Written by Stephanie Rodriguez. Media by Mikey Courtney.
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This winter has been different for many cities throughout the United States. There have been long periods of time that not only is it below zero degrees Fahrenheit in the Midwest but snow just keeps falling in different areas of the country that as of February 13, 2014 at least 57.9 percent of the United States is covered in snow. This is a record breaking season because 49 out of the 50 states, all except Florida who has gotten cold weather but so far is snow-free, have had some snow this season.
In states like Texas and Louisiana, the snow hasn’t been bad and it might have stuck on the ground for a day or two because of the mild weather temperatures. New Mexico has said that this past January has been its driest while in Arizona it has taken second place according to the National Climatic Data Center. While Alaska has gotten 19 inches of snow so far, though they were prepared for this sort of weather.
[clear]Atlanta, Georgia was not as prepared – or prepared at all – for the 3 inches of snow they got which created chaos all over the city. Even though warned about the snowstorm, schools and places of business stayed open. The snow made everything just stop.
Children were stuck in school or on buses, many motorists were stuck in the highway, one woman delivered her baby with the aid of her husband and a police officer on the highway because the car was stuck, and many people did not make it home the day it hit.
[clear]The citizens of Georgia have blamed city officials including the mayor of Atlanta and the Governor for not preparing well enough for the storm. The Governor who in the Fall is up for reelection, is taking the blame for the situation the city was under, but also claims that one of the reasons for not shutting down the city is because if the snowstorm had not been bad, citizens would have still criticized city officials. They would have blamed them for all the money they cost the economy for shutting down businesses.
Even though only 3 inches fell in Georgia and it seems funny to people from the Northeast and Midwest, Georgia is a Southern state that isn’t accustomed to snow at all and lacks the necessary equipment and experience to clear the roads.
As of February 17, 2014, 37 percent of the country is covered in snow which is a big difference from last months’ 29.3 percent according to the National Snow Analyses of the National Operational Hydrologic Remote Sensing Center. So far there is an average of 6.1 inches of snow depth. Currently there is a snowstorm hitting all the upper states.
This has been a very cold and snowy winter for many people in the U.S. who just want to know when summer is getting here. Although the real question is, “How does this affect Global Warming and is there going to be a climate change in the future?”
