The south is getting snow again, which means its high time for northerners to tease southerners for cancelling school and work at the slightest threat of a snowflake. While all good-natured fun, there are some legitimate reasons why southern states tend not to venture out during winter weather.

1. Southerners are inexperienced at driving in the snow.

While driving in the snow is a vital skill for northerners, it's not something that southerners typically get to practice. Even a little bit of snow can change road conditions considerably and make roadways a more dangerous environment. Driving safely in the snow is simply not a situation that southerners are in often enough to become adept at, and even drivers who are skilled at driving in the snow face danger from other inexperienced drivers. And, when it comes to transportation of children to their schools, administrators take extra caution.

2. Less equipment.

While it's uncommon for a southern city to have no snowplows or salt, it's very common for them to have less equipment. After all, it's rarely used, and the snow melts on its own within a few days. However, while the snow remains on the grounds, less equipment means that it's much more difficult to clear roads.

3. Roads are icier.

You read it right. Southern road conditions are actually more treacherous than winter road conditions in the north because it's warmer in the south. Whereas snow in the north tends to stay snow, its more common in the south for snow to thaw slightly during the day, and refreeze into hard sheets of ice when the temperature drops below freeing at night. This ice is harder to clear and leads to more black ice: transparent patches of slippery ice on the road that can't be seen.