Extreme Weather Events In 2022... So Far

Weather is constantly changing either for the better or worse. So far this year, 2022, it has taken a turn for the worse. From tragic snowstorms to unexpected lightning patterns, the weather is playing a major role in our society than ever before. 

As of January 1, 2022, Kentucky experienced a state of emergency just three weeks after major tornados completely destroyed the state. The state of emergency was put in place because “powerful storms caused flash flooding, power outages and property damage, including from a possible tornado in Hopkinsville,” says The Guardian. 

Also on January 1, 2022, Colorado witnessed firsthand the impacts on wildfires caused strictly by the wind. The wildfires destroyed 1,000 homes, authorities said on Saturday in and around Denver and Boulder. 

On January 4, 2022, drivers in Virginia were stuck along a “50-mile stretch of Interstate 95 after a crash involving six tractor-trailers in Virginia, with some drivers stuck in place for nearly 24 hours,” says The Guardian. It started on that Monday morning when a large truck held up traffic which caused other drivers to lose control of their vehicles. Among the many people stranded, Josh Lederman, an NBC News correspondent, began taking videos on his phone informing others of what is happening. 

“We started to see a lot of drivers turning their cars off to conserve gas, people running out of food and water, kids and pets holed up for so many hours, people letting their pets out of the car to try to walk them on the street. And in the meantime, no signs of any emergency vehicles that we could see,” says Lederman. 

On January 11, 2022, many schools in Massachusetts, New York, Maine, and Vermont closed school due to extreme cold weather. Sub-zero temperatures caused the decision to close. In the northeast, this was one of two closures the school had in the same week due to outrageous temperatures. 

Schools in Massachusetts, specifically Boston, Springfield, and Worcester, “canceled classes, saying they did not want children standing outside for extended periods of time waiting for buses.” According to the National Weather Service, when skin is exposed for at least 30 minutes can result in frostbite. “The safety of our students and staff is always the focus of our decisions,” says Worchester public schools. 

In Massachusetts, temperatures are expected to rise 40 degrees in Boston within the next week. In New York state, temperatures are expected to drop to -30 degrees with parts of the state getting two feet of snow. In Vermont, the temperature was expected to be sub-zero with wind chills up to -35 degrees. In New Hampshire, it was -26 degrees with a wind chill of -72 degrees. 

These are just a couple of the extreme weather conditions the US has experienced so far this year with many more on the way. It is important to be prepared for any circumstance, even the unexpected.