Gavin Newsom criticized for traveling out of state amid record California snowstorm

Asher Notheis

March 04, 01:31 PM March 04, 01:31 PM

California Gov. Gavin Newsom is away from his state for "personal travel" amid a record snowfall in some regions, a decision several have criticized.

It is unknown where Newsom has traveled over the past week, though it is reported that he left the state on Wednesday after visiting the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant in Avila Beach in California. Newsom had announced on Wednesday a state of emergency in 13 different state counties in response to the severe winter storms slamming the state, the same day he traveled out of state, according to WHD News.

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"Californians are trapped in their homes without power," Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-CA) wrote on social media on Thursday. "More storms are on the way. And Governor Newsom has just left the state for “personal travel.”

Emily Hoeven, a columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle, shared an article on Friday about how state residents are in need of food and snow plows, writing that it "may not have been the best timing" for Newsom to travel out of state.

Mike Netter, one of the leaders in the failed Recall Gavin Newsom campaign that took place in 2021, took to social media himself to comment on the governor's absence.

The 13 counties Newsom declared a state of emergency over include Amador, Kern, Los Angeles, Madera, Mariposa, Mono, Nevada, San Bernardino, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Sierra, Sonoma, and Tulare. In addition, Newsom activated the State Operations Center to bring state support to county-led emergency response efforts to help combat the severe weather affecting the state.

San Bernardino County Fire spokesman Mike McClintock said structure fires have been a big problem in the mountain communities, which is surprising and unusual, per KTLA. One couple's home exploded due to a gas leak.

Further north, communities brace for more storms this weekend as several feet of snow have already landed. The National Weather Service has predicted between 1 to 5 feet of snow to fall in the Sierra Nevadas above 2,500 feet between Saturday morning and Monday morning, with anywhere from 4 to 18 inches possible at elevations above 1,000 feet, according to the Sacramento Bee.

Thundersnow hits Buffalo: Monster storm batters New York with up to 4 feet of snow

Asher Notheis

November 18, 11:26 AM November 18, 11:28 AM

People living in the western and northern parts of New York woke up on Friday morning to a blanket of thundersnow, a weather phenomenon caused by a fierce combination of snowfall and a thunderstorm.

Hamberg, a town roughly 12 miles from Buffalo, New York, is already covered in 20 inches of snow, with more snow expected to hit Buffalo throughout the weekend. Up to 4 feet of snow could fall in some areas of the state, leading to periods of time when residents have near-zero visibility, according to CBS News.

Thundersnow, which is what is hitting New York, occurs when snow falls instead of rain during a thunderstorm, leading to the lightning caused by the storm to appear brighter due to it reflecting off of the snow. The United States rarely experiences any thundersnow, only receiving 6.3 thundersnow storms annually, according to ABC 17.

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The snowstorm continued to move more toward the city of Buffalo on Friday morning, bringing with it 3 inches of snow every hour, according to the National Weather Service Buffalo.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul issued a state of emergency on Wednesday, advising New Yorkers of dangerous travel conditions and local power outages caused by the storm. If planning to travel by vehicle during the storm, one should keep the gas tank at least half full at all times and travel with supplies, including a flashlight, a small shovel, a window scraper, and some blankets and sleeping bags, the governor's office recommends.

On Thursday night, Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz declared a driving ban in response to the thundersnow. Due to reported power outages affecting some areas, Poloncarz warned residents on Friday not to approach downed power lines, even if there is a power outage in the area.

School administrators in Buffalo have canceled classes for Friday, and Amtrak stations in Buffalo, Niagara Falls, and Depew closed on Thursday and will remain closed Friday, according to the Buffalo News.

Ahead of the snowfall, the NFL announced that a game scheduled for Sunday between the Buffalo Bills and the Cleveland Browns has been relocated from Orchard Park, New York, to Detroit. The Bills have previously had to relocate a 2014 game against the New York Jets to Detroit due to a massive snowstorm in upstate New York.