Snow at Miami University’s Oxford campus
by Mihaela Manova
To many, waking up on April 21, felt like a winter restart instead of a spring one. In southern Ohio, the blooming trees and flowers were neatly covered with a blanket of snow.
But this April snowfall, as Fox19 puts it, “is far from common.” The source explained that for Ohio to have “measurable snow” it would need to surpass 0.1 inches.
This April snowfall broke a 120-year record in Cincinnati. At the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Airport (CVG) 2.3 inches of snow were reported. According to Eagle Country Online, the previous record for April snowfall was 1.5 inches, recorded in 1901.
In other regions of Ohio, many were also greeted with a blanket of snow, in areas like Butler, Warren, and Hamilton County.
In Hamilton, the snowfall caused problems for its locals. According to the Hamilton Township Police Department, a tree limb fell into the power lines and cut residents’ power.
For gardeners, the snow has been reported to not damage plants. In an interview with the Columbus Dispatch, Mark Reiner (vice president of Oakland Nursery) confirmed that snow acts as an insulator to vegetation. Yet, the cold temperatures are the ones that could harm the plants.
Reiner recommended that gardeners cover their perennials and vegetables with burlap to prevent them from freezing.
The most snow recorded in Ohio on April 21, was in Toledo. Five inches of snow were recorded the night before.
According to Spectrum News 1, there is an explanation for the diverse weather conditions. “Two factors came into play with this history-making snowfall,” the source said. “One, it happened mainly overnight when our temperatures were the coldest. This storm also produced exceptionally fast snowfall rates.”
In contrast, on Earth Day, the snow melted. The temperatures went back to being above 40 degrees, but lower than 60 degrees as per normal April temperatures.
On Earth Day, President Joe Biden invited 40 world leaders to the Leaders Summit on Climate. They discussed the urgent measures that need to be taken in preserving the world’s resources while reducing the global temperature and emissions. At the end of the Summit, the U.S announced a new plan to reduce emissions by 2030 under the Paris Agreement. The meeting was held live and can be watched here.
