It is being called a very rare occurrence by meteorologists, but by late Friday afternoon, snow was recorded on the ground in all 50 of the United States. The last holdout was Florida, but light snowfall in the panhandle yesterday afternoon added the state to the list of of places experiencing winter’s wrath. It seems only Hawaii remains warm and tropical, but snow can be found there on the peaks of some of the state’s highest volcanoes.
Much of the country was hit with a massive snowstorms throughout the week, with blizzards strangling travel throughout the Midwest and East Coast. Meanwhile places like Dallas and Atlanta, where snow is uncommon, to say the least, were also experiencing their fair share of cold weather and fresh powder.
Experts have been combing the records looking for any previous periods in history when there could have possibly been a full 50 for 50 sweep of all the states. The only previous time when they feel it might have been possible was on January 19, 1977, when snow covered the deep south much as it has this past week. To commemorate this historic event, Patrick Marsh, a meteorology student at the University of Oklahoma, is attempting to collect photographs of snow on the ground in each of the states. If you can help in his quest send an e-mail to snow@forwarn.org.
Meanwhile, in Vancouver, where the Winter Olympics opened last night, they continue to lack for snow. Cypress Mountain has continued to have snow delivered all week, in a hasty attempt to be ready for ski and snowboard competitions scheduled to take place there. The city has been unseasonably warm of late, and there has been little snow throughout January and February. A strange turn around from typical winters, when our neighbors to the north have plenty of powder for winter activities.