The US East Coast is shivering in a record-breaking freeze in the wake of a deadly “bomb cyclone” that dumped snow as far south as Florida.
In parts of US and Canada, temperatures were forecast to fall below -20F, with wind chill making it feel more like -90F on January 5.
In Canada, high winds have knocked out power for tens of thousands of residents in Nova Scotia.
Thousands of snow ploughs are clearing roads across the East Coast.
On January 5, the National Weather Service (NWS) predicted dangerously low temperatures moving into the weekend as frigid air lingering over the North Pole prowls towards the US mid-Atlantic region.
In Massachusetts, residents of Boston, which received over 1ft of snowfall, were clearing the streets with shovels.
It comes just days after a phenomenon described as a “bomb cyclone” brought heavy snowfall to a wide area along the East Coast, as well as hurricane-force winds.
Giant waves caused by the storm saw freezing floodwaters inundate parts of the New England coast.
According to reports, the extreme weather has so far been linked to up to 19 deaths in the US and two more in Canada.
Four deaths were reported in traffic accidents in North and South Carolina. Further fatalities occurred in Wisconsin, Kentucky and Texas.
In Philadelphia, a car was unable to stop at a railway line at the bottom of a steep hill and was hit by a commuter train, killing a passenger in the vehicle.
In Virginia, a girl was fatally struck by a car while sledging, and a 75-year-old man was killed after being hit by a snow plough.
In Perth Amboy, New Jersey, where the temperature averaged 20F on January 4, a 13-year-old girl died and 35 others suffered carbon-monoxide poisoning in an apartment building. Seven of those treated were first responders.
The extreme weather caused travel chaos and led to the cancellation of thousands of flights on January 4 and 5.
Most flights have since resumed at airports in New York and Boston.
Experts say the so-called bomb cyclone storm drew moisture and strength from as far south as the Caribbean Sea.
New Hampshire’s Mount Washington, which boasts of having the “world’s worst weather”, was forecast to experience a wind chill temperature as low as -90F on January 5.
Law enforcement in Indiana issued a joke warrant for the arrest of the heroine in Disney movie Frozen, blaming her for the cold snap.
As the East Coast is still reeling from the devastation brought on by Superstorm Sandy forecasters are already warning of a powerful new nor’easter storm front coming in from the Atlantic, bringing 45 mph gusts of wind mixed with snow and rain.
The beleaguered coast line is expected to face the storm from Tuesday to Thursday – potentially casting a shadow over Election Day.
At least New York City and the surrounding area may escape a beating, as forecasters expect most of the severe weather will hit northern New England – meaning it should land hundreds of miles north from where Sandy reached the continent.
However, New York and New Jersey can expect frigid winds and rain as hundreds of thousands remain without power and homeless.
A nor’easter is a powerful storm that thrives on cold air. Severe nor’easters can bring hurricane-force winds and blizzards.
AccuWeather expert senior meteorologist Henry Margusity said: “For millions of people still recovering from Superstorm Sandy, this is not welcome news.
“Thousands are projected to still be in the dark on Election Day, following Sandy’s impact.
“The weather pattern remains volatile for another storm to form on the East Coast, but nothing like Sandy. A storm that would be more normal for early November.”
Meanwhile, NBC News meteorologist Al Roker said: “This is just what we don’t need.
“You look at those winds coming counterclockwise, bringing in with it the potential for one to two more inches of rain, wind gusts of 45 miles per hour and wet snow inland just along the New York/New Jersey border. We’re talking about wet snow mixing in.
“The problem with this, with these winds of 45 miles per hour and already compromised beaches along New Jersey and Long Island waves of any consequence could cause big problems.”
He added: “It’s just a matter of how strong this system is going to be.”
East Coast line is expected to face a nor’easter winter storm from Tuesday to Thursday, potentially casting a shadow over Election Day
The European Centre Medium Range Forecast predicted the storm will form off the coast of Georgia and South Carolina on Tuesday.
EURO detected Hurricane Sandy and predicted its devastating landfall 8 days before it hit.
By Wednesday, the storm is expected to hook into southern New England.
Forecasters said that the storm will have nowhere near the strength of Sandy and the winds will likely not be powerful enough to be damaging.
However, the storm will bring more rain and bad weather to a region that has not even begun to recover from Monday’s onslaught.
“Snowfall would be confined to northern New England. Also, this system will not be anywhere as impactful as Sandy,” Tom Niziol, the winter weather expert for Weather.com, wrote.
Forecasters still don’t know the exact impact or path of the storm, and cautioned that it could hit other parts of the coast – potentially even New York.
Consolidated Edison, which handles New York City and the Hudson Valley, still has 650,000 customers without power – and said many of them won’t have electricity restored for another ten days.
Two of New Jersey’s largest utility companies reported more than 2million customers still in the dark.
What is a nor’easter?
The nor’easter is a winter storm conceived by the meeting of cold arctic air with the warmer ocean air from the Gulf Stream.
The storms usually develop from a low-pressure system in the south, typically in the Gulf of Mexico, and then pushed upward.
They often cause severe flooding along coastlines, erosion, and blizzard conditions – but just as dangerous is the bitter Arctic air that gets dragged along by the weather system.
They storms can come at any time of year, but are mainly seen in winter, where the conflicting wind conditions can quickly spiral into a hurricane.
Nor’easters usually bring massive amounts of precipitation, high winds and large waves and with a full moon, when tides are at their highest, the storm surge could reach as high as 6 to 11 feet.
“The total is greater than the sum of the individual parts,” said Louis Uccellini, the environmental prediction chief of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration meteorologists about the dramatic weather.
New York City looks like the set of a disaster movie this morning after a night of being battered by Superstorm Sandy.
It hit the mainland at 6:30 p.m. local time last night having laid waste to large parts of the coast during the day. The US city shut its mass transit system, schools, the stock exchange and Broadway, and ordered hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers to leave home to get out of the way as Sandy zeroed in.
A 13 ft wall of water caused by the storm surge and high tides resulted in severe flooding to subways and road tunnels. Torrents of water poured into building works at Ground Zero, cars were swept down streets and power was cut across lower Manhattan in a bid to minimize damage to infrastructure.
Superstorm Sandy knocked out power to at least 6.2 million people across the US East, and large sections of Manhattan were plunged into darkness by the storm, with 250,000 customers without power as water pressed into the island from three sides, flooding rail yards, subway tracks, tunnels and roads.
New York City’s 911 dispatchers were receiving 20,000 calls per hour. An extraordinary 24 hours saw what was originally classed as a hurricane close in and converge with a cold-weather system that turned it into a superstorm – a monstrous hybrid consisting not only of rain and high wind, but also snow.
Cars were swept down streets and power was cut across lower Manhattan in a bid to minimize damage to infrastructure
Hurricane Sandy smacked the boarded-up big cities of the Northeast corridor, from Washington and Baltimore to Philadelphia, New York and Boston, with stinging rain and gusts of 85 mph. Sixteen deaths were reported in New Jersey, New York, Maryland, North Carolina, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Connecticut.
Seven New York City subway tunnels were flooded by the morning. At least five deaths were reported in New York. Some of the victims were killed by falling trees and at least one death was blamed on the storm in Canada
Storm damage was projected at up to $18 million, meaning it could be one of the costliest natural disasters in US history. Nineteen workers were trapped inside a Consolidated Edison power station in east Manhattan by rising floodwaters, with a rescue worker saying it had suffered an explosion inside.
The first deadly signs of Hurricane Sandy’s monstrous power were revealed as it barreled towards land on Monday – with snow falling, rivers breaching and floodwaters submerging cities across the East Coast.
Hurricane Sandy, which forecasters said could be the largest in U.S. history, strengthened overnight to nearly 1,000 miles wide with winds in excess of 85 miles per hour as it accelerated towards Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York.
The worst of the Category 1 storm is expected to bring a “life-threatening” surge of seawater up to 11 feet high, coastal hurricane winds and a barrage of heavy snow in the Appalachian Mountains.
Already the hurricane is showing its breathtaking power as hundreds of thousands of residents scrambled to higher ground, public transport systems shut down and thousands of flights across the country were cancelled.
The Hudson River which connects New Jersey and Manhattan’s west side has breached – already inflicting more damage than Hurricane Irene last year.
Across Norfolk, Virginia, residents were knee-deep in floodwaters as they travelled to work or scrambled to stock up on last-minute groceries. In the southeast of the state, tides are expected to run between five and eight feet above normal.
Floodwaters were also seeping into New York, with homes in Gilgo, Long Island becoming quickly submerged.
In Boone, North Carolina, snow began falling at 8:00 a.m.; the Appalachian mountain town is expected to suffer a miserable few days with snow, rain and temperatures struggling to get out of the 30s. Up to eight inches of snow is expected but, in places of higher elevation, there may be as many as 12.
In Oak Orchard, Delaware, rescue efforts by the National Guard and local authorities were already underway for residents who had failed to heed the mandatory evacuation issued over the weekend.
Hurricane Sandy has already killed at least 66 people – including 51 in Haiti – in the Caribbean before pounding U.S. coastal areas with rain.
But the New Jersey shore is expected to take the brunt of the massive weather front as Sandy hits near Atlantic City, which has already suffered heavy flooding, on Monday night and churns north, with 50 million people in its path.
Nine U.S. states have declared states of emergency with the National Guard poised to swoop in, and President Barack Obama has warned the nation to brace itself.
“This is a serious and big storm,” Barack Obama said after a briefing at the federal government’s storm response center in Washington.
“We don’t yet know where it’s going to hit, where we’re going to see the biggest impacts.”
National Guard and local authorities are underway for East Coast residents who had failed to heed the mandatory evacuation issued ahead of Hurricane Sandy
Between 2:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. on Monday, winds increased by 10 mph to a maximum of 85 mph, the National Hurricane Center said. Landfall is expected between late Monday and early Tuesday, with Google providing a tracking map to show the storm’s progress.
Forecasters said Sandy, dubbed Frankenstorm, could surge to a “super storm” as it joins an Arctic jet stream, sparking flash floods and snow storms – and making it unlike anything seen over the eastern United States in decades.
“The last time we saw anything like this was never,” Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy said on Sunday.
“I don’t know how to say it any clearer than that it is the largest threat to human life our state has experienced in anyone’s lifetime.”
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie added: “Don’t be stupid. Get out!”
New York and other cities and towns have closed their transit systems and ordered mass evacuations from low-lying areas ahead of the storm surge.
Classes were cancelled on Monday for more than two million public school students in New York, Philadelphia, Boston and Baltimore, while universities and government offices in states including Washington and New Jersey were shut down.
All U.S. stock markets will be closed on Monday and possibly Tuesday, the operator of the New York Stock Exchange said late on Sunday, reversing an earlier plan that would have kept electronic trading going on Monday.
Hurricane Sandy forced Barack Obama and Mitt Romney to cancel some campaign stops and fuelled concern it could disrupt early voting – encouraged by the candidates this year more than ever – before the November 6 election.
The United Nations, Broadway theaters, New Jersey casinos, schools up and down the Eastern Seaboard, and myriad corporate events were also being shut down on Monday.
Residents along the New Jersey coast were warned they may not survive Hurricane Sandy if they do not evacuate low-lying areas.
The National Weather Service issued the stark warning last night as the massive weather front surged closer to the East Coast.
A statement read: “If you are reluctant [to evacuate], think about your loved ones…think about the rescue/recovery teams who will rescue you if you are injured or recover your remains if you do not survive.”
About 50 million people from the Mid-Atlantic to Canada are in the path of the 1,000-mile-wide monster, which is expected to topple trees, damage buildings, cause power outages and trigger heavy flooding.
Many workers planned to stay home on Monday, while thousands of flights into and out of the U.S. northeast were grounded on as airports closed, stranding passengers from Hong Kong to Europe.
The massive storm threatens to bring a near halt to air travel for at least two days in a key region for both domestic and international flights.
Frankestorm is also expected to inflict power outages along the east coast, with officials already expressing fears that homes and businesses could be without power for days.
“We could be talking about weeks,”Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy warned.
Officials told residents to head for higher ground as evacuations were ordered on the East Coast including a mandatory one for New York City which saw Mayor Michael Bloomberg advise 375,000 people to leave low-lying areas.
Buses were no longer running and flights in and out of the city cancelled. More than 7,000 flights have been cancelled so far – already leaving a backlog of tens of thousands.
The New York subway closed at 7:00 p.m. on Sunday for only the second time in history, meaning that almost 12 million people will be prevented from taking their usual route to work.
The MTA said the duration of the service suspension is “unknown” and that “service will be restored only when it is safe to do so, after careful inspections of all equipment and tracks”.
Transport officials warned: “Even with minimal damage this is expected to be a lengthy process.”
The New York Stock Exchange said on Sunday it is putting in place contingency plans and will announce later when the trading floor will reopen.
It is the first time in 27 years the NYSE has been forced to close due to the weather.
Hurricane Sandy could merge with a winter storm to create what they have dubbed “Frankenstorm” as it churns towards the US, forecasters warn.
Sandy has weakened to a category one hurricane, but is still packing maximum sustained winds of 75 mph (120 km/h).
Hurricane Sandy reportedly caused up to 40 deaths as it tore through the Caribbean on Thursday and Friday.
The storm is projected to hit the US late on Monday, a week before the presidential election.
States of emergency have been declared in Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington and a coastal county in North Carolina.
The US Navy base in Norfolk, Virginia was reportedly sending a whole fleet of ships out to sea to avoid the storm.
At 23:00 EDT, the hurricane was moving north over the Bahamas at about 7 mph, some 400 miles (630 km) south-east of Charleston in South Carolina, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC).
Hurricane-strength winds were being experienced 70 miles from the centre of the storm, which was expected to slowly weaken during the weekend, reported the NHC.
American meteorologists expect a combination of high winds, heavy rain and extreme tides, as well as snow in some areas.
Up to 10 in (25 cm) of rain, 2ft of snow and extreme storm surges are forecast.
“It’s going to be a long-lasting event, two to three days of impact for a lot of people,” said James Franklin, head forecaster at the NHC.
Hurricane Sandy could merge with a winter storm to create what they have dubbed “Frankenstorm” as it churns towards the US
Hurricane Sandy is expected to strike the US late on Monday or early Tuesday somewhere along the US east coast, a day before Halloween and a week before millions of Americans go to the polls to choose a next president.
It could make landfall anywhere between Virginia, Maryland or Delaware up through New York or southern New England.
In New York City, officials are already considering closing down mass transit before the storm hits.
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney cancelled an event scheduled for Sunday in Virginia, a key election state, because of the weather, said an aide.
Earlier on Friday, the White House declined to speculate on whether Hurricane Sandy would affect President Barack Obama’s campaign plans, saying the storm’s path was still uncertain.
Forecasters say Hurricane Sandy is similar to another late October storm – when several weather systems, including a hurricane, combined along the US Atlantic coast in 1991, leading to what was dubbed “the Perfect Storm”.
Jeff Masters, meteorology director at Weather Underground, estimated there could be more than $1 billion in damages from Hurricane Sandy.
On Thursday, Hurricane Sandy caused a storm surge leading to severe flooding along Cuba’s south-eastern coastline.
Civil emergency authorities said 11 people had died as the storm lashed the island – nine of those in Santiago province and two in Guantanamo province, despite Cuba’s well-rehearsed hurricane preparations. Most victims were killed by falling trees or collapsing buildings.
“The hurricane was very big. I have never seen anything like it in my 54 years,” said Santiago resident Reinaldo Rivas.
Elsewhere, 20 deaths were reported in Haiti – where much of the infrastructure remains in a poor condition following a massive earthquake in 2010.
More than 1,000 people sought refuge in shelters there, as Hurricane Sandy caused widespread power outages, flooded streets and damaged buildings.
Four fatalities were reported across the Dominican Republic, Jamaica and the Bahamas.
The unseasonable snowstorm which hit the US East Coast, with some areas of Massachusetts seeing more than 27 inches (68 cm) of snow, killed at least nine people and left three million houses without power.
Tv footages show snow in Pennsylvania, Maryland and Vermont while in New York, Occupy Wall Street protesters said they were not deterred by the weather.
According to authorities, at least nine people have died in snow-related accidents and more than three million homes have lost their electricity supply from Maryland to Massachusetts with some residents left without power for several days.
The snowfall had worsened as it moved north, with states of emergency declared in New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts and parts of New York.
It was reported that communities in western Massachusetts were among the hardest hit.
Nantucket in Massachusetts experienced wind speeds of 69mph (111km/h), a National Weather Service (NWS) statement said.
The unseasonable snowstorm which hit the US East Coast, with some areas of Massachusetts seeing more than 27 inches of snow, killed at least nine people and left three million houses without power
Four people were killed in two separate crashes on an icy road in Philadelphia, while falling snow killed an 84-year-old man in Temple, Pennsylvania.
Traffic accidents killed one person in Colchester, Connecticut, a 54-year-old New York woman, and a person in New Jersey.
In Springfield, Massachusetts, a man died when he touched a protective rail surrounding downed power lines.
Connecticut Governor Dannel P. Malloy said over 750,000 people were without electricity in his state and that the effects of the storm would still be felt after the snowfall stopped.
“If you are without power, you should expect to be without power for a prolonged period of time,” CBS News quoted Governor Dannel P. Malloy as saying.
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s house was one of the 600,000 suffering power cuts in the state.
West Milford, New Jersey, about 45 miles (70km) north-west of New York, saw 19 inches of snowfall, and Hillsboro, New Hampshire, saw 21.5 inches.
In New York City, a new record for October snowfall was set when 1.3 inches fell in Central Park.
Most of the Occupy Wall Street protesters in New York’s Zuccotti Park saw out the storm.
On Sunday, passengers were stranded for more than seven hours on one JetBlue flight in Hartford, Connecticut.
On Saturday, flights were delayed at Newark airport in New Jersey, which was being lashed by heavy rains and winds.
Amtrak reported massive disruption to train services, including a 13-hour delay for passengers on one train in central Massachusetts.
High pressure over south-eastern Canada had fed cold air south and into moisture from the North Carolina coast.
In New England it is usual for measurable snow to fall in early December.
National Weather Service meteorologist Bill Simpson said temperatures could return to normal by the middle of next week.
Three people died and more than 2.3 million homes have lost power as the US East Coast has been hit by an unusual early period snowstorm.
New York City has been hit by more than one inch of snowfall before Halloween for the first time ever – with experts predicting much more on the way.
It was reported that an 84-year-old man from Pennsylvania died when a tree crashed into his house in Temple on Saturday afternoon, while he was having a nap in his recliner chair. He was killed “instantly” according to police.
Another death was in Colchester Connecticut, according to Governor Dannel Malloy who warned that some parts of the state could expect as much as 18 inches of snow.
A third man in his 20s died in Springfield, Massachusetts, after he ignored police warnings and cross a barricade around a downed power line. The man was killed when he touched a metal guard rail that was charged.
October snowstorm killed 3 people and left 2.3 M houses without power on East Coast.
There are reports saying that some places in mid-Atlantic states saw more than half a foot of snow on Saturday and approximately 250,000 customers lost power in Pennsylvania and Maryland, requiring utility crews from Ohio and Kentucky to fix it.
More than 1,000 flights into or out of the United States were cancelled today, with New York particularly affected. JFK airport had around 230 called off by 5:00 p.m. local time.
New York City has been hit by more than one inch of snowfall before Halloween for the first time ever - with experts predicting much more on the way
According to meteorologists, about 60 million people will experience the rare October snowstorm, which should unleash heavy, wet snow and wind, causing fallen tree branches and potential travel chaos.
Halloween weekend looks set to see huge amounts of sleet and snow covering the North East, invariably causing power outages and travel chaos.
In New York City By, 1.3 inches of snow had fallen in Central Park by 2:00 p.m.; never before in October has an inch of snow fallen on a given day in New York City, AccuWeather reported.
AccuWather website reported 10 inches of snow in Ogletown, Pennsylvania, 9.5 inches in Frostburg, Maryland, and 8.5 inches in Lost River, West Virginia.
New York has received measurable snow before Halloween only three times since 1869 – and never more than one inch, as happened today.
Autumn Street in Lodi, New Jersey, where Governor Chris Christie called a state of emergency after the October snowstorm
The heaviest snow is forecast for later in the day on Sunday in the Massachusetts Berkshires, the Litchfield Hills in northwestern Connecticut, southwestern New Hampshire and the southern Green Mountains.
Chris Vaccaro, a NWS spokesman said:
“It’s going to be wet, sticky and gloppy. It’s not going to be a dry, fluffy snow.”
The snowstorm comes on a busy weekend for many along the Eastern Seaboard, with trick-or-treaters going door-to-door in search of Halloween booty, hunting season opening in some states and a full slate of college and pro football scheduled.
Connecticut Governor Dannel P. Malloy warned residents that they could lose power due to the anticipated wet, heavy snow.
The heaviest snows are expected between 5:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. this evening, although the temperatures could bring light snow throughout the night.
According to meteorologists, the storm is expected to come hard and fast, with the heaviest snow set for the Virginia and West Virginia border through eastern Pennsylvania and southeastern New York state, northwestern New Jersey, northern Connecticut, Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire.
Six inches of snow has already fallen in New England, where is also expected to be powerful winds which could be very dangerous – bringing down trees and power lines.
Temperatures in the 30s and 40s and wind chills in the 20s will make it feel like winter has truly arrived.
Forecasters at weather.com say the heaviest amounts of snow will fall in parts of Pennsylvania, northern New Jersey, upstate New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts.
“Precipitation will start as rain in these locations, but may change over to snow. How quickly this occurs and how much snow falls is dependent on the availability of enough cold air, which is difficult to forecast early in the season.”
An unseasonable snowstorm warning has been issued for US East Coast on Halloween weekend, with forecasts of up to 10 inches (25 cm) of early snowfall.
A winter storm warning has been issued by the US National Weather Service (NWS) starting with Saturday morning until Sunday.
The NWS also says travel conditions may be hazardous.
About 10,000 people in Pennsylvania, as well as in Maryland and West Virginia, are without power after heavy snow has begun falling across.
In October 1979, southern New England received a record 7.5 inches of snow.
A region of low pressure brewing off the mid-Atlantic coast is expected to produce heavy, wet snow as it moves north-east, according to the NWS.
A winter storm warning has been issued by the National Weather Service from Saturday morning to Sunday
The Massachusetts Berkshires, north-western Connecticut and southern New Hampshire could see the most snow.
Big coastal cities are set to be hit, forecasters say, with New York expecting four inches (10 cm) on Saturday, and Boston 3 inches.
Winds along East Coast could reach 45 mph (72km/h), further damaging powerlines, the NWS said.
Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy has warned some residents could lose power, while NWS meteorologist Bill Simpson said the snowfall could break records.
Mountainous areas in Pennsylvania could see as much as six to 10 inches of snow while more than 6 inches of snow are predicted to fall in Maine on Saturday night.
“This is very, very unusual. It has all the look and feel of a classic mid-winter nor’easter. It’s going to be very dangerous,” John LaCorte, a NWS meteorologist in Pennsylvania told the Associated Press.
John LaCorte added that the last time Pennsylvania saw a major storm so early was in 1972.
In New England it is usual for measurable snow to fall in early December.
Six inches snowfall in Vermont on Friday morning
Meteorologist Bill Simpson said temperatures could return to normal by the middle of next week.
“This doesn’t mean our winter is going to be terrible. You can’t get any correlation from a two-day event,” Bill Simpson said.
Forecasts for north eastern US have changed in the last couple of days and the prospect of a snow-free Halloween weekend have now gone.
October has been relatively mild so far but now north eastern states are suddenly braced for snow this weekend.
Low pressure will track up the East Coast on Saturday possibly bringing significant amounts of the white stuff across the tri-state area, Pennsylvania and New England.
New York has received measurable snow before Halloween only three times since 1869 – and never more than one inch, which is what some experts are predicting.
It would be the earliest one-inch snowfall in New York since the Civil War.
Forecasts for north eastern US have changed in the last couple of days and the prospect of a snow-free Halloween weekend have now gone
The heaviest snow falls are expected between 5:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. Saturday night, although the temperatures could bring light snow throughout the night.
Temperatures in the 30s and 40s and wind chills in the 20s will make it feel like winter has truly arrived.
Forecasters at weather.com say the heaviest amounts of snow will fall in parts of Pennsylvania, northern New Jersey, upstate New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts.
These areas could see between two to four inches late on Saturday.
Weather.com said: “Precipitation will start as rain in these locations, but may change over to snow. How quickly this occurs and how much snow falls is dependent on the availability of enough cold air, which is difficult to forecast early in the season.”
Early season snows, when the leaves are still on the trees, are notorious for causing tree damage and power outages and this storm will be no exception.
The biggest impact from the weekend’s storm will not come from snow accumulation, but from the rain and melted snow freezing on bridges and overpasses.
Sunday morning could be particularly treacherous on the roads.
Overnight freeze warnings are in effect across the north east region.
The forecast for the country is mostly dry, though a few disturbances could bring some showers to parts of Pennsylvania and upstate New York.
A 5.9 magnitude earthquake, which lasted 45 seconds, rocked the US East Coast Tuesday afternoon, hitting areas from North Carolina to as far north as Ottawa, Canada.
[googlead tip=”patrat_mare”]
The earthquake, which hit at about 1:51 p.m. ET, measured a preliminary 5.9 and lasted up to 45 seconds, according to the US Geological Survey. It shook office buildings and homes and rattled residents.
The US Geological Survey (USGS) warned of aftershocks.
Earthquake epicenter was reported about 4 miles southwest of Mineral, Virginia, near Richmond, Virginia, and about 80 miles south of Washington, D.C.
The earthquake in Virginia felt in Washington, New York City, North Carolina.
Witnesses reported a low rumble that grew to distinct and sustained shaking, rattling windows and fraying nerves.
Earthquake epicenter was reported about 4 miles southwest of Mineral, Virginia, near Richmond and about 80 miles south of Washington D.C.
No people injured were reported after earthquake hit.
Federal officials say two nuclear reactors at the North Anna Power Station in Louisa County, Virginia, were automatically taken offline by safety systems around the time of the earthquake.
Verizon Wireless, AT&T and Sprint say their networks were congested as the quake sent people scrambling for the phones. Twitter lit up with personal earthquake reports up and down the East Coast.
The earthquake was one of the largest ever recorded in the Washington, D.C., area. [googlead tip=”vertical_mare” aliniat=”dreapta”]
[youtube RfTxpxXaf1A]
The depth of the quake was only 0.6 miles which partly explains the widely felt shaking.
“On the East Coast you have this old, hard, cold crust that does a lovely job of transmitting the waves … the energy. … This large of an eathquake could definitely have been felt hundreds of miles away,” said Lucy Jones, a seismologist at the USGS.
“Central Virginia does get its share of minor earthquakes, but an earthquake of this size on the East Coast is certainly very unusual,” said seismologist Karen Fischer of Brown University.
“Virginia is not on an active earthquake fault and is roughly in the middle of the North American continental crustal plate. But it has residual fault scars left over from 200 million to 300 million years ago, when it was an earthquake zone, at the time when the Atlantic Ocean rifted apart from Europe. An earthquake that registered 3.9 hit in 2003 was followed by a 4.5 that same year,” she said.
“We are just seeing pressure build up and release on those scars. There is a lot of debate on exactly what is going on down there and exactly how quakes this big happen in this kind of crustal zone.”
“Because the crust under the East Coast is colder and firmer than the West Coast, shocks travel more efficiently through it, accounting for the widely felt shaking.”
[googlead tip=”lista_mare” aliniat=”stanga”] Karen Fischer said the shallow depth of the Virginia quake is only a first estimate and will likely be revised.
“One lesson of this quake is that building codes will likely need to be revisited on the East Coast,” Fischer said.
“Because we are not as conscious of earthquakes here as the West Coast, we will have to see about structural damage to buildings, although I have not heard any damage reports so far.”
David Oppenheimer, a seismologist for the USGS at the Earthquake Science Center in Meno Park, California, said Tuesday’s temblor was not expected “in fact, we don’t even know about the faults in that part of the world.”
David Oppenheimer also said the earthquake is a big concern because the infrastructure in the region is not build to handle the shaking.
“This is the kind of thing that we worry about, infrequent large earthquakes in highly population areas with an old inventory of brick buildings, structures built before there were earthquake codes,” he said.
“You put this earthquake under a more urban area you would have had perhaps loss of life and more damage.”
Officials in the region scrambled to evacuate buildings.
The control towers at John F. Kennedy and Newark Liberty airports were evacuated by the Federal Aviation Administration as a precaution, an FAA spokesman said. Flights out of both airports were canceled.
People from the State Department building in the Foggy Bottom area of Washington were evacuated too.
[youtube 2AnNlyDcySY]
This website has updated its privacy policy in compliance with EU GDPR 2016/679. Please read this to review the updates about which personal data we collect on our site. By continuing to use this site, you are agreeing to our updated policy. AcceptRejectRead More
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
