#Blizzard2016

This image provided by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) shows a computer model forecasting the chances of a snow storm hitting the East Coast this weekend, Jan. 22-23, 2016. Snow up to two feet, was forecast for areas west and southwest of the Washington, with Washington possibly getting 15 to 20 inches, Philadelphia could see 12 to 18, and New York City and Long Island could see 8 to 10, (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration via AP)

This is What’s Trending Today.

The eastern part of the United States, from Tennessee all the way to Boston, is expected to receive some bad winter weather this weekend.

The morning program Today Show says 88 million people could be affected by the storm. It will deliver snow and high winds through Sunday.

But people in Washington, D.C. are especially concerned. The region is expected to receive over 60 centimeters of snow this weekend. Only 3 centimeters of snow fell earlier in the week, but it was enough to cause major problems for drivers going home from work.

In Philadelphia, residents traditionally use everything, from lawn chairs to orange cones, to “save” parking spaces after the streets are cleared of snow. The city police department used Twitter to send them a message that it is illegal to “save” parking spaces.

Many people rush to grocery stores to buy supplies before a storm. The Atlantic wrote about the crowd psychology that inspires people to stock up on bread, milk and eggs.

Even the BBC asked its audience to tell people who live in the eastern United States how to handle a big snow storm. And the broadcaster wrote a story saying it wants to hear from people in the U.S. as the snow is falling.

As public transportation is closed for the weekend, drivers are also advised to stay off the roads.

Yes, there are lots of problems during a massive snowstorm. But people also like to have fun in the snow.

Here are some great examples of how snow can inspire creativity.

One artist uses the snow as his canvas, using his feet to stomp out amazing designs that can only be appreciated from above.

Another creative person used the snow that blew up against mailboxes to make some “ghostly” images.

But it would not be a snow storm on social media if some regions known for sunny weather did not poke fun at the suffering Americans are about to endure. An Italian travel agency posted a photo of woman sunbathing in the town of Vernazza, along with the message “stay warm.”

And that’s What’s Trending Today.

I’m Dan Friedell.

Dan Friedell wrote this story for Learning English. Hai Do was the editor.

Words in This Story

amazing – adj. causing great surprise or wonder : causing amazement

cone – n. a shape that has a pointed top and sides that form a circle at the bottom

endure – v. to deal with or accept (something unpleasant)

ghost – n. the soul of a dead person thought of as living in an unseen world or as appearing to living people

inspire – v. to make (someone) want to do something : to give (someone) an idea about what to do or create

sunbathe – v. to sit or lie in the light of the sun especially in order to make your skin darker

stomp – v. to put (your foot) down forcefully and noisily

psychology – n. the study of human behavior

region – n. area

canvas – n. a specially prepared piece of cloth on which a picture can be painted