The summer of 2048 left the nation in shock. In the following years, significant investments were made in coastal protection and infrastructure. 

But states still failed to find a comprehensive approach addressing the ever-growing refugee numbers. The situation remained fragile. 

As projected in the climate models, the 2050s saw a steady increase of tropical storms and coastal flooding, but thankfully, not another catastrophic killer hurricane. Yet residents along the Gulf Coast kept watching the ocean, anticipating, preparing for the next strike. 

No one expected that the blow would come from the north, or that it would be made of ice and snow. 

Since the beginning of the century, northern states endured a steady increase of extreme weather and freak storms. 

It soon became evident that the warming of the Arctic and the accompanying loss of ice and snow cover was to blame for an out-of-balance Arctic Polar Vortex that drew warm air to the north, while sending ice cold air south. 

A decaying infrastructure had already been a constant challenge in northern Midwest states. In 2057, they had to face the ultimate test - and failed.

The Midwest snowfall started early on a February morning. Temperatures dropped 32 degrees in just five hours. Thousands were caught by surprise, stranded in offices and homes, or trapped in stalled cars, slowly being buried under a record 38 inches of snow. 32 hours into the storm, the power went out. That night, as the blizzard peaked, gusts of wind raged at over 100 miles per hour, and wild chill reached 60 degrees below.

When the storm cleared four days later, it revealed a white-covered landscape and a perfect blue sky. But underneath that pristine landscape were miles and miles of land, roads, and communities, covered by up to 90 inches of snow. The Midwest was instantly declared a federal disaster area, yet it took the National Guard weeks to get to some remote communities. 

Despite a death toll exceeding 1,000, the 2057 blizzard remains America’s forgotten tragedy. 

Because, when that snow melted into water and rushed down the Missouri River and into the Mississippi, it changed the face of the nation forever.