Tag Archives: Winter Storm

Cleanup from historic winter storm expected to last days

An exceptionally powerful and reportedly deadly winter storm that brought historic snowfall totals to large portions of the mid-Atlantic and New England finally moved out to sea on Sunday evening, though the fallout from the winter weather was still being felt on Monday morning.

The National Weather Service reported parts of six states received more than 30 inches of snow, including a whopping storm-high total of 42 inches near Glengary, West Virginia. Another seven states saw at least a foot of snow, and five states experienced wind gusts that exceeded 60 mph.

There were conflicting media reports on the death toll, though Reuters reported 31 people died.

Schools in several states remained closed on Monday as the cleanup process continued. The National Weather Service’s office for Baltimore and Washington, where some of the storm’s record totals were posted, said it would likely take several days to clear all roads and sidewalks.

The Weather Channel is referring to the storm as Winter Storm Jonas.

Record snow totals were seen in parts of New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Maryland, the National Weather Service said, and in some cases the previous marks were obliterated.

The service reported that Lehigh Valley International Airport in Allentown, Pennsylvania, saw 31.9 inches of snow in two days, including 30.2 on Saturday alone. The previous single-day and two-day records were 7.7 inches and 25.6 inches, respectively, and records dated back to 1922.

The service noted that Allentown usually only sees 32.9 inches of snow in a year, meaning the recent storm came within three-tenths of an inch of exceeding the region’s yearly snow total.

The storm also set snowfall records in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, (30.2 inches total, 26.4 inches on Saturday), Baltimore-Washington International Airport (25.5 inches on Saturday), JFK International Airport in New York (30.3 inches on Saturday), Laguardia Airport in New York (27.9 inches on Saturday), and Newark, New Jersey, (27.5 inches on Saturday), the service reported.

More than 8,000 United States flights were cancelled on Friday and Saturday, according to flight monitoring website FlightAware.com, a large percentage of them in the areas impacted by the storm. Another 1,509 U.S. flights were cancelled as of noon ET on Monday, the site reported.

Cities or airports that didn’t quite see record amounts were still busy digging out from the snow.

More than 22 inches of snow fell in Washington, the National Weather Service reported, and the city’s suburbs saw between 19 and 39 inches. The Office of Personnel Management said all federal government offices were closed Monday, and the city’s public schools were also closed.

In West Virginia, where the storm’s highest snow totals were posted, the state Department of Education reported that schools were closed entirely in more than 50 of the state’s 55 counties.

The storm also created hazardous travel conditions, in some cases stranding motorists.

In Pennsylvania, Governor Tom Wolf’s office reported that two trucks jackknifed while trying to climb a mountainous stretch of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, blocking traffic behind them. According to a news release, 250 first responders helped evacuate the motorists, and authorities also set up warming stations, passed out food and gave away gas to allow cars to remain warm.

The Virginia State Police responded to 1,410 crashes and 2,040 disabled vehicle calls between Friday and Sunday morning, according to a Twitter post. The agency reported five people in the state died from hypothermia.

Major winter storm begins hitting South, record blizzard possible for D.C. area

Some cities in the path of a powerful winter storm headed for the mid-Atlantic could face even more snow than the two feet originally predicted, the National Weather Service said Friday.

The service, which issued updated blizzard warnings for several major cities along the East Coast, said that some parts of Virginia and Maryland could receive up to 39 inches of snow.

The updated forecasts were issued after the storm began dumping snow, sleet and freezing rain across the south overnight, including 9 inches of snow in 10 hours in one part of North Carolina.

The National Weather Service’s radar showed more precipitation falling across a large stretch of the southeast on Friday morning. The storm, which The Weather Channel is calling Winter Storm Jonas, was expected to pummel Washington, Baltimore and Philadelphia later today before arriving in New York, Long Island and southern New England early Saturday morning.

Watches, warnings or advisories were in effect in portions of 22 states from Arkansas to Massachusetts, including blizzard warnings for parts of Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York and the entire District of Columbia.

Residents in the storm’s path are encouraged to monitor their local weather forecasts.

The storm is expected to hit suburbs of Washington and Baltimore the hardest, with more than three feet of snow possible in those areas. Updated forecasts from the National Weather Service on Friday said 32 inches were possible in Washington and Baltimore could receive 30 inches.

If those totals materialize, they could break snowfall records for those cities.

The National Weather Service said the current three-day mark for Washington is 28 inches, and was set in January 1922. Baltimore had 26.8 inches of snow in three days in February 2003.

Many other cities were expecting double-digit totals.

Blizzard warnings issued for Philadelphia and New York said those cities could see up to 18 and 12 inches, respectively. One-to-two-foot totals were possible in large parts of the nation, and high winds were expected to make travel next-to impossible where the storm was at its worst.

In Washington and Baltimore, the service warned the storm could pack wind gusts of 60 mph in addition to the significant snowfall totals. The Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority is shutting down all subway and bus service on Saturday and Sunday, according to a news release.

All federal offices in the Washington area closed at noon Friday, according to the Office of Personnel Management.

Winds were expected to be lighter in Philadelphia, though the National Weather Service warned that 40 mph gusts and wet, heavy snow could still trigger power outages and block local roads.

While forecasts were saying the worst of the storm had yet to be seen, states from Arkansas to Virginia reported significant snowfall totals overnight. According to the National Weather Service, more than 5 inches of snow fell in Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia and the Carolinas, including an overnight national high of 9 inches near Waynesville, North Carolina. Parts of Tennessee, Kentucky, and the Carolinas also saw measurable amounts of freezing rain.

Nearly 800 flights into or out of Charlotte Douglas International Airport had been cancelled as of 11:15 a.m. local time Friday morning, according to flight monitoring website FlightAware.com.

The airport is a major hub for American Airlines, which cancelled 789 flights across the country — about 24 percent of those it had scheduled, according to FlightAware. The airline was offering to waive rebooking fees for travelers going through many airports in the storm’s path.

Several states declared states of emergency or preparedness ahead of the storm, urging would-be travelers to stay off the roads and take necessary precautions to prepare for its potential impacts.

The states where the National Weather Service issued watches, warnings or advisories for the storm include Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts.

Blizzard watch expanded as major winter storm threatens U.S.

A powerful winter storm is expected to slam large portions of the country over the next four days, with people from Arkansas to New York potentially in its path.

The National Weather Service on Thursday issued updated watches, warnings and advisories for a storm it’s calling “potentially crippling,” saying it could bring two feet of snow to certain areas.

High winds could also create blizzard conditions in some parts, the service said, and “significant” amounts of ice are expected in Kentucky and North Carolina.

The Weather Channel is referring to the storm as Winter Storm Jonas.

Warnings, watches or advisories had been issued for portions of 18 states as of Thursday morning, including an expanded blizzard watch that included parts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and New York. Previously, the service had only issued the blizzard watch in areas surrounding Washington and Baltimore.

The updated blizzard watch includes major cities like Philadelphia and New York.

Other watches, warnings and advisories had been issued in portions of Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee, South Carolina, Georgia and Mississippi.

Residents of those states should monitor their local forecasts.

The National Weather Service had previously said the storm could impact the entire I-95 corridor, which also includes Boston, though on Thursday indicated that it did not know exactly how much snow is expected to fall north of New York, which is expecting 8 to 12 inches.

The service is calling for 18 to 24 inches of snow near Washington and Baltimore, while other regions in the storm’s path could see double-digit totals. Wind gusts of up to 55 mph are forecast in blizzard watch areas, which may lead to whiteouts and snarl travel.

The storm should begin dropping snow in eastern Arkansas, Tennessee and Mississippi tonight and continue to travel east before leaving the United States on Sunday, according to the National Weather Service forecast. The service’s office in Memphis warned travel will be “difficult if not impossible” by mid-morning on Friday, as 4 to 6 inches of snow and high winds could create near-blizzard conditions.

Similar forecasts about travel impacts were issued throughout the storm’s path.

The Maryland State Police and Virginia Department of Transportation both encouraged motorists to stay off the roads, according to news releases. West Virginia Governor Earl Ray Tomblin declared a state of preparedness and Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe declared a state of emergency.

“All Virginians should take the threat of this storm seriously and take necessary precautions now to ensure they are prepared for travel disruptions and possible power outages during a cold weather period,” McAuliffe said in a statement.

The storm follows more winter weather that moved through the southern United States over the past few days. The Virginia State Police tweeted that troopers responded to 767 vehicle crashes on Wednesday alone.

Winter Storm Bella Bringing a Snowy Cold Punch

Following on the heels of Winter Storm Ajax earlier this week Bella promises to bring the first snows of the season to parts of  the Upper Midwest, Corn Belt, and Great Lakes.

An area from northeast Nebraska and southeast South Dakota into much of Iowa and northwest Illinois, is already under winter storm warnings that have been issued by local National Weather Service offices. This means a likelihood for at least 6 inches of snow in 12 hours, or 8 inches of snow in 24 hours.

The National Weather Service upgraded a winter storm watch to a warning early Friday ahead of a storm that meteorologists now say could drop up to 11 inches of snow in North Central Illinois.

Flight delays are probable Saturday, possibly even late Friday night, out of Chicago-O’Hare Airport, and are possible out of smaller regional airports, as well.

Earlier this week, according to Weather Underground, one of the most widespread and damaging bouts of high wind to strike the Northwest U.S. in years tore down trees and power lines and knocked vehicles off roadways from Washington to the northern Great Plains from Tuesday into Wednesday.

According to weather.com, at least four deaths were reported, and more than 1 million people in several states have been affected by power outages, in some cases for hours or days.  utility companies are reporting that  more than 100,000 customers still without power as of Thursday afternoon.

71 mph winds were reported in Spokane Washington with a whopping 137 mph wind recorded at Mission Ridge Ski Area in Washington.

Plane Skids Off Icy LaGuardia Runway

The winter storm that shut down most of the eastern United States almost resulted in a horrific tragedy at New York’s LaGuardia airport.

A Delta Airlines flight from Atlanta slid off a runway and smashed through a fence.  The plane, with 125 passengers and five crew, slid to a stop feet from landing in the water.

Authorities reported at least 3 people were hospitalized for their injuries and many other suffered minor injuries.

The airport closed because of the “aircraft incident.”

Authorities on scene said that two planes landed just before the Delta flight without any problems.  The pilots reported “good braking action” for the flight.

The closure of the airport further hampered a day of travel crushed by winter storms.  The Dallas/Fort Worth airport, one of the busiest in America, was shot down because of ice covering the airport.

Storms Threaten Christmas Travel

A series of storms across the nation are threatening to make Christmas travel a mess.  Thunderstorms across the south, rain in in the east and snowstorms around the Great Lakes could bring serious flight delays and dangerous road conditions.

Up to three inches of snow is predicted for the areas around Chicago’s O’Hare and Midway International airports.  Delays and cancellations at two of the nation’s biggest Midwest airports would have repercussions throughout the country.

“I’d be nervous about the possibility of not being able to get out,” Chicago area meteorologist Charles Mott told the Associated Press. “I would definitely make plans about possibly staying put or doing something else.”

Over 4.2 million travelers are expected to go through the Chicago airports during the Christmas season.

Storms across the Rockies caused blowing snow that blocked major highways and even Hawaii is feeling the winter punch as a blizzard warning was issued for the summits of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa on the Big Island.  While snow is common, a blizzard is considered unusual by meteorologists.

Record Cold Hits Eastern U.S.

April is less than a week away but many cities across the eastern United States are seeing temperatures that are closer to January.

Arctic air is making another plunge into the eastern U.S. driving temperatures toward record lows.  The cold brought below zero conditions as far south as the Alabama panhandle and northern Florida.

The record conditions were as far south as Macon, Georgia, which set an all time low temperature record for the day at 26 degrees.

Toledo, Ohio and Detroit were also confirmed to have cold temperature records.

A blizzard that was predicted to possibly hit New England moved into Atlantic Canada but it brought high wind and cold to the northeast.  Temperatures on Cape Cod, Massachusetts hovered near 0 degrees and winds throughout the region were gusting to over 70 miles per hour.

A warm up is expected to begin on Thursday.

St. Patrick’s Day Snowstorm Blasts D.C.

Winter ends on Thursday but it’s not going out quietly.

Another winter storm struck the nation’s capital on Monday dumping over 7 inches of snow and shutting down all federal offices because of the road conditions.

The storm was the third highest snowfall in history for the second half of March.  The official snowfall for the city was 7.2 inches, the highest amount since 1942.  The record is 12 inches set in 1891.

The storm was also the largest March snowstorm since 1999.

The storm also raised the amount of snowfall in Philadelphia this winter to the second highest in the city’s history.  The city has officially recorded 67.4 inches of snow.

Thousands of flights throughout the mid-Atlantic were canceled or delayed because of the storm system.

Another Arctic Blast Striking Northeast

Forecasters say that another arctic blast is going to drive temperatures in the northeast to frigid levels.

This week temperatures rose into the 50s or higher for most of the northeast with Philadelphia reaching the 60s and Washington DC into the 70s on Wednesday.  By Thursday morning, the cities will see temperatures in the 20s.

Officials are warning drivers that roads which have been wet or slushy because of melting snow and ice from recent storms will quickly freeze in the early morning hours because of the rapid temperate fall.  The possibility of dangerous conditions for early morning commutes have many communities encouraging people to plan extra time to head to work or school.

A spokesman for Accuweather said the sudden cold after the unusually high temperatures could bring unexpected problems including broken water mains.  The possibility also exists that roadways will crack from the conditions and create more potholes than usual.

Bitter Cold Freezes Niagara Falls

While not completely frozen to the riverbed, Niagara Falls is putting on a display of winter beauty from the latest polar vortex.

The upper part of the waterfall has completely frozen in the bitter temperatures, creating the impression for the second time this winter that the legendary waterfall has completely frozen.

The water pressure keeps the falls from freezing to the riverbed meaning that under the stacks of ice the river continues to rage.  However, none of the running water can be seen flowing over the falls as sheets of ice blanket the rocks and hills surrounding the falls.

Temperatures in the area have been hovering between zero and 9 degrees this week.

The cold freezing the falls is not the only record cold.  In Iowa, Des Moines broke a low temperature record set in 1884.  Atlantic City set a record not only for March 3rd but also for the entire month of March with 2 above zero, breaking a record dating back to 1874.  Several towns around Washington DC also shattered records.