[improved] Storm - A winter we never forget [part 1/2]

The winter of 2009-2010 was defined by snowstorms of historic proportions and record-breaking cold. Millions of Americans from coast to coast faced unusual cold, damaging flooding and mudslides, or blizzards from December 2009 through February 2010. These conditions required massive cleanup and repair efforts, cost millions of dollars and disrupted daily life. When looking at the nation as a whole, heavy amounts of snow, rain and ice made for above-average precipitation this winter. In addition, frigid air led to temperatures far-below normal throughout a large portion of the nation. Because of this combination of cold and moisture, snow covered a portion of every one of the 48 continental United States. On February 13, 2010, 68 percent of the nation was covered by snow. It was cold just about everywhere. The worst was east of the Mississippi River, where the cold was most sustained. The cold extended so far south this winter that parts of central and South Florida reported wet snow and sleet, even Miami. Snow in Florida. The first time I've been living here since '95 there isn't snow. That's only been reported once before in Miami, in 1977. As for the Midwest, mid-Atlantic and Northeast, this winter was highlighted by repeated snowstorms. December began with a Midwestern blizzard from the 7th to the 10th, effectively shutting down the entire state of Iowa. A second storm dumped snow from Kentucky and North Carolina on through the mid-Atlantic all the way to Boston December 18-20 with some spots accumulating over two feet. And there was yet another snowstorm that spanned the Midwest from Texas to North Dakota over the Christmas holiday.