New York City, New Jersey, southern New England and coastal communities along the East Coast faced blizzard warnings and some of the biggest snowfall totals in years.

Half of the country is drowning in snow, while the other half is desperate for it. Areas with less snow than usual far outweigh the areas with more.

The winter storm that hit the Northeast early this week was one for the record books, with snow totals piling up to 20, 30 or even 40+ inches in some communities. As cities and towns dig out, hundreds ...