Nicholas DiGregory
The record-breaking winter storm that struck the eastern United States in late January has gone by many names: , Snowpocalypse, Snowzilla, Snowmageddon. But whatever one is inclined to call it, Winter Storm Jonas, as meteorologists at the Weather Channel have officially deemed the storm, has made history across the East Coast, with record-setting snowfall, wind speeds, and low temperatures.
While Winter Storm Jonas had already begun to affect the East Coast as early as January 20, the bulk of its damaging effects were felt during the weekend of January 22-24. This was due primarily to what CNN meteorologist Chad Myers referred to as to as anything but the H&F.
This was the peak of Maryland’s trolley age. In 1922, the price of Henry Ford’s Model-T had fallen from approximately $950 in 1910, to around $348, the storm’s “supercharging:” when Winter Storm Jonas’ eastern edge reached the jet stream in the Atlantic Ocean, the winds and water temperatures of the ocean significantly increased the storm’s power, turning it into the lumbering behemoth of a snowstorm that buried much of the eastern United States.
As of January 25, Winter Storm Jonas had affected over 85 million people and dropped an average of almost 23 inches in major cities along the East Coast. Here are some statistics that illustrate the winter storm’s tremendous impact:
- Approximately 22 million people were still snowed in as of January 25.
- Associated Press reports from January 25 blame as many as 30 deaths on the storm. Causes of death ranged from traffic accidents to heart attacks while shoveling snow.
- From January 22-25, more than 12,000 flights were canceled, as record-setting snow accumulation blocked runways at the Ronald Reagan Washington National, Baltimore-Washington International, and Washington Dulles International, airports.
- Conservative estimates from utility companies highlight more than a million people without power.
- The following ten states had declared a state of emergency as early as January 22: Georgia, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Kentucky, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Virginia, and West Virginia. Washington, D.C. declared a snow emergency.
- Sustained wind gusts in some areas reached as high as 76 miles per hour, which would classify the storm as comparable to a Category 1 hurricane.
- Federal buildings were shut down throughout the eastern United States; even the United States Post Office announced disruptions in service in Maryland and Virginia.
As of January 25, several major cities were still reeling, as city officials struggled to direct snow clean-up efforts. On January 24, Washington D.C.’s Mayor Muriel Bowser led more than 2,000 volunteer snow shovelers in an attempt to clear the vital roadways of the Nation’s Capital. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced in a press conference on January 24 that clean-up of the city’s many minor roads and alleyways may take up to two weeks.
Winter Storm Jonas’ heavy snowfall caused several adverse scenarios across the East Coast. On January 23, in Stafford County, Virginia, a man was forced to deliver his child at home when the heavy snowfall prevented emergency responders from reaching his home. Later that same day, a similar scenario occurred in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. Emergency dispatchers guided both new fathers through the delivery process, and reports from local news sources say that both babies are doing well.
The winter storm’s wrath was also felt by thousands of attendees at the annual March for Life in Washington, D.C., on January 22. A national event, the March for Life is an annual protest attended by thousands of anti-abortion activists who march through the Nation’s Capital in objection to the Supreme Court’s Roe vs. Wade decision to legalize abortion in America. Despite the impending storm, the organizers of the march elected to go through with the protest. While the march occurred without incident, hundreds of attendees were stranded in their buses on the way home. One notable large group was composed of several hundred college students from the Franciscan University of Steubenville, who were trapped on the Pennsylvania Turnpike from the evening of January 22 until the morning of January 24.
Despite all of the negative effects of Winter Storm Jonas in other parts, locally, the massive snow was handled with patience and perseverance. Many people found ways to turn the event into fun. One such method, deemed the Snow Challenge, involves wearing nothing more than a bathing suit while jumping into a snow pile. The craze, which has gone viral on social media websites, has contributed to many laughs during the seriousness of the winter storm.
The record-breaking winter storm that struck the eastern United States in late January has gone by many names: Blizzard 2016, Snowpocalypse, Snowzilla, Snowmageddon. But whatever one is inclined to call it, Winter Storm Jonas, as meteorologists at the Weather Channel have officially deemed the storm, has made history across the East Coast, with record-setting snowfall, wind speeds, and low temperatures.
While Winter Storm Jonas had already begun to affect the East Coast as early as January 20, the bulk of its damaging effects were felt during the weekend of January 22-24. This was due primarily to what CNN meteorologist Chad Myers referred to as the storm’s “supercharging:” when Winter Storm Jonas’ eastern edge reached the jet stream in the Atlantic Ocean, the winds and water temperatures of the ocean significantly increased the storm’s power, turning it into the lumbering behemoth of a snowstorm that buried much of the eastern United States.
As of January 25, Winter Storm Jonas had affected over 85 million people and dropped an average of almost 23 inches in major cities along the East Coast. Here are some statistics that illustrate the winter storm’s tremendous impact:
- Approximately 22 million people were still snowed in as of January 25.
- Associated Press reports from January 25 blame as many as 30 deaths on the storm. Causes of death ranged from traffic accidents to heart attacks while shoveling snow.
- From January 22-25, more than 12,000 flights were canceled, as record-setting snow accumulation blocked runways at the Ronald Reagan Washington National, Baltimore-Washington International, and Washington Dulles International, airports.
- Conservative estimates from utility companies highlight more than a million people without power.
- The following ten states had declared a state of emergency as early as January 22: Georgia, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Kentucky, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Virginia, and West Virginia. Washington, D.C. declared a snow emergency.
- Sustained wind gusts in some areas reached as high as 76 miles per hour, which would classify the storm as comparable to a Category 1 hurricane.
- Federal buildings were shut down throughout the eastern United States; even the United States Post Office announced disruptions in service in Maryland and Virginia.
As of January 25, several major cities were still reeling, as city officials struggled to direct snow clean-up efforts. On January 24, Washington D.C.’s Mayor Muriel Bowser led more than 2,000 volunteer snow shovelers in an attempt to clear the vital roadways of the Nation’s Capital. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced in a press conference on January 24 that clean-up of the city’s many minor roads and alleyways may take up to two weeks.
Winter Storm Jonas’ heavy snowfall caused several adverse scenarios across the East Coast. On January 23, in Stafford County, Virginia, a man was forced to deliver his child at home when the heavy snowfall prevented emergency responders from reaching his home. Later that same day, a similar scenario occurred in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. Emergency dispatchers guided both new fathers through the delivery process, and reports from local news sources say that both babies are doing well.
The winter storm’s wrath was also felt by thousands of attendees at the annual March for Life in Washington, D.C., on January 22. A national event, the March for Life is an annual protest attended by thousands of anti-abortion activists who march through the Nation’s Capital in objection to the Supreme Court’s Roe vs. Wade decision to legalize abortion in America. Despite the impending storm, the organizers of the march elected to go through with the protest. While the march occurred without incident, hundreds of attendees were stranded in their buses on the way home. One notable large group was composed of several hundred college students from the Franciscan University of Steubenville, who were trapped on the Pennsylvania Turnpike from the evening of January 22 until the morning of January 24.
Despite all of the negative effects of Winter Storm Jonas in other parts, locally, the massive snow was handled with patience and perseverance. Many people found ways to turn the event into fun. One such method, deemed the Snow Challenge, involves wearing nothing more than a bathing suit while jumping into a snow pile. The craze, which has gone viral on social media websites, has contributed to many laughs during the seriousness of the winter storm.
The record-breaking winter storm that struck the eastern United States in late January has gone by many names: Blizzard 2016, Snowpocalypse, Snowzilla, Snowmageddon. But whatever one is inclined to call it, Winter Storm Jonas, as meteorologists at the Weather Channel have officially deemed the storm, has made history across the East Coast, with record-setting snowfall, wind speeds, and low temperatures.
While Winter Storm Jonas had already begun to affect the East Coast as early as January 20, the bulk of its damaging effects were felt during the weekend of January 22-24. This was due primarily to what CNN meteorologist Chad Myers referred to as the storm’s “supercharging:” when Winter Storm Jonas’ eastern edge reached the jet stream in the Atlantic Ocean, the winds and water temperatures of the ocean significantly increased the storm’s power, turning it into the lumbering behemoth of a snowstorm that buried much of the eastern United States.
As of January 25, Winter Storm Jonas had affected over 85 million people and dropped an average of almost 23 inches in major cities along the East Coast. Here are some statistics that illustrate the winter storm’s tremendous impact:
- Approximately 22 million people were still snowed in as of January 25.
- Associated Press reports from January 25 blame as many as 30 deaths on the storm. Causes of death ranged from traffic accidents to heart attacks while shoveling snow.
- From January 22-25, more than 12,000 flights were canceled, as record-setting snow accumulation blocked runways at the Ronald Reagan Washington National, Baltimore-Washington International, and Washington Dulles International, airports.
- Conservative estimates from utility companies highlight more than a million people without power.
- The following ten states had declared a state of emergency as early as January 22: Georgia, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Kentucky, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Virginia, and West Virginia. Washington, D.C. declared a snow emergency.
- Sustained wind gusts in some areas reached as high as 76 miles per hour, which would classify the storm as comparable to a Category 1 hurricane.
- Federal buildings were shut down throughout the eastern United States; even the United States Post Office announced disruptions in service in Maryland and Virginia.
As of January 25, several major cities were still reeling, as city officials struggled to direct snow clean-up efforts. On January 24, Washington D.C.’s Mayor Muriel Bowser led more than 2,000 volunteer snow shovelers in an attempt to clear the vital roadways of the Nation’s Capital. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced in a press conference on January 24 that clean-up of the city’s many minor roads and alleyways may take up to two weeks.
Winter Storm Jonas’ heavy snowfall caused several adverse scenarios across the East Coast. On January 23, in Stafford County, Virginia, a man was forced to deliver his child at home when the heavy snowfall prevented emergency responders from reaching his home. Later that same day, a similar scenario occurred in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. Emergency dispatchers guided both new fathers through the delivery process, and reports from local news sources say that both babies are doing well.
The winter storm’s wrath was also felt by thousands of attendees at the annual March for Life in Washington, D.C., on January 22. A national event, the March for Life is an annual protest attended by thousands of anti-abortion activists who march through the Nation’s Capital in objection to the Supreme Court’s Roe vs. Wade decision to legalize abortion in America. Despite the impending storm, the organizers of the march elected to go through with the protest. While the march occurred without incident, hundreds of attendees were stranded in their buses on the way home. One notable large group was composed of several hundred college students from the Franciscan University of Steubenville, who were trapped on the Pennsylvania Turnpike from the evening of January 22 until the morning of January 24.
Despite all of the negative effects of Winter Storm Jonas in other parts, locally, the massive snow was handled with patience and perseverance. Many people found ways to turn the event into fun. One such method, deemed the Snow Challenge, involves wearing nothing more than a bathing suit while jumping into a snow pile. The craze, which has gone viral on social media websites, has contributed to many laughs during the seriousness of the winter storm.
Thanks to those of you who sent blizzard photos to our Facebook page (The Catoctin Banner is hosted under the name Deb Spalding on Facebook for the time being). We picked just one photo from the masses to post here. The kids at Miss. B’s Family Child Care make snow memories during the blizzard of 2016!
