A plane rolled off a runway in Syracuse and a ground stop halted traffic at New York’s LaGuardia Airport early Tuesday as a winter storm ravaged travel and threatened to dump more than a foot of snow in the East.
To the west, soaked California faced more flooding from the latest deluge and San Francisco International Airport experienced delays averaging 1 hour and 20 minutes citing “weather/wind”.
“Double Whammy! Storm-weary Californians face another strong Atmospheric River event and the Northeast braces for a powerful Nor’easter,” the National Weather Service tweeted.
Some areas of Connecticut and Massachusetts already had nearly a foot of snow early Tuesday. A recurring theme in Weather Service storm warnings for much of New York and New England: “Heavy snowfall and periods of heavy snowfall rates
are combined to create poor visibility and very dangerous driving conditions.”
The storm targeted parts of New England, New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and hundreds of school districts were shut down for the day.
Strong winds and the weight of snow on tree branches could tear down power lines and cause blackouts, weather forecasters said. More than 250,000 homes and businesses in New York and New England were left in the dark on Tuesday.
Storm Developments:
►More than 26 million Americans were under winter storm warnings, alerts or notices. More than 40 million face strong wind warnings or vigils.
►When LaGuardia’s ground stop was aborted, the average delay was more than 2 hours. Bradley International Airport in Connecticut was also briefly closed due to storm conditions.
►Snow fell at speeds of up to 3 inches per hour in some areas. “We are advising those living in these areas not to travel at this time,” the New York State Police tweeted.
►The Southeast will also experience some winter weather conditions: Freeze warnings have been issued to tens of millions across the region.
Plane “departed” the runway in Syracuse
A Delta Airbus A220-100 with 61 passengers on board “departed” a runway at Syracuse Hancock International Airport around 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, airport officials said in a statement. The weather service reported light snowfall, fog and haze in the area at this time. About 45 minutes later, a “coordinated response” began to return the passengers and their luggage to the terminal, the statement said.
The incident did not affect operations and the airport remained open, the statement said, although several flights were delayed or canceled due to bad weather. Delta issued a statement that no injuries were reported.
“During a departure this morning, the nose gear of a Delta aircraft left the paved surface of a runway,” Delta said in a statement. “It wasn’t a plane skidding off a runway.”
Hundreds of flights have been delayed or canceled at LaGuardia, Boston Logan and Newark airports in New Jersey.
Northeast brings heavy snow; New York declares a state of emergency
A winter storm warning remains in effect across much of the Northeast of a Northeast through Wednesday. Heavy, wet snow is expected in most regions, with residents seeing up to 2 feet of snow. AccuWeather said the heaviest snowfall is likely to fall from New York to Maine.
Areas in the storm’s path could experience wind gusts of up to 50 miles per hour. Coastal cities in the Northeast, from New Jersey to Maine, will monitor potential flooding as the tide rises. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul declared the state of emergency, which went into effect Monday night, advising people to stay home and avoid unnecessary travel because of dangerous road conditions.
“It could be deadly,” Hochul warned at a storm briefing in Albany. “Let me repeat: this is going to be a dangerous storm. Please stay off the roads for your own safety.”
What is a Nor’easter?
Northeast are large, intense lows that typically develop off the east coast in late fall, winter, and early spring.
The storms are called “NE winds” because they typically bring strong NE winds across the east as they move north along the Atlantic coast.
A NOR’EASTER EXPLAINED: Storms can bring snow to the east coast, affecting millions of people
Power failure risks in the Northeast
Hochul said the storm will “probably” cause power outages in New York and the National Guard has been activated in the state to assist responders.
AccuWeather said much of the Northeast is at risk of power outages.
“Life-threatening floods” likely in California
Heavy rain began falling again in California on Monday evening and is expected to continue through Tuesday evening. Northern California will see moderate to heavy rain; the Sierra and foothills could reach 3 to 7 inches, the National Weather Service said. The area may have flooded roads and had an increased risk of mudslides. Flood warnings have been issued for local rivers.
“As the #AtmosphericRiver continues to arrive, precipitation rates and winds for the Bay Area and Central Coast of California will continue to increase into the morning,” the San Francisco Weather Service Office warned in a tweet.
In Southern California, heavy rain lasting through Tuesday night is likely to be worse than the atmospheric river storm that hit last week. The effects could be devastating; Los Angeles and coastal cities have 2-4 inches of rain.
“With the ground already saturated from the previous storm and river levels well above average, another round of major and life-threatening flooding is likely along much of California’s coast, Central Valley and Sierra foothills,” the weather service said.
“RIVERS IN HEAVEN”:What exactly is an atmospheric flux?
A rainy season in California that hasn’t happened in years
The National Weather Service said the upcoming rain will add to an already wet start to the year for California. Some parts of the state have had their wettest water year since at least 2016-17, but “more likely” 2004-05 or 2010-11.
Freeze warnings in the south
Freeze warnings are in place in the south and south-east through Tuesday morning, which could be back in effect Wednesday morning. Freezing conditions kill plants and other outdoor plants and can damage outdoor plumbing.
“Those in locations where freezing temperatures are forecast will want to bring pets indoors, as well as any sensitive outdoor plants, to avoid the cold air,” AccuWeather said.
The frost warning applies to parts of:
- Arkansas
- Tennessee
- Mississippi
- Alabama
- Georgia
- North Carolina
- South Carolina
- Virginia
Winter Storm Tracker
National Weather Radar
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