Heavy snowstorm hammers northeastern U.S.

Heavy snowstorm hammers northeastern U.S. Fri, Jan 03 07:54 AM EST By Elizabeth Dilts and Scott Malone NEW YORK/BOSTON (Reuters) - A major snowstorm producing blizzard-like conditions hammered the northeastern United States on Friday, causing more than 1,000 U.S. flight delays and cancellations, paralyzing road travel, and closing schools and government offices. The first major winter storm of 2014 brought bone-chilling temperatures and high winds from the lower Mississippi Valley to the Atlantic coast, with nearly 2 feet of snow falling in some areas of Massachusetts. Much of the U.S. northeast saw heavy snowfall and plummeting temperatures late on Thursday and early on Friday morning, said Jared Guyer, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. The weather service said the mass of Arctic air would drop temperatures to levels 20 to 30 degrees below normal, with record lows possible on Friday. It was still snowing in some places, such as Boston, "but we are probably past the peak in terms of intensity at this point," Guyer said, adding that the bitter cold and snow-scattering winds showed no signs of letting up. Snowfall reports varied widely, with Washington receiving more than 2 inches, Baltimore some 3 to 6 inches, Philadelphia roughly 5 inches, Hartford 6 to 10 inches and Boston some 14 inches. "If it's going to be cold, it might as well snow," said Zander Fortier, a 29-year-old architect from Boston's Roslindale neighborhood, where the flakes fell steadily on Thursday. Residents grappled on Friday with road and school closures throughout the region. "Severe weather conditions" led officials to close New York City public schools on Friday morning. Schools were also closed in Hoboken and Jersey City, in New Jersey, and in Boston and Providence Massachusetts. The storm also posed the first major challenge to Bill de Blasio, the newly-elected Mayor of New York, which expected to see up to 8 inches of snow. More than 1,400 U.S. flights were canceled and more than 340 were delayed early on Friday, according to flightaware.com. New York's three major airports prepared hundreds of cots to accommodate stranded travelers and Logan International Airport said that up to a quarter of its scheduled flights had been canceled on Thursday. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on Thursday warned people to stay in their homes and Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick told non-essential state workers to head home on Thursday, as did his officials in neighboring Connecticut. "Tomorrow people should definitely consider staying in their homes if the storm continues as we expect," said New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. "This is nothing to be trifled with. We have learned too well over the past few years the power of Mother Nature. We have seen the damage that has been done." A city worker in Philadelphia was killed after a machine he was using was crushed by a mound of de-icing rock salt, NBC News reported. In Chicago, a man was in critical condition after being pulled out of an icy Lake Michigan by fire fighters. (Additional reporting by Victoria Cavaliere, Marina Lopes and Scott DiSavino in New York, Daniel Lovering in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Ian Simpson in Washington, and Lisa Garza in Dallas. Writing by Eric M. Johnson,; editing by Clive McKeef.) ==================== At least 1,600 flights put on hold as nor'easter storm prepares to dump snow across East Coast Published time: January 02, 2014 17:45 Get short URL Reuters / Brian Snyder Transport, USA, Weather With the new year still only hours old, the Northeastern United States is ringing it in with a major winter storm that’s threatening to upend travel plans and create dangerous driving conditions in numerous states. Snow has already begun falling in parts of New York and Massachusetts, canceling flights, closing down schools and making for slick, hazardous commutes. The nor’easter storm is expected to bring the region between six inches to well over a foot of snow, with the brunt of the accumulation occurring Thursday evening and into Friday morning. Branded “Winter Storm Hercules” by the Weather Channel, the powerful front has already pounded much of the Midwest, dropping up to a foot of snow in some areas and causing close to 200 car accidents in southeast Michigan alone. In Boston, the city is bracing for up to 14 inches of snow. Mayor Thomas Menino declared a snow emergency beginning at noon on Thursday, implemented a parking ban and announced that schools should not expect to reopen until Monday. Meanwhile, the National Weather Service has declared a blizzard warning for much of Long Island, New York, from 6 p.m. Thursday evening until Friday. The area is expecting between eight and 10 inches of snow, with powerful winds reaching 45 mph. Other locations, such as Philadelphia, New York City and parts of New Jersey, aren’t expected to bear as much of a burden, although they could still receive up to seven inches of snow — more than enough to put weekend plans at risk for the millions of residents up and down the East Coast. As with many storms, the people who should prepare for the worst are those traveling and commuting to work. Already, about 1,700 flights have been cancelled for Thursday, according to the airline tracking website FlightAware.com. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has also advised city goers to leave their cars at home in case highways shut down due to heavy traffic and poor conditions. "There will be travel problems," Hugh Johnson, a weather service meteorologist in Albany, New York, told the Associated Press. "It will be very cold." As if the snowfall wasn’t enough of a problem, temperatures are expected to drop to nearly zero degrees Fahrenheit in many areas, sparking fears of electrical outages. The snow is not likely to be heavy enough to down power lines, authorities say, but isolated outages could occur. Coastal towns in Massachusetts, meanwhile, are also bracing for the possibility of moderate flooding. With flood advisories in place for Cape Cod, North Shore and South Shore, the state’s emergency management department says it’s prepared to offer emergency shelter and other equipment if necessary.