On Jan. 24, our very own city of Winston-Salem was covered with copious amounts of ice and snow. The roads were frozen over, Salem’s fountains were covered in ice, and our campus was effectively shut down. The roads were unsafe to drive on, and lots of local businesses were forced to close due to the weather.
When the ice finally began to melt, and hopes were high that the community would go back to their regular operations, another snowstorm came through and left Winston-Salem covered in 11” of fluffy snow, according to meteorologist Tim Buckley with WFMY 2 News.
North Carolinians all around the state rushed outside to play in the historic snowfall, including some of Salem College’s very own.
According to Salem College student Summer Burchett, “It was my puppy’s first snow, and he ate some of the snow and started slipping and sliding everywhere. He even dragged me down with him,” Burchett said. It was a day filled with laughter and fun all around campus and around Winston-Salem.
Unfortunately, the snowstorm also had its downsides. According to a WITN 7 News Feb. 1 article titled, “Snowstorm leads to more than 1,000 crashes across state”, there were over 1,000 vehicular incidents and a total of three deaths linked to the snowstorm. North Carolina’s roads had unsafe conditions due to the lack of equipment to clear them, since this much snow is rarely seen.
Although this unexpected arrival of winter weather required some getting used to, it is likely both Salem College and Winston-Salem alike will be better prepared for similar events in years to come.
