Beginning in late January and culminating in early February, the bulk of the eastern United States (U.S.) was unexpectedly blanketed in snow due to the strong winter storms, hindering
American life across the country.
“It was honestly one of the worst travel experiences I’ve had,” senior Hadley Preston said. “Everything was closed because of the snow, and getting around was difficult. It just wasn’t fun.”
The eastern half of the U.S. saw a slurry of storms over the cold week, with the freeze shockingly moving as far west as Texas. Some students from the school found themselves stuck in this storm, unable to travel back from the East Coast for days due to its strength.
“We were supposed to get home on Monday the 26th but we ended up getting home that Wednesday since multiple flights of ours were delayed,” junior Emma Fishman said.
Due to intense weather patterns, the U.S. was hit with more than one winter storm. Storms Fern and Gianna swept across land, layering inches and inches of snow and rain throughout the nation. They dropped unprecedented amounts of snow, with Fern consistently causing over six inches of snow in its territories, and in places like New Mexico, up to 31 inches.
“[Our flight home] was canceled and rebooked for Tuesday morning, then that flight was canceled too,” Preston said. “We were rebooked again for Tuesday night with a long layover, but it kept getting delayed. Eventually we canceled it ourselves, took a train from Washington, D.C. to Philadelphia, and flew out from there instead.”
Transportation halted amidst the strong storms. Over 10,000 flights were canceled, preventing many people from finding a way home from the east side of the country. The storm did more than just cancel flights, though. 153 people died in the rigid storms.
“It was freezing — I never went outside without at least four layers on,” Preston said. “Meanwhile, when we boarded the plane to come back, they announced it was 70 degrees in Los Angeles while it was below zero in Washington, D.C.. I was very happy to come home.”
