Up and down the East Coast, millions of people are without power after the weekend's snowstorm. But the most severe damage the storm wreaked was on trees.
Snow is particularly harsh on trees that still have green leaves on them: It's as if a person were caught out in a snow storm wearing a light sweater, fall skirt, and cute ballet flats instead of bundled up in a coat, scarf, and boots. Since this snow was so heavy and wet, it weighed down branches, which started cracking or bringing whole trees down. (That's why so many people lost power — trees took out power lines on their way down, as if to say "this is all your fault, humans.")
For a sense of the scope of the damage, look at Central Park, in New York City, where snowfall was relatively light. The park could lose 1,000 trees, which is eight times the number that Tropical Storm Irene took out, according to the New York Times.
