Rare snowstorm reaches Baxley
Christian Pina
Schools, businesses, and government agencies shut down for several days as Appling County experienced a once-in-a-decade snow event on Tuesday, January 21, and Wednesday, January 22. Appling County’s previous snow event occurred in January of 2018, which saw roughly 3 inches of snow. This is due to a polar vortex–a large region of low pressure and cold, rotating air–which brought with it an arctic blast from the North Pole. The wintery mix began Tuesday evening with freezing rain around sunset and continued to snow and sleet through Wednesday morning.
This historically inclimate weather affected Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and South Carolina, and blizzard warnings were issued for parts of the gulf including Texas and Louisiana.
Christian Pina
While snowfall is a fun change of pace from the typical southeastern heat, the weather produced dangerously cold temperatures below freezing and hazardous road conditions. A reported 10 deaths have occurred across the southeast as a result of deteriorating conditions, and more than 2,200 flights were canceled. Appling County prepared for these challenges by salting and scraping against black ice on roads and bridges, and warming stations were organized to shelter homeless citizens from the cold.
Fortunately, no major power outages threatened large-scale infrastructural issues. Many children– and even adults–just had the opportunity to see snow fall and stick to the ground for the first time before finally melting almost a week later. While some braved the harsh conditions to indulge their inner child, others found an opportunity to enjoy some needed rest and relaxation.
