Groundhog Day Blizzard

Post date: February 8, 2021 10:35 am

by Dylan Bates

Terror struck the Northeast as a massive winter storm wreaked havoc. This past week from the night of January 31st to February 3rd, record snowfall covered the Northeast. Areas along the coast were hit hard but quickly compared to area’s more inland which were hit at a steady pace for a longer time. Philadelphia International Airport reported 100 cancellations and 20 delays. There were nearly 200 cancellations and about 10 delays at Boston’s Logan International Airport. In New York City, a state of emergency restricted nonessential travel on Monday, and Gov. Philip D. Murphy of New Jersey said on Sunday that most of New Jersey Transit’s bus, railroads and roadways would be shut down. Governors from nearly all states were urging their inhabitants to stay in doors and refrain from driving, as road conditions were hazardous. As a result of these treacherous road conditions, thousands of crashes were reported throughout the Northeast, with some claiming lives.

Forecasts were showing that New York City could potentially reach a city record of all time snowfall, but it fell short by a few inches. New Jersey’s Mount Arlington received 35.5 Inches of snow which beats the previous state record from 1899 in Cape May of 34 inches. Over the three day period, snowfall totaled 21.2 inches officially at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport, making it the third largest snowstorm on record for the city of Chicago. To make matters worse, 50-60 MPH winds whipped across the region knocking down trees and powerlines in the process. Covid vaccine stations were temporarily closed, which caused an uproar from many hopeful recipients . This record breaking snow storm has been one of the worst the northeast has seen in years.

Unlike previous snow storms, this snowstorm caused students to continue to learn from home, as online learning was still effective even though schools were closed. Despite this, many teachers from all states believed students should have off and refused to assign work. Southern Regional High School from New Jersey contained many teachers with this mindset. Jean Piscopo, a 12th grade English teacher quotes, “Snow days are meant to be Snow days.” With that being said, it is expected that many students will be drinking hot chocolate and building snowmen on their “day off.”