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Boston has experienced the snowiest winter in the city’s recorded history.
The National Weather Service said Boston broke the record after receiving 108.6in of snow this winter, beating the 1995-1996 record of 107.6 inches.
The record was broken around 19:00 local time on March 15, when 2.9in fell on Boston.
This season, the Massachusetts city saw more snowfall than any winter since 1872, when records were first kept.
“Boston, you survived the snowiest winter on record!!!” the local branch of the National Weather Service wrote on its Facebook page.
Photo Reuters
This winter, Boston has been forced to close schools, public transit, and businesses as it has dealt with the record snow.
Before the record-breaking snow began to fall, the city hosted a St Patrick’s Parade in its slush-lined streets. Earlier this winter, it celebrated the New England Patriots’ Super Bowl championship win with a parade, despite the snow.
Boston Mayor Marty Walsh tweeted: “Super Bowls, World Series’, Stanley Cups, and snowfall records. We are truly a title city. There will be no parade.”
There is the potential that this season’s record could grow. In years past, Boston has recorded several inches of snow during the month of March.
Other US cities have recorded far more snow. The small village of Copenhagen, New York has recorded more than 240in of snow, the Los Angeles Times newspaper reported.
The snowfall season is recorded from 1 July to 30 June each year.
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According to several independent meteorologists, National Weather Service experts misjudged the path and impact of the blizzard that struck the Northeast on January 26 and 27, in large part because they trusted the wrong forecasting model.
Rather than rely on their own forecasting system—upgraded in recent weeks—the federal experts placed their faith instead on a well-regarded European computer model that predicted the worst of this storm would squarely hit New York City. That system earlier had outperformed the US forecasting system in predicting the path of superstorm Sandy.
This time, the European forecasting model was wrong, several commercial forecasters said. That model, one of four complex computer simulations normally used to calculate weather patterns along the Eastern seaboard, predicted that the heaviest snow would fall between 50 and 100 miles farther west than actually occurred.
As predicted, the storm pounded parts of Long Island, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Maine, with winds in excess of 50 mph and snow in some locales up to 30 in deep.
The National Weather Service had recently improved its own system, called the Global Forecast System, and its forecast correctly predicted that the storm would go farther out to sea, away from New York City.
In a statement on January 27, the National Weather Service’s New York office said: “The science of forecasting storms, while continually improving, still can be subject to error, especially if we’re on the edge of the heavy precipitation shield. Efforts, including research, are already under way to more easily communicate that forecast uncertainty.”
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The National Weather Service (NWS) has admitted its forecasts were wrong, after predicting a “potentially historic blizzard” would strike.
The storm piled deep snow on Connecticut and Massachusetts, but New York City was largely spared.
NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio, defended claims he had overreacted to warnings, saying he had only acted on the information available.
Blizzard warnings remain along the coast from Long Island to Maine.
“Rapidly deepening winter storms are very challenging to predict,” the NWS wrote on its Facebook page.
“The storm has moved further east and will be departing faster than our forecasts of the past two days.
“The result is much less snow than previously predicted for the western half of our region,” it added.
On January 26 an emergency was declared in a swathe of north-eastern states, and meteorologists predicted up to 36in of snow. Officials later downgraded the numbers.
The New York City authorities imposed a driving ban – since lifted – and took the unprecedented step of shutting the subway.
On January 27, New Yorkers awoke to a blanket of snow less deep than feared, and since then city life has been getting back to normal.
“Would you rather be prepared or unprepared? Would you rather be safe or unsafe?” said Bill de Blasio, defending the moves.
“My job as the leader is to make decisions and I will always err on the side of safety and caution.”
Other areas of New York state saw much heavier snowfall, with a teenage boy killed in a sledging accident on Long lsland.
Worst affected elsewhere were Connecticut and Massachusetts, which saw 20.5in and 26.2in respectively, compared to the 5.5in seen in New York’s Central Park.
Thousands of people are without power, mostly in Massachusetts. The state’s only nuclear power station shut down after the blizzard interrupted its power flow.
Massachusetts governor Charlie Baker said the snow had been “fluffier and lighter” than anticipated, meaning there were less power outages.
The NWS is still warning of potentially life-threatening conditions along the New England coast, as the storm heads north into Canada.
Meteorologists expect the snow and strong winds to continue throughout Tuesday, before weakening overnight.
Air travel remains disrupted, with more than 5,000 flights cancelled, according to flightaware.com.
Schools across the region are expected to remain closed until January 28, with public transport expected to be back to normal in New York by then too.
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A winter storm that started in Washington has hit Texas hard on Saturday, causing event cancellations, travel hindrances and power outages.
Almost 50 weekend holiday events had been cancelled or postponed across Texas, including Sunday’s 44th annual Dallas Marathon, which was expected to draw 25,000 runners, many of whom had trained for months. The same weather system also forced the cancellation of the St. Jude Marathon in Memphis, which had been expected to include 20,000 competitors.
Four hundred flights remained grounded Sunday at Dallas Fort Worth International airport, according to airport officials, as crews scrambled to clear airport runways.
In Chicago, people started flooding into warming centers Saturday night as wind chills dropped below zero.
Some parts of Illinois were already slammed by a foot of snow, and Chicago would get 1 to 3 inches on Sunday, according to The Weather Channel.
A winter storm has hit Texas, causing event cancellations, travel hindrances and power outages
Residents in parts of Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee also woke up to snow and ice on Sunday.
In Virginia, state Emergency Management spokeswoman Laura Southard said the storm had the potential to be an “historic ice event.”
Other areas of the US that could expect precipitation in the form of snow or freezing rain Sunday were the Middle Missouri Valley into the Great Lakes, the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys, the Mid Atlantic and southern New England, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).
Mississippi, the Central Gulf Coast and the Tennessee Valley were all expected to dodge snowfall but could experience heavy, cold rain, the NWS predicted.
Residents in New York, Philadelphia, Washington DC, and Baltimore were warned to be careful on the roads, as they could be hit by the first major snow accumulation of the season Sunday night. But the snow is expected to change to rain overnight, the Weather Channel reported, making the morning commute a messy one.
In the even colder areas of New England and upstate New York, even a slight snowfall could create Monday morning problems as it changes to freezing rain and slippery sheets of ice, according to The Weather Channel.
The storm is expected to move out to the Atlantic on Monday night, according to the NWS.
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The deadly winter storm that had threatened Thanksgiving travel gridlock on the East Coast has so far proven less troublesome than originally feared.
High winds and rain have delayed hundreds of flights but have failed to cause commuting misery on one of the busiest travel days of the year.
A National Weather Service official called it a “fairly typical storm for this time of year”.
More than 43 million Americans will travel during the holiday.
The storm, which developed on the West Coast over the weekend and has been blamed for nearly a dozen deaths, may still dump heavy snow on parts of the East Coast.
About 6in of snow is forecast for parts of West Virginia and western Pennsylvania, while up to 1ft could fall in a pocket of upstate New York.
More than 250 flights were delayed on Wednesday along the East Coast, far fewer than the thousands originally predicted.
More than 250 flights were delayed on Wednesday along the East Coast, far fewer than the thousands originally predicted
Travelers had been braced for long waits at the airport, but many were left pleasantly surprised.
“We thought it would be busier here but there’ve been no lines, and it has been really quiet all morning,” Katie Fleisher told the Associated Press news agency at Boston’s Logan airport.
But meteorologists warned that falling temperatures could create icy road conditions for those who put off travel until Wednesday evening.
The Boston area is forecast to face 60mph winds. And the city of Philadelphia in Pennsylvania state has been placed under flood watch.
The storm is also threatening a time-honored Thanksgiving tradition: the New York Macy’s Thanksgiving parade.
New safety rules following a 1997 accidental death from a windblown balloon could prevent their use on Thursday if gusts are too high.
Thanksgiving has been marked for hundreds of years, and is generally thought to commemorate a 1621 harvest feast the pilgrims shared with Indians after settling at Plymouth, in what is now Massachusetts.
The modern festival sees millions of people travel to be with family, eat turkey feasts, watch NFL football matches and – in recent years – plan or even begin their assault on the holiday sales.
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Colorado flooding left three people dead and prompted the evacuation of hundreds of homes.
Many roads are closed because of high water and debris, preventing rescue crews from reaching the stranded.
Up to 7in of rain fell in three hours in the Boulder area on Thursday morning, the third day of rain.
Residents in two areas south-east of the town of Estes Park have been ordered to evacuate after an earthen dam gave way in the area.
Further heavy rainfall is expected on Thursday.
Emergency officials have reported three deaths: one in Colorado Springs; one when a structure collapsed in Jamestown; and another in Boulder.
A 20ft wall of water was reported in Left Hand Canyon, north of Boulder, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Bob Kleyla.
Colorado flooding left three people dead and prompted the evacuation of hundreds of homes
Rescuers in the area were trying to get through debris to reach a firefighter who climbed a tree to escape the water, according to US media reports.
Some 400 students at University of Colorado, Boulder, were evacuated and classes were cancelled on Thursday because of the flooding.
Mandatory evacuations have also been ordered for the Jamestown and Fourmile areas.
Colorado State Patrol Captain John Burt said damage was being reported across several counties, including Boulder, Larimer and Jefferson, north-west of Denver, and El Paso County around Colorado Springs.
Almost all roads to Boulder had been blocked or flooded, according to the Denver Post.
Standing water on a road caused some traffic delays into Denver International Airport, but not to flights.
Officials told NBC that water reached as high as first-floor windows in some parts of Boulder, while cars were seen floating in the streets.
An emergency bulletin from Adams County, east of Denver, warned residents: “Stay away or be swept away.”
Boulder emergency management spokeswoman Gabrielle Boerkircher told AFP news agency the rainfall had been unusual not only for the amount of rain but for how the storm was behaving.
“It’s been a weird storm,” she said, adding it had been “turning back around on itself all night”.
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Dozens of people across western US have been treated for exhaustion and dehydration, as the region is continuing to bake in a heat wave.
A man in Las Vegas is believed to have died from a heat-related illness.
Air-conditioned “cooling centres” have been set up in California, Nevada and Arizona, as officials warn the heat could be life-threatening.
Temperatures in some areas are expected to be near 130F (54C) – close to the world’s all-time record.
Several parts of California – including the desert town of Palm Springs – saw record highs on Saturday.
There are fears of wildfires, as the heat could last for several days.
More than 34 people were taken to hospital after attending an outdoor concert in Las Vegas, Nevada, officials said.
They also said that an elderly resident was found dead in a house with no air-conditioning. The man suffered medical problems, but his condition is believed to have been aggravated by the heat, according to the Associated Press news agency.
Dozens of people across western US have been treated for exhaustion and dehydration, as the region is continuing to bake in a heat wave
In Los Angeles, California, a number of people were treated for heat stroke and dehydration.
Shelters for homeless in Phoenix, Arizona, added extra beds as temperatures in the city were expected to hit 122F (50C).
The Running with the Devil Marathon in the Mojave Desert outside Las Vegas – which had been scheduled for Saturday – was later cancelled because of extreme heat.
The National Weather Service earlier issued a heat warning for several parts of the region until Monday morning.
Temperatures in Death Valley in the California desert are forecast to reach 130F (54C). The highest-ever temperature on Earth -134F (56.7C) – was recorded there on 10 July 1913.
The heat wave comes after one of the driest winters on record, and there is a fear of wildfires.
Energy suppliers are expected to be pushed to the limit in the next few days.
Weather officials say the extreme weather is caused by a high-pressure system stuck over the area.
The US Border Patrol’s rescue unit has added extra personnel this weekend as the threat of exhaustion and dehydration rises for those attempting to cross the US-Mexico border illegally on foot.
At least seven migrants were found dead in Arizona’s desert last week in lower temperatures. Border officials in Tucson, Arizona, rescued more than 170 people suffering from the heat during a thirty-day period in May and June.
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An extended heat wave has hit western US states, with temperatures threatening to break the all-time high recorded on Earth.
In Phoenix, Arizona, the mercury hit 116F (47C) on Friday, and in the desert of Death Valley, California, the thermometer approached 124F (51C).
The heat wave is expected to last through the weekend.
Cities in the region are opening cooling centres and officials fear the heat could delay air travel.
Most large aircraft can operate in temperatures up to 125F (52C), but readings as low as 116F (47C) could affect liftoff conditions.
A US Airways spokesman said the airline would be monitoring temperatures in Phoenix “very closely”.
Michael Fedo of Scottsdale, Arizona, said his family was spending less time outdoors as the temperature rose and that he had taken to going to the grocery store in the middle of the night.
“I’ve installed blackout shades on every window in my house,” he said.
“I’m a fourth-generation native of Phoenix so I expect it to be hot. But when it goes above 113F [45C] it hurts to breathe. The heat sucks the energy from your core.”
The National Weather Service has issued a heat warning for several parts of the region, including Las Vegas, until Monday morning. Parts of five states including Colorado and Utah will see temperatures higher than 98F (37C) over the weekend.
“We’ll be at or above record levels in the Phoenix area and throughout a lot of the south-western United States,” meteorologist Mark O’Malley said.
An extended heat wave has hit western US states, with temperatures threatening to break the all-time high recorded on Earth
Temperatures in Death Valley in the California desert are forecast to reach 127F (53C) over the weekend. The hottest air temperature ever recorded on Earth, 134F (57C), was marked there almost 100 years ago on 10 July 1913.
Weather officials say the extreme weather is caused by a high-pressure system stuck over the area.
Scientists say the North American jet stream, the path of air that influences weather patterns, has become more erratic in the past few years, making weather systems more likely to become stuck in place.
But they disagree on whether global warming is the cause of the jet stream’s behavior.
The US Border Patrol’s search, trauma and rescue unit has added extra personnel this weekend as the threat of exhaustion and dehydration rises for those attempting to cross the US-Mexico border illegally on foot.
At least seven migrants were found dead in Arizona’s desert last week in lower temperatures. Border officials in Tucson, Arizona, rescued more than 170 people suffering from the heat during a thirty-day period in May and June.
Utility officials planned to monitor electricity usage closely over the weekend but were not immediately concerned about overloads.
“While it’s hot, people tend to leave town and some businesses aren’t open, so that has a tendency to mitigate demand and is why we typically don’t set records on weekends,” said spokesman Scott Harelson of Phoenix-area utility Salt River Project.
And zookeepers at the Phoenix Zoo were expected to keep outdoor animals chilled with water hoses and concrete slabs cooled by internal water-filled pipes.
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Memorial Day weekend may be the unofficial start to the American summer but this year you can forget the beach or the backyard BBQ as the weather is expected to feel more like Veterans Day.
Parts of the northeastern United States are expected to feel more like winter and forecasters have suggested snow could be possible in some parts of northern Maine, New York, New Hampshire and Vermont.
New England will be experiencing some wintry weather across the weekend, with snowfall at higher elevations on Sunday night.
Snow was reported in western parts of New York State, south of Buffalo and several viewers on the Facebook Pennsylvania Storm Chasers also reported seeing snowflakes.
Snow and frost anywhere in the Northeast sounds rare for late May, but it has happened before.
Flakes fell in Maine in June 2009 and up to 10 inches in New England on May 26th 1967.
Memorial Day weekend may be the unofficial start to the American summer but this year’s weather is expected to feel more like Veterans Day
The National Weather Service issued flash flood warnings for parts of Massachusetts and Texas on Friday as much of the country continued to be hit by miserable weather.
One Maine meteorologist, Keith Carson of WCSH Portland, sounded sheepish.
“Accumulation will be light but..ummm…it’s Memorial Day so we shouldn’t even be having this conversation,” he wrote.
The Tri-State area was also hit by heavy rainfall and thunderstorms throughout the night.
“Unfortunately I don’t have good news on the weather front” said Ross Dickman, meteorologist in charge at the National Weather Service.
“It’s not going to be a beach day on Saturday. We’re going to have rain showers extending into the weekend with a cold northeasterly wind. Temperatures may not get out of the mid-to-upper 50s.”
All is not lost for those looking to salvage the holiday weekend. Conditions should begin to clear on Sunday and Memorial Day is shaping up to be just about perfect.
Ross Dickman said temperatures should rebound into the upper 70s under sunny skies by the time Monday afternoon arrives.
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At least 51 people have been killed after a huge tornado tore through Oklahoma City suburbs, with the death toll likely to rise.
Worst hit was Moore, south of Oklahoma City, where neighborhoods were flattened and schools were destroyed by winds of up to 200mph.
About 120 people, including 70 children, are being treated in hospitals for their injuries.
Search and rescue efforts are continuing throughout the night.
Monday’s twister hit Moore, a suburb of about 55,000 people, and remained on the ground for about 45 minutes.
The Oklahoma chief medical examiner’s office said children were among the 51 dead.
At least two schools were devastated by the high winds, and there are reports that children are still unaccounted for.
Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin said it was a “tragic” day, and that President Barack Obama had called her to offer assistance.
At least 51 people have been killed after a huge tornado tore through Oklahoma City suburbs
More than 200 Oklahoma National Guardsmen as well as out-of-state personnel have been called in to assist the search-and-rescue effort.
Shocked survivors spoke of the tornado’s power.
“We locked the cellar door once we saw it coming, it got louder and next thing you know is you see the latch coming undone,” survivor Ricky Stover said.
“We couldn’t reach for it and it ripped open the door and just glass and debris started slamming on us and we thought we were dead, to be honest.”
Melissa Newton said: “There’s shingles and pieces of sheet rock and wood in our yard and all across our neighborhood. Some homes are completely gone. It’s devastating.”
James Rushing said he had rushed to the Plaza Towers Elementary School, where his foster son Aiden was a pupil, to see it destroyed by the storm.
“About two minutes after I got there, the school started coming apart,” he told the Associated Press news agency.
The National Weather Service (NWS) said Monday’s tornado had generated winds of up to 200 mph.
“It’s certainly the most powerful tornado that I’ve ever dealt with in my 20 years with the weather service,” said NWS meteorologist Rick Smith in Norman, Oklahoma.
The town of Moore was hit by a severe tornado in May 1999, which had the highest winds ever recorded on Earth.
But Betsy Randolph of the Oklahoma Highway Patrol told local news station Skynews 9 that the damage on Monday appeared to exceed that of the last devastating tornado.
Tornadoes, hail and high winds also hit Iowa and Kansas, part of a storm system stretching from Texas to Minnesota.
On Sunday, a tornado smashed a trailer park on Highway 102 near Shawnee, Oklahoma. Oklahoma’s state medical examiner confirmed on Monday that two people had been killed in the area.
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A tornado has ripped through Texas town of Granbury resulting in six deaths, officials say.
Homes were destroyed when the tornado hit Granbury, 70 miles west of Dallas, late on Wednesday.
Local officials warned the toll could climb as rescue teams search through the rubble of affected houses. Dozens of people have been injured and are receiving treatment at local hospitals.
Severe weather has been reported across the region.
One resident described the tornado’s impact to Reuters: “The house started shaking. We were in a closet.”
Homes were destroyed when the tornado hit Granbury, 70 miles west of Dallas, late on Wednesday
“You could hear it – it sounded like a train going off. It was scary,” he said
The same storm spawned another tornado that tore through part of the town of Cleburne, about 25 miles south-east of Granbury, the National Weather Service said.
There have been no reports of any fatalities from Cleburne so far.
However, dozens of homes have been destroyed or badly damaged, according to officials and residents.
A third tornado in neighboring Parker County has also caused damage to buildings, particularly in the town of Millsap, officials say.
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The north-east US coast is braced for a big snowstorm that has already caused hundreds of flight cancellations.
The storm is set to cause power cuts and transport chaos as it arrives from the Great Lakes and brings blizzards to parts of New England on Friday.
It is expected to peak on Saturday morning east of Cape Cod.
Schools have already been closed in Boston, where sustained strong winds are set to exacerbate heavy snowfall – as much as two feet in some areas.
The National Weather Service said the combination of two weather systems from the polar and subtropical jet streams would produce a “potentially historic” storm, with weather warnings extending from New Jersey to Maine.
Winds of up to 35 mph with significantly stronger hurricane-strength gusts were expected to create deep drifts.
Airlines have already cancelled hundreds of flights across the region.
In Boston, Mayor Thomas Menino urged businesses to consider allowing staff to stay home to reduce the risk of commuters getting stranded.
“We are hardy New Englanders, let me tell you, and used to these types of storms,” said Thomas Menino.
“But I also want to remind everyone to use common sense and stay off the streets of our city. Basically, stay home.”
The north-east US coast is braced for a big snowstorm that has already caused hundreds of flight cancellations
In New York, where memories of October’s Hurricane Sandy are still fresh in the mind, the famous Staten Island ferry has had its schedule reduced. While schools remain open for now, residents are being advised to prepare for the worst.
“Due to potential power outages and transportation difficulties, New Yorkers are advised to stock up on potential supplies, including medicine,” said NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
With up to a foot of snow expected over the next two days, Michael Bloomberg said snow ploughs and 250,000 tonnes of salt were being readied for use.
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Sixteen people have been reported killed by a severe snow storm moving through the north-eastern after disrupting Christmas in the Midwest.
States in New England are seeing heavy snowfall, with over a foot (30 cm) already fallen in parts of Massachusetts, weather officials said.
Flights were grounded and road collisions reported as the storm moved across the middle of the US.
As many as 34 tornadoes were reported across the South on Christmas Day.
The storm moved across northern New England on Thursday afternoon. Heavy snow was also reported in eastern parts of Canada.
Lebanon, Maine reported 12 in of snow, with up to 18 inches expected in the state and nearby Vermont and New Hampshire by the end of Thursday.
In Coudersport, Pennsylvania, where the storm has stopped, the National Weather Service reported 15 inches.
Hundreds of thousands of people are reported to have lost power, including 200,000 people in Arkansas and Alabama, where ice and 10 inches of snow coated electricity wires snapping poles and wires.
Sixteen people have been reported killed by a severe snow storm moving through the north-eastern after disrupting Christmas in the Midwest
Storm-related deaths were reported in New York, Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, Pennsylvania and Virginia, the Associated Press said.
Falling trees claimed the lives of two people in Texas and Louisiana. A New York man was killed after his vehicle skidded on an icy road and an Ohio teenager died after losing control of her car and crashing into an oncoming snowplough.
As the storm moves into the southern parts of the Canadian province of Quebec, the area could receive up to 17in of snow, according to Environment Canada.
In Concord, New Hampshire, resident Dale Lamprey said he had been on the streets before 05:00 EST on Thursday morning, trying to clear the snow.
“It’s been windy, it’s been snowing and I think it changed over to sleet and freezing rain at one point. It’s pretty bad,” he told AP.
Inbound flights were delayed in Philadelphia and at the three New York area airports, as thousands of travelers were trying to return home after Christmas.
In Pittsburgh, a flight that landed safely on Wednesday night got stuck in several inches of snow on the tarmac for about two hours.
Airlines cancelled more than 800 flights on Thursday across the country, according to FlightAware.com.
Flights were also cancelled in Canada, with Toronto and Montreal affected, reports said.
Earlier in the week Little Rock, Arkansas, saw its first snow on Christmas Day in 83 years, while in neighboring Oklahoma seven inches of snow were blamed for a 21-vehicle pile-up on an interstate highway outside Oklahoma City.
Thirty-four tornadoes were observed in the southern states of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama on Tuesday. A large section of a church roof in Mobile, Alabama, was ripped off by a twister.
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Meteorologists predict snowfall could blanket nearly half of the US on Tuesday – from Dallas to Maine – as a massive snowstorm moves from the Great Plains and up into the Northeast.
Accuweather is now predicting that “significant” snow will fall in Oklahoma and Arkansas, potentially giving Oklahoma City its first Christmas snowfall since 1914.
Little Rock Arkansas could get up to three inches. That last time more than an inch fell on Christmas Day was 1926.
Even Dallas, Texas, could see flurries for Christmas – though likely no accumulation. The last time Dallas saw snowfall on Christmas Day was 1997 – though a 2009 blizzard left several inches behind on Christmas Eve.
“Southern Oklahoma and Arkansas look like they’re going to get slammed with some serious snow, strong winds – four to eight inches in some places. It’s a pretty powerful storm system,” said Ted Ryan, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Fort Worth, Texas.
Western California and the Pacific Northwest are due for snow on Christmas Day, as well.
While children everywhere, both young and young-at-heart, are likely to welcome the snow, the nation’s 87million holiday travelers will likely be less enthusiastic.
The damaging snow is supposed to start in the Rockie Mountains, gaining steam as it heads along the Oklahoma and Texas panhandles in the late afternoon to early evening of Tuesday.
Meteorologists predict snowfall could blanket nearly half of the US on Christmas Day
From there, it will head up towards the Great Lakes and move eastward throughout Wednesday. Once it reaches the East Coast, it will begin in the Washington, D.C. area before moving up towards the southern parts of the Northeast, potentially reaching New York, Connecticut, New Hampshire and possibly Massachusetts.
By 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, the winter storm dubbed “Draco” had delayed 5,843 flights in the United States and canceled 131, leaving desperate holiday travellers scrambling to find alternative routes home. The high winds could threaten to delay even more flights at airports in New York, Philadelphia and Washington, meteorologists said.
Newark airport had the most cancellations, with 11 flights called off and O’Hare International Airport in Chicago still had the greatest number of delays, with 239 flights taking off later than scheduled.
The storm made travel difficult from Kansas to Wisconsin on Friday, forcing road closures, including a 120-mile stretch of Interstate 35 from Ames, Iowa, through Albert Lea, Minnesota.
Iowa and Wisconsin activated National Guard troops to help rescue stranded drivers. In Iowa, two people were killed and seven injured in a 25-vehicle pile-up.
Drivers were blinded by blowing snow and didn’t see vehicles that had slowed or stopped on Interstate 35 about 60 miles north of Des Moines, state police said. A chain reaction of crashes involving semitrailers and passenger cars closed down a section of the highway.
Three other states also had traffic deaths that were blamed on the storm. There were at least two deaths in each Nebraska and Wisconsin, and one in Kansas.
In southeastern Utah, a woman who tried to walk for help after her car became stuck in snow died on Tuesday night. Search and rescue crews on snowmobiles found her buried in the snow just a few miles from her car.
On the southern edge of the storm system, tornadoes destroyed several homes in Arkansas and peeled the roofs from buildings, toppled trucks and blew down oak trees and limbs in Alabama.
A strong winter storm last night dumped heavy snow on New York and New Jersey, also pummeled by Hurricane Sandy last week – even forcing FEMA to shut its doors to families in need.
FEMA shuttered its recovery centers, which were set up to offer assistance to those most affected by the monster storm, and the Staten Island office closed “due to bad weather”.
The Nor’easter rattled the East Coast with high winds and piles of wet, slushy snow on Wednesday – leaving thousands of Sandy victims without power just after it had been restored.
Adding to the mess, the three major airports in the tri-state area closed, commuter trains slowed service, and mass transit lurched to a halt, inflicting another round of misery on the city’s residents.
The storm dropped nearly four inches of snow in Central Park, which areas of southern New Jersey suffered more than 9 inches, the National Weather Service said.
Residents from Connecticut to Rhode Island were also slammed with up to six inches of snow, while areas of Massachusetts had a whopping eight inches.
Carrying gusts of 60 mph, the storm brought down tree limbs and electrical wires damaged by Sandy. Utilities across the two states in New York and New Jersey reported that nearly 60,000 customers who lost power in the superstorm lost it again.
“It’s Mother Nature’s one-two punch,” Mayor Cory Booker of Newark, New Jersey, told CNN.
“It’s testing the resolve and the grit of my state and my city and, obviously, this region.”
Airlines cancelled at least 1,300 U.S. flights in and out of the New York metropolitan area on Wednesday, causing a new round of disruptions that rippled across the country. And on the roads, icy conditions brought traffic to a crawl.
Despite this newly-inflicted chaos and slushy sidewalks across the tri-state area, schools across New York City opened on Thursday, including 43 schools still without power or damaged by Sandy.
Transit systems have also spluttered back to a start, with the Long Island Rail Road running all lines by 5:00 a.m. except for the Long Beach line.
The Nor’easter rattled the East Coast with high winds and piles of wet, slushy snow on Wednesday leaving thousands of Sandy victims without power just after it had been restored
Commuter traffic also reopened in the Holland Tunnel, where around 90,000 vehicles pass under the Hudson River between Manhattan and Jersey City, New Jersey.
Airlines at the city’s airports were also scheduled to resume flights on Thursday, but officials warned travelers to check with their carriers ahead of the storm.
The states’ utilities reported scattered outages on Thursday, with some customers complaining that they had just gotten their electricity back in the past two day or two, only to lose it again.
The Long Island Power Authority said 200,000 customers were without power, with around 50,000 losing it in the new storm.
Con Edison reported the storm knocked out electricity to about 60,000 customers in New York City and Westchester County. On Thursday, these customers included 21,000 in Queens, 7,000 in Brooklyn, 4,000 in the Bronx, 3,900 in Staten Island and 140 in Manhattan.
Public Service Electric & Gas reported 160,000 outages, including 40,000 caused by the new storm.
Jersey Central Power & Light has about 238,000 customers without power, while Atlantic City Electric reported more than 5,000 customers without power.
The Nor’easter also cut a feed to a substation briefly on Wednesday night, knocking out power to 8,000 customers around East Brunswick, New Jersey.
Ahead of the storm, authorities had warned communities they could be pummeled by this latest bout of bad weather and in New York, police went to low-lying areas with loudspeakers, urging residents to leave.
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg didn’t issue mandatory evacuations, and many people stayed behind, some because they feared looting, others because they figured whatever happens couldn’t be any worse than what they have gone through already.
The city manager in Long Beach, New York, urged the roughly 21,000 people who ignored previous mandatory evacuation orders in the badly damaged barrier-island city to get out.
More than 600 residents were moved from three nursing homes and an adult care facility in the Rockaway area in Queens amid fears that the weather would knock out electricity.
Public works crews in New Jersey built up dunes to protect the stripped and battered coast.
All construction in New York City was halted – a precaution that needed no explanation after a crane collapsed last week in Sandy’s high winds and dangled menacingly over the streets of Manhattan.
Parks were closed because of the danger of falling trees. Drivers were advised to stay off the road after 5:00 p.m.
Forecasters had said the nor’easter would bring moderate coastal flooding, with storm surges of about three feet possible Wednesday into Thursday – far less than the 8 to 14 feet Sandy hurled at the region.
“I am waiting for the locusts and pestilence next,” New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie had said.
“We may take a setback in the next 24 hours.”
Hurricane Sandy killed more than 100 people in 10 states, with most of the victims in New York and New Jersey.
On Tuesday, the death toll inched higher when a 78-year-old man died of a head injury, suffered when he fell down a wet, sandy stairwell in the dark, authorities said.
Long lines persisted at gas stations but were shorter than they were days ago.
At the peak of the outages from Sandy, more than 8.5 million customers lost power. Before the nor’easter hit, that number was down to 675,000, nearly all of them in New Jersey and New York.
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As relief efforts continue for the thousands of Northeasterners impacted by Superstorm Sandy, a new storm on Wednesday threatens to bring chilly temperatures and even snow to the wearied low lying coastal areas where residents are just beginning to pick up the pieces from the damage of last week.
The National Weather Service is warning that the nor’easter could bring high winds of up to 60 mph, rain and possible flooding, in addition to a very real danger from falling limbs from trees already beaten down by the previous superstorm.
The unnamed storm is moving up along the Atlantic coast from Florida and is set to join with a weather system moving East from the Midwest but some forecasters project the storm could veer offshore, which would be a welcome relief to the battered coast.
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie warned that the severe weather could mean residents who just had their power restored, could once again be living without electricity.
There is “nothing we can do to stop the storms”, he said.
Similarly, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said some residents living in neighborhoods at risk of flooding will be encouraged to relocate until the storm passes.
In a press conference on Tuesday, Michael Bloomberg warned the city would be “on a high wind watch and coastal flood watch beginning Wednesday morning through late Wednesday night”.
The mayor projected the city could receive an inch of rain, which could turn to sleet and even possibly snow.
“Keep in mind, these are forecasts and forecasts, as we know, change as you get closer to the event,” he added.
Though there are no forced evacuations, he said New York police will be patrolling at risk areas to encourage the elderly and families with children to evacuate.
“We can expect winds of up to 25 to 35 mph and gusts rising to 45 to 55 mph, with the highest winds occurring late Wednesday afternoon and Wednesday night,” he continued, adding that the strong winds will make it feel around 10 degrees colder than the listed temperature.
The city will close all parks, playgrounds and beaches, given the threat of falling tree branches, he added.
Nor’easter storm on Wednesday threatens to bring chilly temperatures and even snow
Travelers flying to and from the East Coast will also experience delays and cancellations.
United Airlines announced on Tuesday afternoon that it will suspend most service to and from the New York area between noon Wednesday and noon Thursday due to the winter storm.
Storm surges along the coasts of New Jersey and New York are expected to reach 3 feet, only half to a third of what Hurricane Sandy caused last week, National Weather Service meteorologist Lauren Masters said.
Coastal Virginia could also get a surge of 2 or 3 feet, causing minor flooding on the east side of Chesapeake Bay during high tides on Wednesday morning and evening, he said.
However, most of the storm’s rain will stay offshore.
Up to an inch of snow may fall in northeastern New Jersey and the lower Hudson River valley, weather service meteorologist Mike Layer said.
Central Massachusetts and western Connecticut also could get an inch or two of snow, according to Masters.
Along the Jersey shore, which was devastated by last week’s superstorm, there was some relief that damage projections from the nor’easter have been scaled back.
But there was still concern about the ocean barreling past beaches and dunes that were largely washed away.
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CNN earned itself another black eye after wrongly reporting that the New York Stock Exchange was flooded with three feet of water following the worst of Hurricane Sandy.
“There has been no damage to our building or systems, and we will conduct tests with the industry today with the aim of reopening U.S. markets on Wednesday,” NYSE spokesman Ray Pellecchia said in a statement.
During a live segment on Piers Morgan’s show Monday night, the anchor spoke with the network’s meteorologist who based the sensational claim solely on a comment left in a chat room.
“You have an update on the stock exchange situation. Do we still think that three feet of water got into the exchange? There seem to be conflicting reports now,” Piers Morgan asked meteorologist Chad Myers.
“Oh, is that right? You know, I got that from the National Weather Service chat bulletin board. It was right on there; it said three feet of water on the floor. I don’t know if there’s conflicting reports or not,” Chad Myers said.
CNN wrongly reported that NYSE was flooded with 3 feet of water following the worst of Hurricane Sandy
The claim instantly went viral, spreading quickly on social networks and circulating as fact.
An NYSE official quickly tried to thwart the rumor, saying that the infrastructure of the landmark Wall Street building was “fine”.
A spokesman for the network issued a vague apology, purposefully avoiding the point of the fact that their sources were as murky as the alleged sea water that covered much of lower Manhattan.
“Chad referenced a National Weather Service report that turned out to be incorrect. We quickly made an on air correction. We regret the error,” CNN spokesman Bridget Leininger said.
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Here is a selection of links to help you keep updated on the progress of Hurricane Sandy and find other useful information.
United States
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) dedicated Hurricane Sandy page contains links to the latest advisories, satellite images and weather reports.
The NOAA’s National Weather Service page has the latest US weather reports.
The NOAA’s National Hurricane Centre has the latest US hurricane advisories.
Twitter updates are available from the National Hurricane Centre (@NHC_Atlantic) and NOAA (@NOAA).
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has advice on hurricane preparation and evacuation plans.
Fema’s Twitter feed (@Fema) and Facebook page also provide updates.
The American Red Cross has a search tool and map to help you find your nearest emergency storm shelter, or text SHELTER and a Zip Code to 43362 (standard rates apply).
The latest information on sea levels and high tides is available from the NOAA’s National Ocean Service.
Google’s interactive crisis map of the hurricane shows the predicted path of the storm, the affected areas and links to local weather reports and warnings.
Watch a live stream from the top of the Statue of Liberty in New York harbour as the storm approaches.
This live map shows the winds currently flowing over the United States.
Canada
The Canadian Hurricane Centre has the latest updates on how the storm is expected to affect Eastern Canada including a clickable map of local weather warnings.
State-by-state
New York: The NY-Alert web portal has some of the latest information and alerts from state authorities, or follow @NYSDHSES for updates. New York residents can call the Hurricane Sandy helpline on 1-888-769-7243 or 1-518-485-1159 for updates and shelter advice or visit Google’s New York City crisis map.
New Jersey: Visit the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management for forecasts and travel information, or see the Twitter feed (@NJOEM2010) and Facebook page.
Maryland: Maryland’s Emergency Management Agency website has details of the state’s evacuation plan, and are tweeting at @MDMEMA.
Massachusetts: Massachusetts state authorities have information on storm preparations, while the latest weather reports and forecast can be found by searching #MASandy on Twitter.
Pennsylvania: Visit Pennsylvania’s Emergency Management Agency website here.
Connecticut: Visit the Connecticut governor’s website for information or call 211 for storm shelter information in the state.
Delaware: Visit the Delaware Emergency Management Agency website for more information, or residents can call the Delaware Hurricane Sandy Hotline on (800) 464-4357.
Washington DC: The District of Columbia website has information on relief centres as well as public building and transport closures.
Lollapalooza music festival was halted on Saturday as Chicago was hit by a powerful thunderstorm.
Tens of thousands of concert-goers took shelter in parking garages that had been designated evacuation centres for the sold-out three-day event.
Crowds were let back into the Chicago lakefront venue three hours later after the worst of the storm had passed.
An extended curfew allowed Red Hot Chili Peppers, Saturday’s headline act, to perform as scheduled.
Australian band the Temper Trap and US rock group Alabama Shakes were among the acts whose sets were cancelled due to the interruption.
Lollapalooza music festival was halted on Saturday as Chicago was hit by a powerful thunderstorm
According to a statement on the Lollapalooza website, organizers “made the decision to evacuate Grant Park [at 15:30 CST] in response to warnings from the National Weather Service”.
“In all, more than 60,000 festival-goers and nearly 3,000 staff, artists and vendors were safely evacuated in 38 minutes.”
“We want to thank the tens of thousands of festival-goers, staff and artists who calmly and safely exited,” said a spokesperson for Lollapalooza promoter C3 Presents.
Jack White, Sweden’s Miike Snow and Britain’s Florence and the Machine are among the acts scheduled to perform on Sunday as this year’s festival draws to a close.
Organizers announced on Saturday that a Lollapalooza festival would be held in Tel Aviv, Israel in August 2013.
Versions of the event will also take place next year in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in March and Santiago, Chile, in April.
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Two people died in Oklahoma after several tornadoes have hit a large swathe of the US Midwest.
Storms were reported in Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska and Oklahoma. The deaths occurred in Oklahoma’s Woodward county, officials said.
The National Weather Service had warned there could be further tornadoes early Sunday morning, with concern they could strike as people slept.
But it said that the chance they would be very strong or long-lived was lower than the previous evening.
Forecasters had warned that the worst of the weather would hit around nightfall.
Two people died in Oklahoma after several tornadoes have hit a large swathe of the US Midwest
Officials feared people would not hear warnings as they slept and said that it was more difficult for weather spotters to track the funnel clouds overnight.
In Woodward in Oklahoma, a block of flats was also damaged by the twister, after residents were caught by surprise as the storm sirens had failed to sound, Reuters news agency quoted the local mayor as saying.
One tornado destroyed large parts of the town of Thurman, in Iowa, on Saturday, but there were no major injuries, the NWS said.
“It lasted three to four minutes probably – what seemed like an eternity,” one man from Thurman told the broadcaster ABC.
“The next thing I know, the house was shaking and I could feel it lifting and it was over that quick,” another man said.
Another tornado caused widespread power outages and other damage in the city of Wichita, Kansas, according to Associated Press.
The roof of a hospital in Creston, southwest of Des Moines, was damaged, but patients and staff were not hurt, AP reported.
Tornado experts had said that storms on Saturday could be a “life-threatening event”.
US tornadoes have already killed at least 39 people in 2012.
An outbreak of deadly twisters hit the states of Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Georgia and Alabama in early March.
At the start of April the Dallas-Fort Worth area was badly hit, with hundreds of flights being disrupted but no-one injured or killed.
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Millions of people from Dallas and Forth Worth are being urged to seek shelter immediately as dramatic news footage shows trucks and other massive debris being thrown across the skies in Texas.
National Weather Service said storm spotters and radar revealed separate tornadoes south of Dallas and Fort Worth.
Incredible news footage of the twister shows a massive funnel cloud and tractor trailers being launched above the area.
The weather service says the tornado south of Fort Worth caused “considerable damage” near Cleburne.
The agency said in its warning: “National Weather Service meteorologists confirmed a large and dangerous tornado near Hutchins. This is a dangerous situation … seek shelter now!! This is a tornado emergency for Dallas and Hutchins!”
Dallas tornado tosses trucks across the skies as dangerous twister targets Texas
Local television footage shows a large funnel cloud on the ground near Interstate 35 south of Dallas.
The weather service says the “large and extremely dangerous” tornado was near Lancaster about 20 miles south of Dallas and moving north.
The weather service is also reporting other developing tornadoes as a band of severe storms moves through the area.
A tornado watch is in effect for most of the counties in north Texas.
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