Winter Weather

Written by: Rashawn Merchant

This winter, weather forecasts have been some of the most extreme the world has seen. Many places received conditions much more significant than expected and had little to no way of defending themselves against it. Americans can point to the late December blizzards that put most of the country on hold.

This storm stretched from the Mexican border to Canada and then the Northeastern United States. Millions of Americans were placed under severe weather advisories by the National Weather Service. President Joe Biden firmly described it as serious stuff.

Serious it was indeed. The blizzard broke utility infrastructure and closed roads, leading to more than 50 deaths over a two-week period. Notably, Buffalo, New York was hit the hardest. Roughly 30 of the storm deaths came from New York’s Erie County. Many people succumbed to the freezing conditions, having been trapped in their homes and through traffic incidents. Those inside poorly made structures were impacted the most due to insufficient heating and gas leaks. As the storm grew, it affected thousands of travelers preparing for the holiday season. According to FlightAware, 1,200 flights were canceled, with close to 1,000 delayed. The effects of these flight cancellations are still felt as Southwest Airlines faced scrutiny by the Department of Transportation due to mismanagement.

The East Coast was not alone this winter as the Western United States also faced drastic weather. In a rare event, the Pacific Coast faced wild rain events. Northern California received rainfall, with heavy downpours and snowfall touching the mountains. A more minor wave of rain then traveled down to Southern California but contributed to landslides and flash flooding.

Lastly, several European countries saw record-breaking warm weather as the New Year rolled in. Temperatures from France to Russia reached well above 10 to 20 degrees Celsius (18 to 36 degrees Fahrenheit), breaking seasonal records by quite a lot. Meteorologist Nahel Belgherze indicated that the temperatures were “…exactly the kind of very abnormal event that is progressively rewriting global climatology.” Hopefully as the season settles out, we will see more stable conditions.