College Essay On Blizzards

On January 12, 1888, the weather in the west was mild, compared to previous weeks. Little did the people know that a massive cold front was in route and would be catastrophic to the people, their livestock, and the economy in the dekota and nebraska praries. The cold front would cause one of the worst blizzards for the region, killing close to 500 people. The factors that made the death toll so high involve the mild weather before the storm, the lack of technology for warning systems, and bad timing.

Mother Nature can form many powerful storms, such as hurricanes, blizzards, typhoons, and cyclones. However, the two storms that are significant to the New England area are hurricanes and blizzards due to their extremely powerful type of weather. Hurricanes and blizzards can be catastrophic and cause excessive damage, however under different conditions. Blizzards involve large mass amounts of snow covering a wide area, while a hurricane involves excessive rain and tremendous winds. Both storms are quite different; however, there are a few similarities. A hurricane is characterized by thunderstorms, strong winds, and heavy rains. A blizzard is a storm with dry, strong winds, and intense cold. Blizzards and hurricanes are two natural phenomena that make an interesting comparison and contrast in how they are formed and how disastrous they can be.

The story “A Blizzard under blue sky” by Pam Houston is about a woman who is not happy and very depressed. She makes a decision to go out into the wilderness. The woman believes that this adventure is the best cure for her even if it means death. She refuses to take any drugs that her doctor tries to prescribe her. She suffers from depression. Her friend Alex is very concerned about his friend and wonders why she would go out knowing that a bad snow storm is headed that way. So he offers her something that she can stay warm with, he offers her a heavy sleeping bag that is thickly layered for the coldest of winter days for her

In the article ¨Blizzard!¨ by Jeanie Mebane, the blizzard was very dangerous. Jeanie Mebane explains how the winds were up to 60-70 miles per hour, and in the poem ¨The Blizzard Voices¨ by Ted Kooser the speaker explains to us that when you went outside during the storm the winds were so strong that it felt as if an enormous fist had struck them. This shows a similarity between the article and the poem because

The Blizzard of 1888 tested how much the human spirit could take. Stacking problems on problems, it was unforgiving to everybody in the area. Though the immigrants who came to the US all took different paths and ended up settling in different places of the Great Plains, in the end they both went through the same cold, unpredictable blizzard.

In 1888 on a Thursday afternoon 235 people were killed by a blizzard on their way home from school. Taking place in the Northwest Plains region of the United States the blizzard came without a warning temperature went down 100 degrees in a 24 hour. On a Thursday afternoon, a day before the storm it was unusually warm from Montana east to the Dakotas and south to Texas. Then suddenly within a couple hours the Arctic air that came from Canada went South. In North Dakota temperatures went forty degrees below zero. High winds and heavy snow came with the storm which caused terrible conditions. In rural areas adults working on farms and children coming home from school were the ones who were mostly affected by the blizzard. A schoolteacher in Pawnee

Once the snow started many people became stranded where they were at. Many people were stuck at work, school, and even in their vehicles. The people stuck in vehicles were the major portion of the death toll. Roadways became unpassable and alternate means of travel had to be acquired. Many people used snowmobiles to travel during this time. Snowmobiles became a huge asset to help get food and rescue people during the storm.

The drought killed the remaining plants and crops leaving nothing behind to anchor the dirt to the ground. As winds began to rise they ripped away the topsoil, exposed from bad farming practices, from the Earth; and by 1934 more than 35 million acres of farmland became sterile and useless and another 125 acres of topsoil were being rapidly drained. Large dust storms called “Black Blizzards” would originate in the Dust Bowl states and make its way to the East Coast as far as New York City, Washington D.C., and covered ships in the Atlantic Ocean with dust. Some were as large as 2 miles high traveling more than 2000 miles such as the one that occurred on May 11, 1934. The worst of the Black Blizzards came on April 14, 1935 with wind speeds up to 100 miles per hour carrying over 3 million tons of topsoil with it (Blakemore). The storm turned the skies black frightening people across the Midwest and East Coast. One observer said, it was like “the Red Sea closing in on the Israel children… it got so dark that you couldn’t see your hand before your face, you couldn’t see anybody in the room”. The stormed ended up destroying fields and causing car accidents and several people were left blind or with pneumonia.

Thesis: The Children’s Blizzard of January 12, 1888 was the worst blizzard to experience from the Dakotas to south Texas of all the damage from the winds and the snow, the amount of people that died,and the buildings destroyed. So many children died so that's why the name of the blizzard the Children’s Blizzard.

Ever heard of snow tubing? Snow tubing is like extreme sledding. You are in a tube, and you et plunged down a large hill. It’s is very fun, but also quite dangerous. You should never stand up on your tube, while going down. You should not have more than one person in a rube, and wait until the person before you is out of the way before you go down. Avoiding these risks will keep you safe, sand you’ll still have tons of fun. Down to go snow tubing, you still need to wear the right gear. You will need a heavy coat, socks, snow pants, a long sleeved shirt, boots, gloves, a hat, and a scarf. These will keep you warm. Depending on how step the slope is, you’ll need a helmet as well. Now go have fun!

As with the huge snowstorm of December 1974 another even more powerful (in terms of intensity/extent) storm is of strong interest to all meteorologists who have studied winter storms in the Great Lakes. This storm is also of interest and remembrance to many longtime residents of the Great Lakes, the Upper Ohio Valley and Ontario, Canada who had to deal with winter's full fury late in January of 1978. In addition, the storm certainly casts many memories for those of us who were on duty and worked during the storm...while being in awe of the development and subsequent immense strength of this great monster. With the 30th anniversary of this Great Blizzard at hand, it is worth taking a step back in time to re-live this monumental example of nature's fury.

“Who back East or down South could have conceived of a land where the temperature could fall eighteen degrees in just three minutes?” the author stated. (Laskin, 39) This actually occurred in the nation’s history. It is somewhat expected to have some days where one has to bring a light jacket for later in the day because it is predicted to get cooler. “Who would have guessed that farmers and school children could start their days in shirtsleeves, without heavy overcoats, only to experience wind chills that night that were forty degrees below zero?” the author wrote. (Laskin, 39) The people who had to endure the freakish drop of temperature and monster of a blizzard definitely did not predict any of this could ever happen. Had the people been

Three years ago, what I thought was only supposed to be any other November night, turned into a blizzard that made headlines all over Northwest Kansas, specifically affecting Colby and Atwood, leaving us with over 20 inches of thick, heavy snow (Newton). It piled up against houses, and blocked roads. The snow fell fast and it fell

While cold weather camping may not be for everyone, it is a way to enjoy more time outdoors. Cold weather camping is not something to jump into unprepared. If you are only used to camping in the warm summer months start with trips in the spring and fall and work your way into the colder winter months. Car camping is a great way to practice cold weather camping, if things go wrong you can simply get in the car and warm up or drive out for supplies. Serious cold weather camping in freezing temperatures and arctic conditions is a specialized skill that requires special knowledge and equipment, but these tips will help you to get prepared for colder temperatures than the normal camping weather. The most important thing to remember about cold weather camping is that you will need more clothes, more food, and more sleeping warmth. Layered clothing is a common practice for most campers, hikers, and backpackers. In cold weather you will simply need either (or both) more layers or warmer layers. Simply changing fabrics from cotton to something warmer will often do the trick. Cold weather also means that you will burn more calories going about your normal activities as the body needs to work more to stay warm. Doubling your normal food supply is probably overkill but is a good general rule for beginners starting to experience cold weather camping. Sleeping bags are another area that need to be improved for cold weather camping. In the

The wind, a heavy storm, a change in temperature, or the weight of a person can trigger instabilities in the snowpack. They are most common on slopes between 30 to 45 degrees. A rule of thumb: if a slope is good for skiing, it can avalanche. A large avalanche in North America might release 300,000 cubic yards of snow, which is roughly the same as 20 football fields filled 10 feet deep with snow. Their victim or someone triggers nearly all avalanches in the victim's party. Contrary to common belief, loud noises such as shouts, sonic booms, or loud noises from helicopters or snowmobiles don't trigger avalanches, claims Bruce Tremper, as many as 90% of avalanches resulting in fatalities are triggered directly by the weight of the person traversing