The hyperventilating started as soon as the cry went out: SNOW!

It's gonna snow.

It might snow.

It could stick, or it might melt.

It could just dust your garden, or it could all but bury the gnome in the front yard.

Nothing warms the heart of a broadcast news honcho more than a chilling blast of arctic air -- and the possibility of SNOW!

Newscasts become prolonged weather reports, with each initial flake tracked by Doppler radar.

Panicky commuters rush out to buy chains and snow tires.

Kids anticipate schools being closed.

SUV drivers eat raw meat to get the taste of road combat.

I've concluded that most people shouldn't drive when it snows though.

They either go too fast, or move too slow.

A little snow and people become over-confident and terribly timid behind the wheel.

They're the reason that other people wish 7-Eleven would sell heat-seeking missiles - so they could fire them up the tailpipe of the dope in front of you who has just stopped in the middle of some hilly road.

SNOW!

Catch it on your tongue, or catch it at 4, 5, 6:30 and 11:00.

Makes hurricanes in Florida seem almost quaint.

Want to share your thoughts with Ken Schram? You can e-mail him at kenschram@komo4news.com