Covid-19 has set schools on an uncertain path of opening and closing constantly. Just when students go back and things seemingly return to normal, cases arise and they are back to learning online. After being shut down for a week, HHS was set to reopen again on February 1. However, Mother Nature had other plans, and on Monday a countless number of schools were forced to close. Some decided to go virtual, others shut down completely, and this time it had nothing to do with the pandemic that has caused schools so much trouble already. This time our enemy came in the form of a massive snowstorm.

By the end of the week, forecasters were expecting heavy snow and dangerous travel conditions in most of the Eastern United States on Sunday. Winter storm warnings were issued to the states that were expected to be hit, from North Carolina to New York. The heaviest snow was believed to fall in northeastern Pennsylvania and northwestern New Jersey.

The storm had already struck other states such as California, which received over six feet of snow and heavy rain. It continued its path of destruction through the Midwest, leaving the largest recorded snowfall at Chicago O’Hare Airport since 2015.

By early Sunday afternoon, January 31,  snow began to fall in Philadelphia, and the storm was likely to reach New York by that evening. The snow was predicted to reach between 11 and 15 inches in some places, and even more in others.

Winds could be up to 35 miles per hour in states such as Pennsylvania. Transportation systems were closed, a state of emergency was issued in New York, power outages occurred, and schools shut down. Some of the highest reports of snow include 24.8 inches in NJ, 19.7 inches in PA, 19.5 inches in NY, and 12 inches in CT.

Clearly, 2021 is determined to keep us home from school. From pandemic to unexpected snowstorm, who knows what’s coming next.