Recently within the past week or so, the snow has covered most of the United States. The North was hit the hardest with the most impacted city being Chicago, followed by New York, Washington, DC, Philadelphia, and Omaha, NE. 

The February snowstorm hit the Chicago area with nearly 10 inches of snow across those 4-5 days. The upcoming cold winds are expected to be the longest cold stretch on record. For the first couple of weeks in February, our area has gotten plenty of snow followed by freezing temperatures and gusting winds. It’s predicted that we’re going to reach negative temperatures within the next week. Local schools have experienced 2-hour delays and cancellations due to freezing and dangerous temperatures and icing. 

Junior Jaismeen Kaur states, “I’m not a fan of the recent cold weather, especially driving in it. Every morning I have to scrape off my car at 7:30 AM.”

In Chesterton, the temperatures have dropped recently to a low of -5 degrees and it’s predicted to remain in these freezing temperatures for the next couple of weeks. Living in this region, the cold and snow aren’t unusual, however, it’s not a fan favorite.

Considering the fact that February is kind of late in the year to be having our first big snowstorm of the year, many were surprised. This winter has been pretty steady with typical winter temperatures, especially up in the North. Then all of a sudden a snowstorm hit across the US and brought extremely cold winds with it. 

Texas recently suffered power outages and water shortages across the whole state. Texas isn’t used to cold weather and snow, unlike the Chicago area. Texas wasn’t prepared for the unusually cold weather conditions which left them with power outages. Because of the lack of preparedness, many people are left without water because of frozen water pipes.

In the northeast, New York got around 13 inches of snowfall making the first few days of February a record for the first snowstorm in nearly 5 years. They’re expecting more snow to come and could potentially be the top 10 heaviest snowfall events. 

In states like Pennsylvania and Maine, they got 20-25 inches of snow and can be expecting more to come. Travel is being discouraged as officials are requesting that everyone stay at home if possible. Many flights have been canceled along with various forms of public transportation. 

Just on the first day of February, the northeast received 5-27 inches of snow and certain areas are also expecting more snow throughout the next week. Temperatures are also drastically dropping and for some areas of the US, it’s considered dangerously cold weather with high winds. 

This winter season the US hasn’t seen much through December and January.  The annual snowfall average in the US for February is 106 inches, and already, within the first 5 days of February, the northeast alone has produced over 100 inches.