Snowpocalypse, United States

Snowmageddon, Snowpocalypse and Snowzilla are portmanteaus of the word "snow" with either "Armageddon", "Apocalypse" and "Godzilla" respectively. Snowmageddon and Snowpocalypse seem to have first been published in the popular press in Canada during January 2009, and was also used in January 2010 by The Guardian reporter Charlie Brooker on January 16, 2010 in order to describe heavy snowfall across the United Kingdom during the preceding days. The Washington Post, out of Washington, DC, ran an online poll asking for reader feedback prior to the First North American blizzard of 2010 on February 4, 2010, and several blogs, including the Washington Post's own blog, followed that up by using either "Snowmageddon" and or "Snowpocalypse" during the following days, before, during, and after the storm hit.
The Washington Post also popularized the terms "snOMG" and "kaisersnoze" (Keyser Söze) in response to the February snowstorms.
During the evening preceding the first blizzard hitting Washington, DC, most of the United States federal government closed, and press coverage continued to characterize the storm using either "Snowmageddon", "Snowpocalypse", or both. The phrase was later popularized by the President of the United States, Barack Obama, on February 8, 2010, who used the term while speaking at the Democratic National Committee's meeting.