In case you haven’t heard, there was a really big snowstorm on the East Coast last weekend. Like, record-setting big. Philadelphia got the same amount of snow they usually see over an entire season in just a few days. Baltimore, Washington, and New York also exceeded normal season totals. Philadelphia (22.4”), Baltimore (29.2”), Washington D.C. (17.8”), and New York City (26.8”) were all hit with massive amounts of snow. The storm cancelled flights, caused impassable roads and created travel bans all over the region.
A map of the blizzard
While we here in the Great White North may not have much sympathy for the poor souls over there, we might at least understand the struggle that comes with massive amounts of snow removal. Washington is still struggling with road clearing, even bringing in machines that can melt up to 60 tons of snow an hour. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio issued a travel advisory warning of the danger of black ice. Virginia State Police made a similar advisory, also saying that they have responded to over 1500 traffic crashes since Friday.
Thirty-six people have died as a result of the storm, many of them related to snow shoveling. Authorities warned that the stress of shoveling so much snow could bring on heart attacks and other medical emergencies.
It wasn’t all bad however, as many people got to enjoy another snow day this Monday, with some even taking to the streets for massive snowball fights, like this one in Baltimore. So while the East Coasters dig their way out, we can at least be thankful that we can travel to work and school. Or maybe not.