Starting at 3 pm on Saturday, March 13, Casper, Wyoming received over four feet of snow. It blocked the roads, took out the power in blocks worth of housings, buried entire cars, and shut down shops and schools. After only 12 hours of snow decline, plows that were in charge of clearing the streets were forced to quit before the job was done due to large amounts of fog hindering their sight. Cars and trucks alike got stuck in neighborhoods when people ventured outside of their house, and many had to dig themselves out manually before they could get back onto the road. This weekend made for the 3rd most amount of snow Casper has ever received, the top result being during the Great Depression in which over 60,000 people died.

Students involved in sports over the weekend reported being forced to stay in a hotel or other locations due to the roads closing. Even kids who had taken the time to have a sleepover with their friends were stuck throughout the entire weekend until the plows could get back on the road. When that time had come, plows were seen in successions of 5 or more, tailing behind one another as they worked to clear the streets. However, while roads have been opened for the town’s people, the mountain is still on lockdown. With over seven feet of snow, workers have not begun to tackle the streets, leaving many students to revert back to online schooling. 

Even 3 days after the initial fall of snow, students report not being able to get further than their driveway. Alex Moye, a junior, mentioned the need to stay home when school finally opened back up. She said, “I couldn’t even make it completely on the street.” Another junior, Syncear Adams, spoke of digging out her smaller dog, Diamond. These aren’t the only surprising results. Within the heavy downpour of snow, Moye writes that her tree had been split in half within the second day of snowfall. This pine tree had been taller than her house and older than her grandparents and was used as the burial ground for 2 of her deceased pets.

Even so, not everything bad came from this experience. Many teenagers took the time to sleep in, build snowmen and forts, and get into snowball fights with their family or friends. The only thing left to question is how the school plans to deal with these missed dates, especially as the ACT grow closer for the juniors in NCHS. Many teachers believe that these days will be moved towards the end of the school year, which was originally on June 8.