Regardless of what people (at least some people) say, size counts. Nowhere is this more true than in the federal government when it snows. And nowhere is the difference more important than in two (almost) twin federal cities like Baltimore and Washington, D.C. They are about 30 miles apart with Baltimore being slighly further North than D.C.

Both towns are on the East Coast, which has been battered with snow and ice this year. Both have benefited from the fact that most of the storms that slammed Philadelphia, New York City and especially Boston (100 inches of snow and counting) were worse north of Baltimore, even as the snowfall in the D.C. area was generally less than south of the metro area. Richmond and Fredricksburg got more snow yesterday than the D.C. area. Folks at the Pentagon, on the Virginia side of the Potomac, got more than people living near the National Insitutes of Health on the north side of the river. Go figure!

Because of the split personality of this 2015 winter, areas to the north and south of Baltimore-Washington often got a lot more snow than we did. And while Mother Nature was slicing and dicing the snowfall, it meant differences even in our fed-packed mid-Atlantic area. For instance …

Federal employees who work in Baltimore were told to report for work on time yesterday. But feds whose offices in Washington were allowed to come in up to two hours late. How come? Let’s go to the tape:

This map shows the snowfall pattern yesterday. Baltimore got slightly more than D.C. Areas to the south of D.C. got slightly less than the city itself. Many Washington area schools closed, whereas it was business as usual in Baltimore.

So size, when it comes to snow patterns, really does matter:

NEARLY USELESS FACTOID

By Michael O’Connell

The Portland Airport is replacing its 1980s-era carpet, which has become something of an Internet sensation. People have gotten carpet-inspired tattoos and created T-shirts and socks featuring the design. There’s even a microbrew beer — PDX Carpet Pale Ale from Rogue Ales — honoring the colorful floor covering. Collectors will soon be able to purchase pieces of the carpet as well.

Source: The Wall Street Journal

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