winter of Doom, I've been waiting for you since 2010, so bring it on!
Stay Awesome!