The 2024-25 winter has provided a level of cold that hasn’t been felt in the Midwest for years. In a decade where climate change has made seasons much less dependable, it felt like winter was finally back. However, 2024 was the warmest year in recorded history, with the past ten years all making up the ten hottest.
This resurgence of winter weather is not due to the end of climate change but instead the northern hemisphere experiencing La Niña, a cooling of ocean surface temperatures that occurs every three to five years. This creates cold fronts that come down from the North Pole and constantly drop arctic air on Northeastern America.
When this frigid air mixes with the warm humid air of the Great Lakes, large snow clouds are formed. Because of this, the Midwest and New England have seen extreme amounts of snow this winter, with cities such as N.Y.C seeing their snowiest period since 2003.
Delaware has not been untouched by La Niña, with it being sandwiched between the polar jet stream and subtropical jet stream. This further increases the unpredictability of weather.
With this extreme weather, different industries and occupations are affected in their functionality. One effect of this is increased cost to the local government.
“Cities may see increased operating costs due to overtime pay for employees out servicing the roads and increased costs of salt and vehicle maintenance,” said Director of Delaware County Emergency Management, Alex McCarthy.
Extreme danger to citizens is also an outcome of falling temperatures. Long exposure to cold air results in hypothermia, a condition when a person’s body temperature drops below 95° fahrenheit.
“Out of all the weather events we experience in the United States, extreme cold temperatures are the most dangerous for local residents, especially for the elderly and those with medical conditions,” McCarthy said. “Additionally, any time we see more than a quarter-inch of ice accumulation from freezing rain, power outages become possible as lines break. Therefore, we take power outages and the associated lack of heat very seriously.”
Students are especially at risk of getting caught in this danger, with a lack of experience leading teen drivers to cause 11% of traffic accidents, despite being only 7% of the population. Because of this McCarthy warns to “Please consider keeping an emergency kit in your car that includes a water bottle, some snacks, a blanket, and a flashlight.”
With all of these dangers the best protection is to keep away from any threatening scenario.
“Another thing that I recommend to students is to begin to familiarize yourselves with weather forecasts,” McCarthy said. “Learn what winter storms and snow squalls are and how to avoid driving through them.”
Other issues continue with transportation. When Hayes is closed down during a snow day, students who are part of other institutions face issues with getting available rides. This creates logistical issues with some students who are only able to get transportation from school buses.
“When there’s no school at Hayes, Hayes sometimes still provides transportation, but other times there’s no transportation at all so you have to find transportation to DACC, ” junior Jedidiah Odonkor said. “These two schools never communicate.”
Another aspect of the weather that is often overlooked is its impact on the construction of buildings. These need to fit codes and safety standards to withstand extreme weather. Snow proves especially to be a challenge.
“Framing can be delayed in snow, due to construction sites becoming covered in snow,” said Director and Chief Building Official of the Department of Building Safety in Delaware Duane Matlack. “The snow makes things slippery and dangerous for workers to walk on framing. It is also against code to place roof coverings over snow or wet surfaces.”
Cold air is also a large factor in the construction of buildings. Temperature sensitive materials such as concrete and paint are often damaged which slows down the construction process.
“Cold weather affects the placement of concrete unless it is protected from freezing,” Matlack said. “This includes footers, foundation walls, basement and garage slabs, sidewalks, etc […]. This can delay the placement of concrete until warmer weather or increases cost due to protecting the concrete from freezing while it cures.”
Overall, Delaware faces various problems when hit by cold fronts created by the La Niña season. However, there are many hard working people and well implemented procedures that have allowed for residents to enjoy winter weather instead of fearing it. With weather becoming more unpredictable over the years, cooperation between weather services and government is necessary to maintain this peace.
