Huge Snow Storm Hits The Midwest
Man shoveling snow after the blizzard hit the Midwest (amazingmotherearth.blogspot.com)
Although people from the Midwest are accustomed to harsh weather conditions during the winter, it seems that the recently announced snow storm is making people panic.
On Monday, warnings have been given, asking people to make sure they have everything they need in order to pass this monstrosity of a snow storm. It seems that this storm already makes travel impossible, given the strong winds and the 2 feet of snow that has already installed in the Midwest area of the U.S. According to the forecasts, cities like St. Louis, Kansas City and Milwaukee could be the ones which will face the big part of the problem, as the snow storm is expected to hit here the hardest.
This snow storm may become one of the three most dangerous ones in Chicago (around 20 inches of snow are expected to fall), foreshadowed by the one in 1999 (when the snow was as high as 21.6 inches) and the one in 1967 (when 23 inches of snow fell). People remember even now the big storm in 1967, when, according to Paula Lawson, the snow “really did stop the world for days.” Moreover, the roads are already becoming a huge problem and in Kansas, there has already been reported one death – a 61-year-old woman lost control of her car near Kensington – and many other traffic accidents.
However, some people seem really excited about the falling snow. “I’m looking forward to it. I’m a school teacher, and we’ll probably get a snow day — and it’ll be the first time in a couple of years,” stated Katy Berman, a 58 year-old school teacher from Chicago. Apparently, the snow doesn’t bother people, as long as they are inside. Still, officials made sure to ask people to get ready for the upcoming storm and get everything they need in order to be safe. Thus, in St. Louis people lined up by 7 a.m. on Monday in front of the shop Edele and Mertz Hardware, to purchase snow shovels, ice melt and salt. Although some people seem eager for the snow to fall, others are panicking especially because of the icing, which makes traffic really hard.
Moreover, given that the storm will affect most of the country, people were asked to stay at home, especially those who were planning to go to the Super Bowl and who wanted to drive from Wisconsin to Dallas. People shouldn’t leave their home until Wednesday afternoon, this being the moment in which authorities hope to have finished cleaning the roads. For this, Chicago is already deploying its entire fleet of 274 snow plows.
Besides the massive snow fall, authorities also warned severe thunderstorms and possible tornadoes. People are growing more and more panicked and they even started to assault supermarkets to buy provisions like food and bottled water, as the forecasts don’t look very promising for the next couple of days. Still, it is good to know that authorities are putting all their concern in this matter and try to fix everything as soon as possible.
Due to the winter blizzard, schools, universities and legislatures have been closed, and airlines canceled their flights. This seems to be a very dangerous snow storm, according to the Weather Service, which said that the snow storm is “dangerous, multifaceted and potentially life-threatening.” Thus, people are asked to stay at home and make sure they have everything they need, because according to the Weather Service, conditions will deteriorate across the region, from north to south and traveling will become impossible from Tuesday afternoon to Wednesday morning.
It’s not like the U.S. has not gone through major snow storms, but this one seems to become more and more threatening, especially for people who travel a lot. Many traffic accidents were reported and there are a few more expected, due to the harsh conditions of the roads. Although every city does everything possible to make it easier for drivers, it is hard to supply all the required equipment if the snow keeps falling.
Hopefully, by the Wednesday, everything will come back to normal and people will get the chance to enjoy the snow, although most people haven’t even gotten the chance to recover from the previous snow storms. In South Bend, for instance, where around 75 inches of snow has fallen during the whole winter, people are more resigned than happy, as it seems they have not fully recovered yet from shoveling out the last snow. In what concerns the rest of the country, it seems that the storm is expected to hit the Northeast as well, the region which recorded the highest snow fall during this winter. In New Hampshire, for instance, people are forced to walk on the street, because all the snow has been piled-up on the sidewalks.
All in all, even though there have been some unhappy accidents that lead to a death and a couple of injuries, authorities hope that the blizzard will pass and that no one will get hurt. If you are well equipped for these kinds of situations, meaning that you have your shovel and your salt, along with some food and water supplies, you won’t have to worry too much about the storm.
