While most people associate winter with snow, this winter proved to have more of it than usual. Regions of the U.S. that are usually hit with snowstorms were hit harder than ever this year, and places where it rarely snows experienced harsh winter weather conditions.

49 out of 50 states in the U.S. received some amount of snowfall in the past two months. Florida, the one exception, was even uncharacteristically cold during the Christmas season, reaching freezing temperatures on some nights.

Many other states in the South felt temperatures much below freezing as well. Georgia, a state that typically receives very little snowfall compared to many other states, experienced several inches after a few bad storms.

Although unbeknownst to many, Hawaii is a state that receives snowfall each year, this winter being no exception to that. Residents of the tropical state awoke the morning after a snowstorm to find the summit of Mauna Kea blanketed with powdery snow. Instead of feeling disgruntled about the snowfall, residents welcome the change in scenery that comes briefly each year.

The Midwest was another region hit hard already this winter. A storm that occurred in early Dec. spanned from Kentucky across to Minnesota leaving behind a mess of vast proportion. 

Finally, the Northeast was felt the repercussions of a harsh winter in a big way. The first blow of the season came in the form of a blizzard the day after Christmas, leaving many snowed in for days. Another big storm hit a few weeks later in early January and the aftermath process repeated itself.

Being snowed in, waiting for streets to be plowed is an irritable topic to discuss for many individuals.  This is due in part to the nature of the problem but also because of the way it is continually handled. Local government appears to plow major highways and streets first, which is understandable, but sometimes smaller, residential streets are abandoned for days because of this. A better plan of attack should be instituted to ensure fairness for all people.

“The ice was really bad. We got a lot of snow but the worst part of it all was the ice. In my town, it’s safer to drive on the highway after a snowstorm than the smaller streets,” freshman Sarah Smith said.

“Authorities are better with keeping up with major roads, and they tend to slack off when it comes to residential areas.”

While it may be safer to drive on highways for this reason, it is still extremely dangerous and many accidents occur each winter. If residential areas are better to drive on after snowstorms, a stronger effort should be made to plow these small roads.

“It took hours to plow ourselves out but we did it eventually. Long Island is better about plowing the streets, it’s the boroughs where you find the problem,” freshman Mary Ann Gallucci said.

Of all the boroughs, it seemed to be Queens where the real problem was found.

“We got stuck inside for three days. The roads were just never plowed. Even after they did plow, they didn’t do it well,” Queens resident Ryan Bacci said.

Because winter snowstorms affect such a vast amount of people and the majority of our nation, many people believe greater efforts need to be made to ensure an easier transition back to normalcy after blizzards have hit.

The recent blizzard has led many people, particularly New Yorkers, to believe that the aftermath of a snowstorm should be faced with more organized, more prepared and more experienced attitudes by all authorities and all individuals.