Welp, by this afternoon we could be on the cusp of a catastrophic weekend.

At least that is the term some of the meteorological prognosticators are using to describe the next few days.

The snow is coming. Or the ice is coming. The freezing rain could be starting to collect on trees and power lines.

Frankly, things are in kind of a flux right now.

As one of my wife’s co-workers said during the middle of the week “We are getting somewhere between 1 inch and 145 inches of snow.”

Whatever the type of precipitation, the weather folks emphasize that it is going to be bad. And, if you don’t believe that, just look at the produce aisle at Kroger. According to social media posts, they have a pile of onion skins available.

It didn’t look like there were any onions among the remnants. Just the skins.

If the onion bin looked like that, I don’t want to see the milk aisle.

We get this way in the suburbs — well, in fact, anywhere around these parts — when there is a prediction of wintry precipitation. Mention snow or freezing rain or such and the traffic jam to the grocery begins days before the system arrives.

My colleague Ellen Chamberlain went to several stores and did an inventory on the lack of inventory. And, as is the case when snow is a-comin’, employees were doing their best to restock and keep up with demand.

Brandon LaGrone and Michael Waddell invoked the suburban versions of getting ready for the chaos with stories this morning out of North Mississippi and Northeast Shelby County.

Reporter Sam Hardiman talked to MLGW regarding the predictions, and the utility said they are “prepared.” Scores of crews on standby, including tree-cutting workers. Some of those, of course, will be dispatched to the suburbs.

While the utility is “prepared,” the reality is that if the damage is dramatic, the crews will have as much trouble keeping up with the outages as the grocery stockers are having trying to keep milk and bread on the shelves.

There is a great myth (or truth) about the Ice Storm of ’94. Utility crews weren’t making it all the way out to the southeast end of the county. Collierville folks seemed to be the last place on the fixin’ line.

The story goes that then-Mayor Herman Wright Cox asked for a couple of crews on the short term to come out there and deal with a few of the major problems causing the outages.

Once he got the crews there, Cox arranged for people to cook for them and cater to their needs. The workers stayed in Collierville until the majority of the town was up and running.

Doesn’t matter if the details are true or the recounting has become embellished over 30-plus years.

It’s a great story.

That ’94 storm is kind of the benchmark of winter disasters. Limbs popping off trees. Wires snapping. Days without power. Relatives descending on residences that had heat and an oven in which to cook.

Other slip-slidin’ winter weather situations run together. Was that the storm when I helped the guy losing his balance outside FedExForum? Which one was it that I spun into the Walnut Grove median providing a panoramic view of Shelby Farms? Which snow event coincided with a white Christmas? When was it I got stuck on the upslope of the eastbound lanes at Union Avenue and Cooper?

The ’94 situation for people in Memphis and the suburbs is remembered like Hurricane Camille on the Mississippi Gulf Coast in 1969. Back in the day, the folks down there always referred to time as being Before Camille and After Camille.

As I write this, there still is some uncertainty about the type of precipitation that will fall on the suburbs. 

That certainly seems like what we are facing.

Uncertainty.

—Suburbs editor, Clay Bailey

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Germantown’s Industrial Development Board heard from a handful of residents who oppose a tax incentive for The Standard, the mixed-use development replacing Carrefour at Kirby Woods.

Music roars throughout the neighborhood. Partygoers do doughnuts in cul-de-sacs and park in yards. And when the party’s over, partygoers leave beer bottles, condoms and other debris — even car parts — scattered throughout the neighborhood.  By Abigail Warren

This is the second time Edwards Realty has hosted the contest. This time it chose five winners who will get six months rent-free at the shopping center. By Abigail Warren

Blaze Jordan, a top prospect in the St. Louis Cardinals organization, took part in the team’s Cards Caravan event in Germantown.  By Frank Bonner II

The Lakeland Board of Commissioners terminated the contract of former City Manager Michael Walker on Nov. 3, citing an “erosion of trust” involving several personnel decisions. By Michael Waddell

While people in the Memphis area grapple with the real-world effects of xAI’s “rapid execution” in Mississippi, many see a company that is innovating its way to become a major player in the worldwide AI race.  By Samuel Hardiman

Olive Branch has received a multimillion grant from The Mississippi Outdoor Stewardship Trust Fund to continue on an ambitious plan for the Lick Creek park. By Brandon LaGrone II

The middle and high schools are splitting at Lakeland Preparatory next year. By Michael Waddell

Rachel Davis moved to Collierville because keeping her kids in the district was important. Now she’s seeking election to the suburb’s Board of Education. By Abigail Warren

Lakeland commissioners have approved the city negotiating with a veterans group to locate a new center south of the Interstate 40 and Canada Road interchange. By Michael Waddell

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