Consider this from NPR: NPR

Crews are working before dawn to clear snow from the U.S. Capitol’s East Front Plaza as a winter storm bears down on the nation’s capital this week.

Puce Somodevilla/Getty Images

hide caption

toggle caption

Puce Somodevilla/Getty Images

Crews are working before dawn to clear snow from the U.S. Capitol’s East Front Plaza as a winter storm bears down on the nation’s capital this week.

Puce Somodevilla/Getty Images

In Washington, D.C., the federal government is closed, as are most schools in the area. Indeed, the first major snowstorm in about three years hit Sunday evening.

Meanwhile, the southern United States is bracing for a new storm that could paralyze parts of Texas, Arkansas and northern Louisiana.

And Southern California is bracing for “destructive and potentially deadly wind gusts” causing wildfires.

That’s a lot of wild weather…so what’s going on?

For episodes without a sponsor Consider this, sign up for Cconsider this+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org

Email us at considerthis@npr.org

This episode was produced by Brianna Scott and Kathryn Fink. It was edited by Rachel Waldholz and Courtney Dorning. NPR’s Liz Baker and Nick Swartsell of member station WVXU contributed additional reporting. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.