By ELLA FITZPATRICK and SPENCER MOORE

Redlands and other cities were greeted with unexpected snowfall across the Inland Empire on Feb. 23, 2022.

According to the Washington Post, a severe drop in temperature was reported to be expected in the Central United States starting the week of Feb. 21, 2022. Cold winds of 20 to 40 degrees were set to blow into the Northern and Midwest areas of the country.

Picture taken at the end of third period at 10:36 a.m. on the top of the stairs connected to the K-wing (ELLA FITZPATRICK/ Ethic News Photo)

The sudden blast of cold weather was initially thought to only make an appearance in the early hours of the morning, being a time of colder temperature. However, near the end of third period at 10:20 a.m., students and staff at Redlands East Valley High School were surprised by a light snowfall. 

The dramatic change of weather from cloudy and partly sunny to snowing roused excitement among students and staff at REV. Some students were even let out of their classrooms to enjoy the snow, which is a rare occurrence in Redlands.

“It was super unexpected, and I like that my teacher let us all out of class to go look at it,” says Rose Blatchley, a sophomore at REV. 

The snowfall lasted for almost an hour, continuing until the middle of REV’s lunchtime which starts at 12:39 p.m. and ends at 1:09 p.m..