US expecting ‘storm of the century’

Don’t wave goodbye to your winter coat just yet – there’s a blizzard coming.  

More unwanted records broken 

With blizzard warnings in place and more than 24 inches of snow expected, it sounds a lot like the bleak midwinter on the northern Plains – only, it’s April. Several US states are bracing themselves to expect a ‘storm of the century’, with weather channels encouraging people to prepare for seriously stormy conditions.  

Erratic weather is a sign of the times, and with each new record comes fresh concern about the bigger picture of global warming. Portland, for example, saw its airport pick up an inch of snow on Monday, marking the location’s first April snowfall on record.  

Time to hunker down 

Snow in April might seem like a novelty, but according to experts, this stormy blizzard is no joke. Expect tree damage, power outages and dangerous traveling conditions across a huge area of the northern states. 

Even for our famously snowy areas, things are going to get extreme. There’s potential for the heaviest snowstorm ever in Bismarck, North Dakota, where the previous snowfall record was 23.5 inches back in 1993.  

Before things get bumpy, stock up on water and supplies and prepare to lock yourselves down. Because we haven’t done enough of that over the past two years, right?