It marks a sudden test of asynchronous learning for the nation’s largest public school district, with nearly a million NYC students set to learn online from home. The city had for all intents and purposes “done away” with snow days after the COVID-19 pandemic forced more innovative learning approaches.
That said, the city hadn’t moved fully remote for a snow day before this point. And issues abounded early.
Some parents struggled to log in to their kids’ classrooms. Others struggled to even get a connection. Most technological issues appeared to be fixed within a short timeframe, though there were still some complaints.
“It is an absolute nightmare. I wasted my whole morning trying to login,” Jessica of Staten Island whose child attends first grade at PS32 said.
Meanwhile, school officials said the department is working with IMB, the log-in system provider of the largest public school district system in the country, and has “added capacity and improvements” that are currently rolling out.
We are currently experiencing issues with services that require IBM authentication to login. ⁰⁰We are actively working with IBM to resolve. We will provide an update as soon as possible.
Christina, the parent of a third-grade student at PS11, praised teachers who she said tried their best and were prepared for the remote school day. However, she also had a “horrible time logging in” and only half of her child’s class was able to get into the DOE’s system.
New York City officials are getting ready for a snow storm on Tuesday that is expected to bring at least 3 inches, and up to 8 inches, of snow to the immediate metro area.
“Long gone are the days of just a snow day and everyone just has off,” Schools Chancellor David Banks said Monday. “It’s one of the good things that in fact emerged from the pandemic, was our preparedness to be ready for moments like this. And I think the school system is more than prepared.”
Banks admitted there could be small technical hiccups, but they will try to “minimize those glitches,” saying technical issues shouldn’t be a major problem Tuesday since the city’s more than 1,800 schools have been drilling for this situation in recent months.
We’re expecting winter weather overnight tonight which could lead to 5-8 inches of snow with locally higher amounts by the morning. As a result, all @NYCSchools will move to remote learning tomorrow.
“COVID took months if not years away from the education and the socialization of our children. We need to minimize how many days our children are just sitting at home making snowmen like I did and they need to catch up,” the mayor said, giving families a day to make alternate childcare plans.
At a morning press conference with other city leaders outlining their plan for Tuesday, Mayor Eric Adams defended the city’s call to implement remote learning instead of giving kids a snow day.
“I did no internet or remote learning as a child, I wish we would have,” Adams added.
Some parents seemed split, or even confused, on the matter. While it won’t be any different than pandemic learning, some parents noted, others said that it means they will have to change their work plans in order to make sure their kids will be attending class online.
“It’s not a good use of anyone’s time. Adams should call it what it is: a snow day,” one parent shared in a group chat board, saying they wouldn’t be logging their child on because learning in that matter “doesn’t work.”
Banks did say that thee should be time for snowy recreation for kids — but after class time.
“By 3 p.m., we want them to have fun. I’m not a Grinch,” he said.
The introduction of remote learning isn’t keeping snow days from all kids. By Monday afternoon, Yonkers Public Schools was among dozens of districts that announced its schools would be closed on Tuesday.
In addition, New York City has suspended alternate side parking regulations for Tuesday. Parking meters will remain in effect — and the city reminded New Yorkers of their responsibilities regarding clearing snow.
Precipitation will begin late Monday. The storm will bring a period of moderate to heavy snow, and rain transitioning to a rain/snow mix and then snow down the coast.
Snowfall rates up to 2 inches an hour are possible with this system; parts of the Hudson Valley could see 8 to 12 inches. At this point, the New York City forecast calls for 3 to 5 inches, though much remains uncertain.
Last week, the world’s preeminent groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, failed to catch a glimpse of his shadow. Legend says this signifies that spring will strike early this year. Indeed, the past few days have felt pretty dang spring-like, with the high in Dallas on Thursday hovering around a balmy 70 degrees.
But wait. Before you get excited about busting out your Hawaiian short sleeves, just remember that it wouldn’t be Texas weather without a little whiplash.
The National Weather Service’s Fort Worth office posted an infographic to X on Friday morning letting North Texans know that winter isn’t in the rearview just yet.
“We continue to watch the storm system on Sunday that may bring a potential for a light rain/snow mix across portions of our northwestern counties late Sunday into Monday,” the weather service wrote in part.
☔❄️We continue to watch the storm system on Sunday that may bring a potential for a light rain/snow mix across portions of our northwestern counties late Sunday into Monday. Here’s the latest thinking and what has changed! Keep checking the forecast for updates! #dfwwx#ctxwxpic.twitter.com/voQp1ElVaS
The infographic goes on to explain that a mix of light rain and snow could strike the region’s far northwesterly parts starting late in the weekend and leading into the workweek. Still, don’t count on that powder sticking around for very long: “No accumulations are expected at this time,” the infographic notes.
Pete Delkus, WFAA’s famed weather lord, further explained what to expect when it comes to snow. While the flakes will be falling pretty close by, Dallas dwellers won’t be seeing any. Temperatures here will be too high for us to experience a winter wonderland comeback.
All you recreation fiends out there should also note that Friday will be the toastiest day of the weekend. Delkus predicts that despite seeing some cloud cover, highs will ascend to the 70s.
“A few spots in eastern North Texas will see an isolated shower, but better rain chances hold off until tomorrow,” he continued in a Friday morning post on X.
It won’t rain the entire weekend, but just about everyone will see rain at some point. The highest coverage will be on Saturday and Sunday mornings. Rain doesn’t completely go away during the afternoons. Temps drop to the 50s by Sunday. #wfaaweatherpic.twitter.com/RWhffUlSnn
Saturday and Sunday will almost certainly get hit by rain — each day has an 80% chance — so be sure to have your galoshes ready for action. Highs will hover around 61 degrees on Saturday and 56 the following day.
But fear not, sun lovers. Skies are expected to start clearing up early next week, culminating in a precipitation-free, 68ish-degree Valentine’s Day. Thanks, Cupid.
A trio of llamas escaped their pasture to frolic through a snowy Colorado neighborhood — until the cops showed up, photos show.
Wheat Ridge Police Department on Facebook
A trio of runaway llamas seized an opportunity for some mischief in a Colorado neighborhood, funny photos show.
Residents in a town near Denver spotted the llamas running through the snowy streets before Wheat Ridge police showed up to wrangle them, the department said on Facebook.
“In Colorado, even the llamas love fresh powder,” the department said in the Feb. 4 post. “Three llamas in southeast Wheat Ridge were so eager to play in the snow this morning, they got out of their fence.”
Photos show the llamas hanging out together and grazing under tall trees where less snow has fallen. One of the photos shows officers posing with the haltered llamas.
“Sofia, Tina and Napoleon are back home with their folks now after hanging out with our team,” the post says.
People in the comments got a kick out of the llamas’ names — especially the ones that seemed to come from the movie “Napoleon Dynamite.”
“Of course one is Tina, & Napoleon,” someone wrote, adding a GIF from the movie.
Some said they understood the llamas’ desire to escape.
“Maybe the snow was whiter and fluffier on the other side of the fence,” someone said.
“It was a llama snow day!” another person said.
Brooke (she/them) is a McClatchy Real-Time reporter who covers LGBTQ+ entertainment news and national parks out west. They studied journalism at the University of Florida, and previously covered LGBTQ+ news for the South Florida Sun Sentinel. When they’re not writing stories, they enjoy hanging out with their cats, riding horses or spending time outdoors.
A winter storm packing snow and rain is barreling toward California with significant precipitation expected Sunday and into early next week.
Snow from a storm that arrived Thursday continued to fall in Los Angeles-area mountains early Friday, making for scenic views in mountain communities like Big Bear and Wrightwood.
This weekend’s forecast, which includes a storm fueled by another atmospheric river over the Pacific, has locals enthusiastic about what’s to come on top of an already snowy start to February. That enthusiasm is accompanied with some suggestions for anyone visiting the mountains this weekend.
“We’re ready for it,” said Nathan Osborn, who works at Pharmacy Boardshop in Wrightwood. “But please be safe. If you need chains, whatever the CHP is asking you to do, just do it. Safety first.”
From Sunday to Tuesday, the mountains will see widespread rain with early snowfall estimates above 6,000 feet through Monday night. Expect lower elevation snow down to around 4,000 feet by later Tuesday into Wednesday.
Rock and mud slides are possible in the mountains, along with flooding of small streams and rivers.
The San Bernardino County Department of Public Works asked visitors to travel with chains and move over for snowplow crews working to keep mountain roads open for residents and weekend visitors.
Another storm will bring rain and snow. Belen De Leon has the forecast for Friday Feb. 2, 2024.
Southern California winter weather driving checklist
The California Highway Patrol offers the following advice when the weather turns wet and snowy. Whether it’s rain, snow, ice or fog, there are a few things to remember on the road.
Rain
The first 10 minutes after the rain begins can be the most dangerous because the rain mixes with oil from motor vehicles and oil from new asphalt resulting in a slippery roadway.
If you start to hydroplane, ease off the accelerator and steer straight until you gain control.
Drive with headlights on.
Apply brakes more slowly.
Leave extra distance between your vehicle and the one ahead of you.
Fog
Drive with lights on low beam.
Watch for CHP pace vehicles to guide you through fog.
Avoid crossing traffic lanes.
Do not stop on highways except in emergencies.
Move away from stalled or disabled vehicle.
Snow
Carry chains in snow conditions, even if vehicle has four-wheel drive.
Observe speed limit in chain control areas.
Check owner’s manual for operating tips on your vehicle’s braking system.
Watch for paddle-shaped markers. They show the edge of the road.
Studded pneumatic tires may only be used between Nov. 1 and April 31 unless studs are retracted.
A major atmospheric river storm bringing heavy rains, high winds and significant snow barreled into northwestern California early Wednesday and is expected to move south across the state over the next 48 hours.
Statewide, officials are bracing for potential widespread flooding, dangerous travel in the mountains and even power outages.
The system is the first of back-to-back storms that forecasters say could cause perilous conditions through next week, depending on the severity, strength and speed of the storm systems.
This first storm is expected to be relatively fast-moving, dumping excessive rain and heavy snow primarily on Wednesday and Thursday before moving out of the area, a scenario officials hope will help minimize damage.
Here’s the latest on when Californians can expect to see the storm’s impact:
Wednesday morning
After a dangerously windy night for much of the state’s northwest corner — and a high wind warning advisory remaining through 1 p.m. for much of the North Coast — showers began in Northern California early Wednesday.
Rainfall is expected to pick up throughout the day across the North Coast, the San Francisco Bay Area and the Sacramento Valley, with much of the region under a flood watch through late Thursday or early Friday.
An impactful storm system will bring rain and wind to the area today and tonight. Minor flooding of streams and roadways is expected along with the potential for downed trees and power outages. Stay safe and use caution during your commute today. #cawxpic.twitter.com/JA6f1roNE2
But dangerous winds remain a major concern, with the National Weather Service issuing a high-wind warning for much of the North Bay and Central Coast through Thursday afternoon.
“Given saturated soils, downed trees and resulting power outages are likely,” the National Weather Service’s Bay Area office warned on X.
In the northern Sierra Nevada and other high peaks above 6,000 feet, heavy snowfall is expected to begin Wednesday morning, with a winter storm warning in effect through at least Friday. As the storm develops, snow levels are expected to drop through the rest of the week and snowfall rates could reach up to 2 inches an hour, according to the weather service. Up to 3 feet of powder is possible at the highest peaks.
Wednesday afternoon
As the storm moves south and east, much of the Sacramento Valley will enter a flood watch through at least Thursday evening, with forecasters warning of minor concerns, including ponding on roads and flooding along small streams or in poor drainage areas.
Dangerous surf also will become a growing concern, with weather officials in the Bay Area warning of waves up to 26 feet high.
Thursday morning
By Thursday morning, showers will continue across Northern California, but the storm will take aim at Southern California and the Central Valley.
The heaviest rain in Los Angeles and Ventura counties is expected Thursday, with up to 2 inches in most areas — though only moderate rainfall rates are likely. Currently, no flood advisories have been issued for the regions.
However, a winter storm warning will be in effect beginning early Thursday for the Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino county mountains, including the San Gabriels, where the highest elevations could get up to 2 feet of snow. A few inches of snow are possible as low as 4,500 feet, and forecasters are warning that “travel may be difficult to impossible,” including along the 5 Freeway corridor.
Rainfall amounts of two to three inches in the Sierra Nevada below 5,000 feet and adjacent foothills may cause flooding and mudslides Thursday. Moderate to heavy rain may lead to nuisance flooding in the San Joaquin Valley Thursday. #CAwxpic.twitter.com/wZhJNsYfv4
The southern Sierra expects heavy snowfall beginning late Wednesday and into Thursday — from 1 to 4 feet, depending on elevation — but heavy rainfall in the foothills could cause flooding and mudslides, the National Weather Service warned.
Farther south and east, across much of Orange, San Diego, Riverside and San Bernardino counties, a flood watch will go into effect Thursday morning and run through Friday. With a slight chance for thunderstorms all day Thursday, forecasters warn that “excessive runoff may result in flooding of rivers, creeks, streams, and other low-lying and flood-prone locations.”
Storm thread time! 🧵🧵🧵
🌧️⛈️ Flood Watch in effect for all areas from the coast to the deserts Thursday morning through Friday morning. The best chances for the heaviest rainfall and thunderstorm activity look to be 9am-3pm Thursday, so plan accordingly!!#CAwx (1/4) pic.twitter.com/CqandGNJAv
Showers and bands of heavy rain will continue across southwest California, from the coast to the mountains.
Forecasters say snow levels will begin to drop Thursday night to about 4,500 to 5,000 feet, though heavy snow is not expected in those areas.
Friday
Much of the wind, flood and winter storm advisories will expire Friday, though lingering showers will remain in both Northern and Southern California.
Weekend
Saturday is expected to be a bit of a reprieve from precipitation — but officials say it won’t last long.
A second strong, wet storm, more focused on Southern California, is expected to bring more rain and snow, beginning as early as Sunday and lasting until midweek.
We’ve got to live with the white stuff, so why not embrace it and make it as fun as possible? After all, it’s our safest play-place this winter. Check out these 6 ways to make snow play more fun.
Make shapes. Snow is super moldable, especially the wet, sticky stuff. Break out buckets and bowls, sand toys, tupperware, or lightweight metal baking pans. Fashion bricks or unique shapes for giant animals and snowmen. Even the dollar store has rectangular building moulds for snow as well as snowball makers.
Make it colourful. Spray bottles with coloured water can add whimsy and personality to any snow creation.
Make it glow. Nighttime snow play can be almost more fun than in the daytime, and since darkness creeps in earlier these days, this is totally doable. Glowsticks look super cool under the snow and make for a fun game of hide-and-go-seek.
Make a science lab. You can get as messy as you want since you’re outdoors! You could create a snow volcano: fill the top with baking soda and add some vinegar. Coloured water and alka-seltzer tablets are also fun.
Make something delicious. Outdoor snow cone stand? Frozen lemonade cafe? An iced coffee for the adults? What about your own sugar shack where you pour warm maple syrup on the snow for a gooey sweet treat? Let the snow be your sous chef.
Make it an ongoing project. Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither was your snow castle, or snow mechanic’s garage, or snow restaurant. Start a larger backyard snow-build that you can work on over the course of a few days.
PITTSFIELD, Mass. (NEWS10) — The city of Pittsfield has announced an upcoming snow emergency that will be enacted on Sunday at 7 a.m. The emergency will run through 7 a.m. on January 30.
Parking will be allowed on the even side of streets from 7 a.m. on Sunday to 7 a.m. on Monday. Permitted parking will then shift to the odd side of the street from 7 a.m. on Monday to 7 a.m. on Tuesday.
The McKay Street parking garage will be open to the public for overnight parking free of charge from Saturday night through Tuesday morning. Stick with the NEWS10 Stormtracker Team for the latest weather updates.
If you live in a region where snow and ice are common in winter, you probably already know you shouldn’t scatter rock salt to make sidewalks and garden paths safe for pedestrians. Sure, salt (aka sodium chloride) is cheap and melts the ice, but it can wreak havoc on plants—not to mention your poor dog’s feet and your own footwear. It also erodes concrete and corrodes metal gates, fences, and your car. What’s worse, salt in runoff harms aquatic life in our streams, rivers, and lakes, and does further damage after it contaminates the earth’s groundwater supply.
For advice on environmentally friendly ways to clear ice and snow, we talked to Andi Pettis, director of horticulture at the High Line, the beloved New York City park that opened in 2009 atop an abandoned elevated railway and which stretches for almost a mile and a half on the west side of Manhattan.
Avoid Compaction
Above: Snow collects on the branches of Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Jelena’, a witch hazel on the High Line. Photograph courtesy of the High Line.
How do park staffers remove ice and snow from the High Line’s paths? According to Pettis, they do it the old-fashioned way. Step one: While snow is falling, they close off the park to keep people from walking on the paths and compacting the snow.
“The weather on the High Line is always more intense than at ground level,” says Pettis. “The park is essentially a bridge thirty feet in the air, so it freezes both from above and below. And the wind off the Hudson averages twenty miles per hour faster than at ground level.” That means that snowfall freezes quickly on the paths (made of pre-cast concrete pavers), especially if it gets compacted, and takes a long time to melt.
High Line caretakers are especially sensitive to issues of water pollution. “The grading is engineered so that precipitation runs straight into the planting beds,” says Pettis. “But any overflow drains into the city sewage system, and the less salt we put into that the better.”
This next round of bitter cold will spread from the central U.S. into the East, beginning Wednesday and into the weekend.
Low temperatures will only reach the 20s, perhaps teens, along the northern Gulf Coast, from eastern Texas to northern Florida Wednesday morning. Lows are expected to reach the teens in the Deep South on Wednesday morning, then again this weekend.
New Yorkers on Tuesday walk their dogs in New York City’s snowy Central Park. A fresh round of arctic blasts are expected to deliver more record-setting freezes across the nation. AFP/Getty Images
On Saturday morning, lows in the minus 20s are possible as far south as Iowa and Nebraska, according to the NWS.
According to AccuWeather, accumulating snow can be expected from Chicago, St. Louis and Nashville, Tennessee, to Washington, D.C., New York and Boston prior to the weekend.
The NWS forecasts “Heavy mountain snows for the Northwest and Rockies, along with ice storms for portions of the Pacific Northwest. Bands of heavy lake-effect snow continue for the Great Lakes as snow tapers off in the Northeast. A return to more typical winter temperatures for many on Wednesday after the brutal cold but another Arctic blast is expected late this week.”
Strong winds will also accompany the arctic air to produce dangerous wind chills, especially across the Plains, Midwest and parts of the South. The NWS said some wind chills in the Northern Plains could drop into the minus 30s, which can quickly lead to frostbite on exposed skin.
Wind chills could drop below zero across portions of the South, which could result in hypothermia or frostbite in less than a half hour.
Newsweek reached out to the NWS via email on Tuesday night for additional comment.
From a dusting to a boatload, our snow cover map is finally seeing some action! Over 50% of the Lower 48 is covered in snow as of this morning! 😍 pic.twitter.com/xEnVwnP6iB
“Nashville’s official snowfall accumulation was 7.6″. Of that total, 6.3″ occurred yesterday, breaking the daily snowfall record for January 15. Normal annual snowfall is 4.7″, so we received more than an entire winter’s worth of snow in just one event,” the NWS office in Nashville posted on X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday.
According to the Associated Press, recent snow and strong winds have been blamed for at least seven deaths in Oregon, including two people who died due to a fallen tree; the other five were believed to have died of hypothermia in temperatures that hovered in the teens and 20s.
Since Friday, deaths related to winter storms have also been reported in Arkansas, Mississippi, New Jersey, Tennessee and Utah.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
As kids, nothing was better than school being closed for weather. Snow days gave you the time to sleep in, goof, play outside and have fun. As adults, there was a hint of thrill when there was as snow, you might front load stuff in the morning and then have a leisurely afternoon with a hearty meal and some good spirits.
But Zoom and conference calls have changed snow days. Still, it seems like a snow day is a little permission to relax and goof off during the work week. And here are the best boozy drinks for when you are snow bound.
Ski Lift
This twist on a classic is the perfect companion inside and out on a snow day!
Ingredients
One pack of hot chocolate
Hot Milk
One shot of Schnapps or Frangelico
Whipped Cream
Coconut flakes
Create
Heat the milk and mix with the hot chocolate packet then stir in the spirits. Add whipped cream and sprinkling with coconuts (like snow flakes) and drink up!
Classic Hot Toddy
Perfect for after playing outside or shoveling snow. Best to drink in front of a fire or watching the cold weather from inside someplace warm.
Pour boiling water, whiskey, and honey into a cup. Add cloves, cinnamon, and lemon slice. Let mixture stand for 5 minutes so flavors can mingle, then sprinkle with a pinch of nutmeg before serving.
Hot Butter Rum
The perfect drink to shake off the chill and thinking of a warm, tropical vacation. The perfect cocktail mixing the current weather and the hope of an island getaway.
Ingredients
1teaspoonbutter
1teaspoonbrown sugar
1pinchground cinnamon
1pinchground nutmeg
1pinchground allspice
1dashvanilla extract
2ouncesrum (light rum is preferred)
1cupboiling water
CREATE
Place butter, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and vanilla extract in the bottom of an Irish coffee glass. Pour in rum and hot water. Stir.
The first slight of snow flakes, kick back and make one of these creations and let your body relax.
Dangerous winds continued to thrash Southern California on Sunday, causing some power outages in Los Angeles neighborhoods and triggering warnings that Interstate 5 near the Grapevine could be shut down because of snow and ice.
A wind advisory remained in effect across Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara counties until 7 p.m. Sunday, with gusts ranging from 25 mph to 50 mph across the region. Gusts of up 70 mph are possible in mountain areas, said meteorologist Robbie Munroe of the National Weather Service.
Wind advisories remained in effect in San Diego, Riverside and San Bernardino counties until Sunday at noon, officials said. There is also a slight chance of rain Sunday night in the coastal and valley regions.
Temperatures across the region ranged from the low to mid-50s on Sunday and were expected to drop into the 40s overnight, according to the weather service. Valley areas could see temperatures dip to the low 30s, Munroe said.
“Take extra care with pets and plants,” he said.
The cold air has also brought snowfall, icy conditions and fog along Interstate 5 near the Grapevine, which has made for hazardous driving conditions, prompting authorities to warn drivers about delays and possible closure of the busy roadway. A crash involving dozens of vehicles on a foggy stretch of Interstate 5 near Bakersfield on Saturday left two people dead and nine others injured.
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power reported power outages throughout its service area on Sunday affecting more than 2,500 customers, according to its website. Southern California Edison’s website reported 17 outages in Los Angeles County affecting more than 3,600 customers, and three outages affecting 384 customers in Orange County.
Although the latest cold front might remind Southern Californians of last year’s massive winter storm, Munroe said that current conditions decrease the odds of witnessing a similar white winter.
“This is a pretty cold system, but it lacks the combination of cold and moisture that we saw last year,” he said.
On a cold snowy morning, the last thing you want is to be shoveling your driveway by hand. Of course, you also don’t want to be fussing with your old, semi-broken snowblower that takes forever to turn on, runs on smelly gas and is too cumbersome to use. To help you stay safe and shoveled-out this winter, we rounded up some highly rated easy-to-use electric snow blowers in a variety of sizes.
Whether you’re plowing a large plot or just need to dig out a little walkway, these reviewer-loved machines are here to save you some major time, sweat and tears. Every option has a slew of reviews saying that it’s physically easy to move around, a low-maintenance appliance, or both. Most are cordless and run on reusable batteries, but some need to be plugged in.
We hope you find an option that works for you and your household to keep spirits bright, even as the snow falls.
HuffPost and its publishing partners may receive a commission from some purchases made via links on this page. Every item is independently curated by the HuffPost Shopping team. Prices and availability are subject to change.
Although recent storms have thrashed the California coastline and boosted reservoir levels, the downpours have so far failed to deposit significant snowpack in the Sierra Nevada, which experts say is in the grips of a severe, early season “snow drought.”
December’s powerful storms delivered super-sized waves and record-setting rainfall in California, but most of it fell in coastal areas, and almost none in the interior part of the state that is home to the Sierra, said Daniel Swain, a climate scientist with UCLA.
“In some cases there is literally no measurable snow on the ground at all,” Swain said during a briefing Tuesday. “What this means is that right now, as of today, snowpack is at or below all-time record-low numbers for the beginning of January, and I know that’s pretty alarming.”
Aggressive and impactful reporting on climate change, the environment, health and science.
While there is still time for snowpack conditions to improve, the potential for a meager snow season is worrying. For decades, Californians have depended on the reliable appearance of spring and summer snowmelt to provide nearly a third of the state’s supply of water. Sparse snowpack can also lead to drier, more fire-prone forests.
On Tuesday, state officials conducted their first snow survey of the season at Phillips Station, near South Lake Tahoe, where the ground was a patchy mixture of grass and powder. The monthly surveys in winter and spring are key to forecasting how the state’s resources will be allocated each year.
Snowpack at the location measured 7.5 inches, with a snow water content of 3 inches, said Sean de Guzman, manager of the California Department of Water Resources’ snow surveys and water supply forecasting unit. That amounts to just 30% of average for the date, and 12% of the average for April 1, when snowpack is typically at its deepest.
“The January snow survey is always our first big reveal of snow conditions for the year,” de Guzman said. “Last year on this date, we were standing on almost 5 feet of snow — so vastly different than what we are standing on here today.”
Officials walk through snowless patches while measuring the snowpack during the first media snow survey of the 2024 season at Phillips Station in the Sierra Nevada. Statewide the snowpack is 25 percent of average, but significant snow is in the next seven day forecast for the Sierras.
(Fred Greaves/California Department of Water Resources)
Electronic readings from 130 stations across California indicate the snow water content statewide is just 2.5 inches, or 25% of average for the date, compared with 185% at the same time last year.
“While we are glad the recent storms brought a small boost to the snowpack, the dry fall and below average conditions today shows how fast water conditions can change,” de Guzman said.
Low precipitation and warm temperatures are causing snow drought conditions throughout the West, not just in the Sierra Nevada, according to the National Integrated Drought Information System. Other regions include the Northern Rockies and parts of the Lower Colorado River Basin and Rio Grand River Basin.
“Snow drought conditions will continue to evolve throughout the winter,” the NIDIS said on its website. “Early in the season, snow drought recovery can happen quickly. Recovery from snow drought in late winter and early spring, when snowpack is typically near peak, can be more difficult.”
Unlike a typical drought, which refers to a total lack of moisture, a snow drought refers to a deficit in the expected amount of snow, Swain said.
“You may actually see average to above-average precipitation and have average to above-average soil moisture, but have a abysmally low snowpack,” he said. “And that is potentially what we’re headed for this winter in some parts of California and the Southwest.”
Part of the challenge is that much of the state’s recent precipitation has fallen as rain instead of snow — a product of warmer conditions driven by El Niño and human-caused climate change. El Niño, a climate pattern in the tropical Pacific, arrived in June and is associated with hotter temperatures worldwide.
“We have seen a number of storms that probably would have been cooler — and been snowfall — that have been rainfall,” said Andrew Schwartz, director of UC Berkeley’s Central Sierra Snow Lab at Donner Pass, where snowfall currently measures 32% of average.
Sean de Guzman, right, Manager of the California Department of Water Resources Snow Surveys and Water Supply Forecasting Unit, and Anthony Burdock, Water Resources Engineer in Snow Survey and Water Supply Forecast Unit, measure snowpack during the first media snow survey of the 2024 season at Phillips Station in the Sierra Nevada.
(Andrew Nixon / California Department of Water Resources)
Data dating back to 1978 show notable trends in that regard, Schwartz said, with snowfall declining and rainfall increasing in every month except for February.
“This really shows us that our snow season is getting shorter,” he said. “We’re going to have to plan for shorter periods of snowpack, and the complications that may bring with our management of water resources.”
Indeed, portions of the state’s water infrastructure were designed for the slow trickle of snowmelt, not the rapid deluge of rain, according to state climatologist Mike Anderson. A more mixed regime will require new strategies and technology, such as forecast-informed reservoir operations and aerial mapping tools to better prepare for runoff, manage water releases from dams and “help the state adapt as we move into a warmer world,” he said.
There is good news, however. The recent storms helped replenish major reservoirs, which stand at 116% of average levels for the date, according to state data. California’s two largest reservoirs, Lake Shasta and Lake Oroville, are at 69% and 68% capacity, respectively.
What’s more, an incoming storm sequence is expected to bring a much colder conditions to California over the next 10 days, including several storms capable of dropping 6 to 12 inches of snow in the mountains, Swain said. That could move the state out of record-low territory by mid-January, although snowpack will likely still remain well below average.
“I don’t necessarily think this is going to be a good snow year — in fact it might end up being a pretty bad snow year — even if Central and Southern California do end up seeing above average precipitation overall this winter, which remains a distinct possibility, because it’s likely to be warm most of the time,” he said.
But there is still a long way to go. California’s water year runs from Oct. 1 through Sept. 30, with the majority of the state’s precipitation typically falling in January, February and March.
“We’re only about one-third of the way through the ‘big three’ months, and a lot can change,” said Anderson, the state climatologist.
Anderson noted that El Niño is only one of several factors that can drive conditions in California, including sub-seasonal climate patterns that can play a role in the types and temperatures of storms that hit the state.
De Guzman, of DWR, said the snow survey results “show that it’s really still too early to determine what kind of year we’ll have in terms of wet or dry, and there can be so many things that happen with our storm systems between now and April, when we should see our peak snowpack.”
He noted that state officials are simultaneously preparing for either extreme wet or extreme dry conditions, including shoring up flood infrastructure and coordinating with emergency response partners in hopes of avoiding a repeat of last year, which saw devastating flooding, levee breaches, road damage and fatalities driven by more than 30 atmospheric rivers.
“California saw firsthand last year how historic drought conditions can quickly give way to unprecedented, dangerous flooding,” read a statement from DWR Director Karla Nemeth. “Although El Niño does not guarantee an above average water year, California is preparing for the possibility of more extreme storms while increasing our climate resilience for the next drought.”
Seasonal outlooks from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration still favor warmer-than-normal temperatures and above-normal precipitation in California through at least March, de Guzman said, noting “we still have a lot of season left.”
Back-to-back storms off the Pacific Ocean will bring rain and snow to Southern California this week, along with the potential for another round of big waves.
The swells that closed beaches and piers up and down the California shore eased up over the weekend, but high surf advisories remained in place in several counties as officials warned the public to avoid swimming or walking on rocks near the beach.
Public health officials in Los Angeles County also issued a warning about high levels of bacteria from storm runoff at some local beaches, including parts of Malibu, Santa Monica, Venice and Redondo Beach.
The Channel Islands Harbor in Oxnard saw 12-foot waves on Sunday, according to the National Weather Service. The area was pounded last week by waves, including large swells in Ventura that injured several onlookers who had to scramble to safety after ocean water surged over barriers and into the streets.
In the town of Capitola in Santa Cruz County, several seaside restaurants were damaged Thursday when the rising waters swept in. It’s the second time in less than a year that Capitola has been damaged by flooding. In January, large waves and high tides destroyed parts of the town’s wharf.
The waves are “trending down, it will continue to trend down through Tuesday,” said Ryan Kittell, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Oxnard.
At the popular surfing break known as Mavericks near Half Moon Bay, the waves were smaller Sunday after swells that reached highs of 30 feet last week, according to the National Weather Service.
“We’re coming down pretty good,” said weather service meteorologist Dalton Behringer, who noted that waves from Sonoma County to Monterey County were about 10 to 11 feet Sunday.
Rain is expected in Southern California and the Central Coast, with scattered showers arriving by Sunday afternoon and widespread rain arriving Tuesday night and Wednesday.
Also, people headed to the Rose Parade in Pasadena on Monday may want to pack a raincoat or umbrella in case of possible showers. It is expected to be partly cloudy with a 20% chance of rain in the morning, according to the National Weather Service.
Snow will fall later in the week, with mountain areas above 5,000 feet in L.A. and Ventura counties expected to get 4 to 8 inches of snow, according to the weather service.
The weather could impact traffic. Lower elevations, including the Grapevine area along Interstate 5, could see an inch or 2 of snow, Kittell said.
Another round of big waves in L.A. and Ventura counties could start Jan. 7, Kittell said.
The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued winter weather advisory warnings for parts of nine states, forecasting snowfall of up to 18 inches in some areas and urging caution while traveling.
Counties in Tennessee, Virginia, California, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Alaska, Nevada and Maine are all covered by the notices. In addition, a winter storm warning is in force for the municipality of Skagway in Alaska, where residents are advised to “prepare their property before the onset of winter weather.”
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said it expects conditions to improve during the first few days of 2024, adding: “The outlook is rosy for most travelers at the start of 2024. A sprawling area of high pressure will keep most of the country dry. High temperatures are expected to be near or above average for much of the country through the first half of next week as Arctic air stays bottled up to the north.”
NWS winter weather advisory warnings are in place until 6 a.m. local time on Saturday for areas of middle Tennessee, including the towns of Livingston, Jamestown, Allardt and Sparta, where up to 2 inches of snow could accumulate in higher areas. Warnings are also included until 4 p.m. on Saturday for areas at or above 3,000-feet elevation in the East Tennessee mountains.
Western Greenbrier County in West Virginia has a similar warning until 7 p.m. on Saturday, with “snow accumulations between 1 to 3 inches” expected, and travelers warned of “slippery road conditions.”
Conditions will be particularly severe for a stretch of California from Yosemite National Park to Tulare County where travel may be very difficult to impossible. Snow accumulations of 6 to 10 inches are expected widely, with localized amounts up to 15 inches above 6,000 feet, while wind speeds of 35 miles per hour are expected. Wind guests as high as 40 to 50 mph and up to 18 inches of snow is also forecast for higher peaks around western Plumas County and the northern Sierra Nevada.
A weather advisory warning is in place for southeast Nicholas, southeast Webster, northwest Pocahontas and southeast Randolph counties in West Virginia until 7 p.m. on Saturday, with total snow accumulations of 2 to 4 inches expected.
In Pennsylvania, a warning is in place from 1 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday for eastern Preston and eastern Tucker counties. A similar warning exists for the same time frame in Maryland’s Garrett County and western Grant County in West Virginia.
A man clearing his driveway of snow after an overnight storm in Provo, Utah, on December 13, 2022. National Weather Service winter weather advisory warnings are in place for nine states. GEORGE FREY/AFP/GETTY
For Alaska, a weather advisory warning has been announced for southern slopes of the central Brooks Range until 6 p.m. on Saturday, with “cold wind chills as low as 30 below zero,” which “could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 30 minutes.” Warnings are also in place across the White Mountains and high terrain south of the Yukon River where residents are urged to “slow down and use caution while traveling.”
In the western U.S., the NWS has issued warnings for Mono County and the greater Lake Tahoe area, with snow accumulations of up to 12 inches forecast for areas above 7,500 feet west of Highway 89.
Areas in the Great Lakes and upper Midwest are expected to see light snowfall on Saturday due to an Alberta Clipper system, or cold front that moves southeast across the U.S. from the province in Canada.
On Monday, the East Coast was battered by a winter storm, which left four dead, and thousands without power, across the states of Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
As skiers and snowboarders flock to the Lake Tahoe and the Eastern Sierra slopes this holiday weekend, National Weather Service meteorologists say the latest storm is expected to drop only a limited amount of snow in Southern California.
The only area that could record even as much as 1 to 2 inches of snow over the weekend is the high mountain peaks of the Eastern San Gabriel Mountains, said John Dumas, meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, operators of the Mt. Baldy Resort in the San Gabriel Mountains, said they expect to open their snow play area Saturday and Sunday as well as a chair lift “through the holidays.”
“We expect more snow after Christmas through the New Year,” according to the post.
Big Bear Mountain Resort in the San Bernardino Mountains is expected to see rain and snow flurries Friday evening but should have little to no snow accumulation over the weekend.
Looking out of his office window and seeing blue skies, Justin Kanton, Big Bear’s public relations director, said the limited trails open for skiing should remain open over the weekend, and the amount of snow in the area has been great so far for visitors, especially students on winter vacation.
As the Big Bear resort waits what the storm might bring, Katon cautioned visitors to prepare ahead of traveling to the area by checking the weather report, looking for road closures and identifying whether snow chains are necessary for travel.
“What [you] don’t want is to get halfway up the hill and CHP turns [you] around because [you] don’t have the right kind of traction,” he said.
Other parts of the state have already received enough snow to kick off the ski season.
Over the next three days Mammoth Mountain in the Eastern Sierra is predicting about three inches of snowfall. The National Weather Service forecast for the Lake Tahoe area is partly cloudy with a slight chance of snow Friday, Saturday and Monday. Lake Tahoe’s resorts are reporting between six and 48 inches of base, with higher-elevation resorts operating up to third to a half of all trails.
While New York City and Boston are typically associated with snowy winters, Hawaii snow has surprisingly outpaced them in snowfall this winter.
Hawaii Snow
The Mauna Kea Weather Center on Hawaii Island experienced a significant snowstorm in late November. That resulted in approximately half a foot of snow. This event occurred on the peaks of the Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa volcanoes.
In contrast, Boston reported only a fraction of its average snowfall, receiving a mere 0.2 inches on December 6. New York City, often pictured with winter snowscapes, has yet to see its first snowfall of the season.
Social media buzzed with images of Hawaii’s snow-covered volcanic peaks. This surprised many who associate the Aloha State solely with sun and surf. However, snow on Hawaii’s higher altitudes is not as rare as one might think.
Hawaii’s High-Altitude Snow
Hawaii’s volcanic peaks, particularly the nearly 14,000-foot-tall Mauna Kea volcano, are known for their altitude and even receive snow occasionally in the summer. Mauna Kea is recognized as the world’s tallest mountain when measured from base to peak, extending about 20,000 feet below sea level. This significant elevation means that these mountains can experience winter conditions distinct from the tropical climate below.
Skiers sometimes venture to these Hawaiian peaks for a unique skiing experience, despite the absence of traditional ski resorts in the state. Blizzard warnings are not unheard of in these areas during the winter months.
On the East Coast, cities like Boston and New York City are experiencing an unusually mild winter. Boston’s most significant snow event in January produced only 3.5 inches, while New York City’s largest was a modest 1.8 inches in February. Tom Kines, a senior meteorologist at AccuWeather, highlighted that this level of snowfall is atypical for these cities. Boston’s average snowfall for November is 0.7 inches, escalating to 9 inches in December. New York City usually sees about half an inch in November and close to 5 inches in December.
El Niño’s Potential Impact
The weather pattern known as El Niño, characterized by warmer ocean waters in the Pacific, might change the East Coast’s winter outlook. Following the end of La Niña in March, El Niño began this summer.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has predicted that El Niño could lead to near-normal or slightly above-normal precipitation for the East Coast.
This means there’s still a chance for cities like New York and Boston to catch up and experience their share of winter wonderland scenes. El Niño’s influence could bring more wet weather to these areas, potentially increasing their snowfall totals as the winter progresses.
Snowflake shares were gaining ground Wednesday after the cloud data warehouse software company posted better-than-expected results for the quarter ended Oct. 31.
A decade later, Frozen is still a pretty incredible looking movie. Despite accusations of Disney Face and a slew of movies that have aped its art style, Disney’s landmark 2013 film remains a pretty astounding display of digital animation prowess. Among the many fantastic looking elements, perhaps the most impressive is the snow. But Frozen’s snow has done more than simply look pretty — the technology that Disney used to make it helped solve the decades-old mystery of Dyatlov Pass.
For those who don’t know, the Dyatlov Pass incident is a hiking tragedy that happened in Russia’s Ural Mountains in 1959. A group of nine people were discovered dead a few weeks after pitching their tent in the snowy slopes. What was particularly haunting about the bodies, however, was the state in which they were found [Ed. note: This description is a little graphic]: Several seemed to have been dragged many feet from the campsite, while others were even further away. Some were discovered in various states of undress, injury, and disfigurement, missing eyeballs or tongue, and with cracked ribs and skulls. The bodies were also, bizarrely, lightly irradiated. In other words, it seemed like a graphic and grisly massacre, but no one could provide an explanation that exactly fit the facts.
That mystery made space for decades of fantastical theories to crop up, including Yetis, aliens, wild animals, infrasound, the Soviet military, or (most boring and plausible) an avalanche. But for years, the avalanche theory was considered an insufficient explanation. In the initial investigation, and several subsequent ones, researchers found none of the typical evidence that might suggest an avalanche had been triggered. But in 2019, a group of physicists determined that an extremely small avalanche could technically be possible in that area.
Image: Walt Disney Animation Studios
The next question for researchers was whether or not an avalanche of that size could really cause the kinds of injuries the nine victims were found with — and that’s exactly where Frozen comes into play.
When Johan Gaume, head of the Snow Avalanche Simulation Laboratory at EPFL, a Swiss federal technical institute, saw Frozen, he was immediately impressed with the way the snow in the movie moved. So impressed, in fact, that he met with Disney to talk about the animation technology they used to create it. Gaume then augmented the code slightly in order to create a more realistic model for how an avalanche of that size might look and behave, and more importantly how it might impact and injure a human body.
Between the Frozen code, his own simulations, and some old crash-test data from General Motors, Gaume and his team determined that a small avalanche actually could be enough to create the kind of blunt-force trauma injuries suffered by the victims of Dyatlov’s tragedy. According to their research, an avalanche of that size, in those specific conditions could do things like break ribs or cause serious head injuries, or even enough soft tissue damage to result in death — unlike most avalanche victims, who tend to die of asphyxiation.
Image: Walt Disney Animation Studios
But while Gaume’s model does give some compelling support to the avalanche theory, it can’t quite account for all of Dyatlov’s Pass’ mysteries. For instance, why were the bodies irradiated (possibly due to thorium present in some camping lanterns, but unconfirmed) or what happened to the eyes and tongues of certain members of the group (possibly scavenged by animals, though there aren’t many other signs that point to that on the bodies). Another of the ongoing mysteries is why exactly the bodies were so far from the camp or why they were undressed — though various kinds of panic and hypothermia could potentially account for that.
But at the end of the day, we’re still one step closer to figuring out the answers that have eluded researchers for years, and it’s all because of Frozen.
Honestly, Disney should lean into it. Frozen 3 and Frozen 4 are on the way — what’s keeping the House of Mouse from realistically modeling radiation spread, katabatic winds, and possibly the alpine speed of a Yeti?
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