Every year, as January approaches, snow is to be expected. But in 2016, the year kicked off with a massive snowstorm dubbed as “Jonas” by The Weather Channel. Over one hundred million people were affected by the storm, with its overarching presence reaching that of the Mid-Atlantic and the Northeast region of the United States.

In preparation for the storm, meteorologists had a primary prediction that the snow would reach approximately two feet, as reported by the Chicago Tribune. In reality, the snow storm struck from January 22 through the 24 and snow reached heights of up to three feet. Ranked as a Category 4 “crippling” storm in the Northeast and Southeast regions, winds in the storm reached up to 57 miles per hour, as reported in Assateague Island, Maryland.

Due to the storm’s high amount of damage across cities, roads, and several infrastructures, it is estimated that the economic losses due to the storm are between $500 million and $3 billion.

The aftermath of the storm brought out the best in state government officials. The governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo, and NYC Mayor Bill De Blasio are being praised for their handling of the storm prior to its arrival, particularly for their decision to place a travel ban that likely saved lives. In addition, many schools across the Northeast were forced to shut down operations. Saint Peter’s Prep, for example, had two days off after the weekend of the storm.

Because of Winter Storm Jonas’ high intensity, it is reported that fifty-five people have died over the course of the storm. Because of ice and snow covered roads, these deaths resulted across thirteen states and the District of Columbia, with two in Virginia, nine in Pennsylvania, six in New Jersey, six in New York, six in North Carolina, four in South Carolina, three in Maryland, three in Washington, D.C., one in Arkansas, one in Delaware, one in Georgia, one in Kentucky, one in Massachusetts, and one in Ohio.

We at The Petroc send our utmost thoughts to the families who have lost loved ones during this blizzard.