Winter weather leaves over 70% of U.S. in snow
We might have wind, but we’re fortunate when it comes to winter
A map on Tuesday on CNN pointed out nearly three-quarters of the contiguous United States was covered in snow – more than 73%, CNN reported.
By Wednesday, that percentage dropped just a smidgen, to 71.3%.
Readers, there’s snow on the ground in 45 of the 48 states in the continental U.S., and on Tuesday, more than 200 million people were under some sort of weather-related alert. Even Texas was covered in a swath of white.
And there is another round of winter weather expected to hit the U.S. this week, with the south and central U.S. in the firing line once again.
But the southern half of Arizona, including Yuma County? We’re clear.
The National Weather Service notes that last month, only 31.2% of the contiguous U.S. was covered in snow – it’s quite a jump to get to over 70% of the nation.
The impact across the nation has been fierce.
There were more than 100 water main and service line breaks in Tulsa, Okla., as temperatures plummeted to -16 degrees this week, CNN reported. When that happens, a “steady stream of water surfaces, bubbles or flows from the surrounding ground,” CNN notes, causing havoc when it hits the freezing conditions. It’s so cold that a parked police car became stuck when a water line broke and the water froze around the vehicle’s wheels.
Flights are canceled across the nation due to the weather. COVID vaccine deliveries are delayed, and the arctic blast has knocked power out to millions across the nation.
In Houston, CNN reports that the fire department has responded to over 90 calls for carbon monoxide poisoning as people try to heat up their homes during blackouts.
The stories go on and on as this wicked winter weather takes its toll on the country.
But here in Yuma, that’s not the case. We’ve had some wind lately, and some blowing dust. Once in a while, our overnight lows dip into the 30s – which is cold, but nothing like what the rest of nation is experiencing.
This week, our high temperatures have been in the 70s. The high today might only reach the upper 60s, but then we’re expected to return to the mid70s again. And for that, we are thankful.
Our summers may be brutally hot, but that feels like a small price to pay to not have to deal with pipes bursting from the cold, dangerous icy roads, drifting snow and power outages. For much of the nation, winter is dangerous, as this week shows.
We worry about our friends in the rest of the nation, and we hope they stay safe during this wintery weather.
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