Winter Storm Fern impacted people from the southern plain to the eastern United States. Boston received around 23 inches of snow; New York City received around 11 inches; Pennsylvania received around 23 inches; St. Louis received around 8 inches; Little Rock received around 7 inches; the Dulles Airport received around 8 inches.
The winter storm started impacting the United States on January 23, 2026. It was the heaviest snowfall that our area has ever experienced since the winter storm in 2016. It first started in the southwest and went eastward across the country. Then the plains were hit with snow, ice, and rain. Then, it spread into Kentucky and Ohio Valley. Midland, Dallas, and Little Rock had a lot of ice. Next, the storm spread southeast, so Mississippi and the Carolinas got ice and ice. By Sunday, the storm moved into the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions.
Impacts
Over 240 million people were impacted by this winter storm. At least 82 people were killed due to severe weather conditions. Mostly in the South, hundreds of thousands of people were without power and electricity. 30 airports were closed due, and 32,000 flights were canceled nationwide during the snow storm (Historic winter storm impacts millions and kills over 80 people, Myers). Major interstates were also forced to close and many people were stranded due to snow and ice that accumulated up to an inch in some places. Sophomore Aradhana Parthasaradhy said, “If people needed to go somewhere, it would be dangerous to walk or to drive because everything was mounted and covered with snow.”
Pros and Cons
Even though many negative things happened, it benefited some people in a way. Aradhana gave an example, saying, “I could chill for sometime and then get some work done, such as preparing for my upcoming tests, because of the days we had off.” She also said, “A con that I experienced was shoveling the snow outside.” Junior Alesya Biddle said, “There was a risk of slipping because of all the ice. However, I liked that there was no school and we could hang out with friends.”
The winter storm lasted until January 26, 2026. Overall, it impacted a lot of people, especially people who probably needed to go to work although some jobs had telework options. There is still ice and snow on the roads, so everyone should be extra careful when walking to school or driving around. Everyone will probably agree that this winter storm created chaos.
