With a massive snowstorm bearing down on the Eastern United States, many Americans went all-out to prepare for a projected 25-75 centimetres of snowfall. They stocked up at grocery stores, filled up on gas, and logged on to social media sites.
There was a battle over which hashtags to use to track the storm. Should it be #blizzard2016, #snowmageddon2016 or #snowzilla?
It has a name #Snowzilla pic.twitter.com/h5Zmc5nlYS
— Max Major (Ep 186) (@itsmaxmajor) January 22, 2016
There were plenty of "Game of Thrones" references early in the day.
So winter is coming? �� #blizzard2016 #winterstormjonas pic.twitter.com/4zVdzS7Dgh
— Meow Parlour (@MeowParlour) January 22, 2016
Jon Snow was right! "Winter IS coming." #Blizzard2016 #Snowzilla
— Rachana Anand (@rachanaanand) January 22, 2016
Winter is coming #blizzard2016 pic.twitter.com/dUMOt5gN4Z
— Tyrion Lannister (@GoT_Tyrion) January 22, 2016
Forecasters had been warning about the storm for days, and that prompted a rush at grocery stores.
They are calling for a little snow so everyone is rushing to the store. Well, I guess 1-2 feet is a bit more than just...
Posted by Rita Jean Snyder on Thursday, January 21, 2016
It wasn’t just grocery stores that were busy.
Emergency preparedness? #Snowzilla #blizzard2016 #notmycart #snowmaggedon2016 #priorities pic.twitter.com/927xlLM5QN
— Lilly (@Lilly96) January 23, 2016
A T-shirt maker also tried to cash in on the hype.
So @capitalweather folks, #Snowzilla or #MakeWinterGreatAgain? Printing prototypes as the first inch falls in DC... pic.twitter.com/iM5gBJyKpB
— BreakingT (@breakingtco) January 22, 2016
Pets seemed oblivious to the impending peril.
Someone is stoked about #Snowzilla #corgipup pic.twitter.com/yJV6CZky27
— leslie (@hockeymomva) January 22, 2016
Many turned to Twitter to mock the snowmageddon fears, including a few Canadians.
I see that #blizzard2016 is trending. I thought it was a new flavour announcement from DQ. So disappointed.
— Peter L. Twohig (@Ptwohig) January 22, 2016
Meanwhile, in Washington DC... #blizzard2016 pic.twitter.com/gEVWJNECHE
— 979 Xfm (@979Xfm) January 22, 2016
Snow shovel shoes. Because #blizzard2016. https://t.co/sZhOJLAAJC pic.twitter.com/jvowRwStNP
— instructables (@instructables) January 22, 2016
I totally can relate to what the northeast is going through right now. #blizzard2016 #BlizzardWatch pic.twitter.com/zW6Cuu2Pq3
— Taylor Stakes (@taylorstakes) January 22, 2016
From a weather-hardened Canadian perspective, some of the tweets are just downright adorable.
Light snow starting in Gaithersburg, MD. #blizzard2016 @nbcwashington stay safe! pic.twitter.com/oJ06T9QOti
— JoAnn Davis (@jojotdavis) January 22, 2016
Stay Warm #Blizzard2016 goers ... I can't even imagine. I'm cold in #SanDiego and it's 61 degrees #Snowzilla
— April LaFever (@aprillafever) January 22, 2016
Started snowing in Sterling. #blizzard2016 #wtopsnow pic.twitter.com/FmnrS61VQU
— Missy H (@Missy2Haas) January 22, 2016
The snow caused quite a few problems for drivers unaccustomed to winter conditions.
#blizzard2016 Traffic Crashes increasing with snowfall in #Virginiasnow #stayhomeifyoucan Rte 29 @AlbemarleCounty pic.twitter.com/7z3oO1JuQe
— VA State Police (@VSPPIO) January 22, 2016
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie got out of dodge early, announcing in a tweet that he was heading home from New Hampshire to beat the storm.
I'm sorry, NH but I gotta go home - we got snow coming. #Jonas
— Chris Christie (@ChrisChristie) January 22, 2016
Several major-league sports events scheduled for this weekend were cancelled.
BREAKING: Today's game at Washington is cancelled due to inclement weather. No makeup date announced.
— Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) January 22, 2016
Saturday's #BOSatPHI and #UTAatWAS have been postponed due to potential severe weather conditions in the Eastern United States.
— NBA (@NBA) January 22, 2016
