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BOSTON (AP) — Talk about gluttons for punishment: Bostonians buried beneath more than 8½ feet of snow suddenly are clamoring for a little more so they can boast of a new record.
The city is just a smidgeon over 2 inches away from setting an all-time snowfall mark. So far this winter, it's gotten 105.5 inches, according to National Weather Service measurements taken at Logan International Airport.
The record is 107.6 inches recorded during the 1995-96 season. Records date to 1872.
Having endured weeks of misery, residents like Erin O'Brien insist they deserve bragging rights. Otherwise, some wonder, what was the point of it all?
"I want the record. We earned the record," said O'Brien, a professor of political science at the University of Massachusetts-Boston.
More snow was expected Thursday, but the weather service was predicting accumulation of an inch or less in Boston, making it questionable that a record was within the grasp of Bostonians' mittened hands.
"Elusive is a good word," National Weather Service meteorologist Bill Simpson said Wednesday. "We're no longer in that superactive pattern. We quiet down after (Thursday) so there are no guarantees."
Many took to social media, urging the city to send up snowy vibes and get the record for the entire season, which is measured from July 1 through June 30.
"Have folks already given up? We've got more than a month of snow potential. We'll take the crown. Don't stop believin'," public relations executive Mike Spinney said on Twitter.
Not everyone, naturally, is on board. After digging out repeatedly from back-to-back snowstorms that have crippled public transportation and cost the city millions in cleanup, some don't want to see one more snowflake fall.
"I really don't care if we don't beat the record for snowiest winter," said Amy Ouellette, a marketing associate in Salem, north of Boston. "I just want it over and I want spring and sun to melt it all."
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