Let it snow, let it snow … but not until I say so.

Such could be the mind-set of aspiring weather prognosticators looking to earn themselves Morale, Welfare and Recreation gift certificates.

The MWRs of Negishi and Ikego housing communities are giving away prizes to any status-of-forces-agreement personnel living in the Yokosuka/Yokohama area who can predict the date of the season’s first snowfall.

A guesser wins if snowy conditions cause any Department of Defense Dependents Schools in the area to close on the date picked.

People can pick between Jan. 1 and Feb. 28 but must submit their entries seven days in advance, said Tony Bailey, activities manager for Negishi MWR. He said the rule will prevent people from taking advantage of short-term weather forecasts.

"A lot of places in the States do things like this, so we thought we’d give it a spin," Bailey said of the inaugural contest. "We wanted to do something different that gets the community involved."

If more than four people guess the correct date, a drawing will be held to determine four prize winners. If no correct date is guessed, prizes will go to those with the closest predictions. And if no snow falls during the contest, winners will be chosen at random.

Bailey said people need to be at least 18 to enter, and they can submit only one entry.

For more information, contact Ikego MWR at (DSN) 246-8071 or Negishi MWR at (DSN) 242-4120.