Over the weekend, a massive snowstorm covered large parts of the U.S. in snow and ice. The storm has been linked to at least 12 deaths, and more than one million people are without power.
As of Monday afternoon, Bonito Lake, New Mexico had the highest U.S. snowfall total at 31 inches, according to the National Weather Service. Napanoch, New York recorded the second-highest total at 30 inches, while Jennerstown, Pennsylvania saw 24.7 inches. The agency notes that snowfall totals may be delayed by a few days since it takes time for stations to report their data.
The storm set records in many parts of the country. In New York City, Central Park logged 11.4 inches of snow during Sunday’s storm—its highest ever recorded—while Dayton, Ohio’s one-day total of 12.4 inches broke the record set during the Blizzard of 1978. Pennsylvania cities also set new marks: Harrisburg recorded 14 inches of snow, surpassing the 5.4-inch record from 1988. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh (11.2 inches) and Philadelphia (9.3 inches) also broke one-day snowfall records set in 2014 and 2000, respectively.
While snowy conditions are easing, the storm’s impacts will linger in the coming days—especially as many snow-hit regions begin the week with cold temperatures. At the storm’s peak on Sunday, one million households lost power—particularly in southern states unaccustomed to heavy snow, like Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Kentucky. It could take days or even weeks for power to be restored in some areas. In Mississippi, utility company Tippah Electric Power reported “catastrophic damage” and said it could take “weeks instead of days” to restore service to everyone. The storm also caused widespread travel disruptions—the number of canceled flights rivaled those during the pandemic.
Ahead of the storm, former President Donald Trump used the event to voice his longstanding skepticism about climate change. “Record Cold Wave expected to hit 40 States. Rarely seen anything like it before,” he wrote in a post on Truth Social on Friday. “Could the Environmental Insurrectionists please explain — WHATEVER HAPPENED TO GLOBAL WARMING???”
But a winter snowstorm doesn’t disprove that the planet is, overall, warming. In fact, climate change could help drive record levels of precipitation like snow.
On average, climate change is leading to shorter, milder winters. But research shows that climate change can intensify some extreme weather events—including heat waves, heavy rainfall, severe floods, droughts, extreme wildfires, and hurricanes.
Global warming from greenhouse gases is contributing to a rise in global average temperatures. A warmer atmosphere can hold more moisture, which is then released as precipitation.
During winter, this could mean some regions see storms that bring rain instead of snow as temperatures rise above freezing, while others simply get more heavy snowfall.
