Dancing on the Northern Spectrum

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Courtesy of Lake Ridge Media

The South endured colder temperatures and several inches of snow, shutting down school.

Reaching temperatures below freezing, Texas has experienced one of their coldest weeks of all time. According to a 2021 Dallas News Article, this recent snow storm touched all 254 counties of Texas. It left many homes without power, electricity, and even water. Lasting longer than anybody would have expected, the storm reaches historic heights. With Texas being notorious for having hot weather all year long with occasional cold spikes, Northern residents had a lot to say about the recent winter storm that recently occurred.

From blizzards to temperatures reaching negatives, Northern states such as New York, New Jersey, and Maryland are accustomed to the weather conditions that were similar to the ones that happened in Texas within the past week. Moreover, Northern states experience the same conditions, but harsher and more regularly. With that being said, some believe that the southerners were overreacting with the amount of snow that they were receiving. For New York resident, Junior, Erlona Mavraj, the below freezing temperatures and inches of snow were only a ‘dusting’ to what she had to deal with when living in New York.

“When I first saw that Texas was getting snow, I was shocked because I heard they never get snow over there, so it was surprising. However, the amount of snow Texas got wasn’t even half as much as we get in New York. That little snow doesn’t do much in New York, so I was surprised it did so much damage in Texas. I think Texans were and weren’t overreacting at the same time. I might be a little biased because there is so much snow in New York, but I know Texans aren’t really prepared for weather like that,” said Mavraj.

From a northern perspective, it seems like Texas was dancing along the lines of the northern weather spectrum. However, from a southern perspective, it seems as if everything happened so quickly and all at once. The storm affected many and it continued to affect those in the state with the after effects. For Junior, Damien Bass, Texans were reacting appropriately to the conditions that they were experiencing.

“Personally, I think Northerners shouldn’t have a say in what goes on in Texas or in the South in general, because one, they don’t live here, and two, Texans are not used to this kind of weather. This is one of the few occasions where it snows in Texas and it all came at once, so I believe all the shocked and surprised reactions were expected,” Bass said.

The snow storm in Texas has gained a lot of attention and notoriety not only in Texas and surrounding states, but in the rest of the country. There have been viral tweets and posts about the situation and it has been humorized on many different apps, especially Tik Tok. Recently, Tik Toker, Marcus DiPaola, known for his videos delivering more understandable news reports to his younger audience, made a Tik Tok, reviewing the weather conditions in Texas and insensitively joked about it, blaming the Texans for being a Republican State during the election. Many Tik Tok users have been affected by his post and have been leaving comments under his post, telling him to apologize and say sorry for his insensitive comments. For Freshman, Braeden Wagoner, there is no point in associating two different topics with each other to him.

“When I saw his Tik Tok, I took it as a joke, but I can see why people got offended and were telling him to apologize. There are people dying and it was the wrong time to make a ‘joke’ like that. I don’t see the association with the weather and what color Texas was on the electoral map during the election,” said Wagoner.

From deaths to water pipes bursting, the snow storm has affected millions living in Texas. Residents are still recovering from the damages the storm has caused. With that being said, with employees going back to work and students going back to school, this storm will forever go down in history.