More than 5,500 flights were cancelled in the US, according to the most recent information from data services firm FlightAware. The National Weather Service Winter Storm Warnings continue for most of southeast Pennsylvania and northern New Jersey, except on the coast.
South Jersey and DE are looking at totals in the 3-6 inch range as the coastal storm brings mostly rain to start the day. The East Coast will begin to see rain that will turn into snow by Wednesday morning. Heavy, wet snow and gusting winds could take down trees already weakened by last Friday’s storm and snap power lines, to the distress of customers who have gone days without power.
Winter storm watches stretch as far south as northern Maryland, northern DE and southern New Jersey, as far west as parts of the Mohawk Valley of NY and as far north as northern Maine. “Everyone should expect a long and challenging commute this evening”, Baker said. In New York City, the Emergency Management Department issued a hazardous travel advisory for Wednesday as well.
More than 20,000 PECO customers remained without power on Tuesday afternoon, the remnants of more than 600,000 outages from the Friday storm that generated wind gusts past 60 miles per hour. Philadelphia, New York and Boston could see fair amounts of snow, but areas inland could receive even more. Heavy snow is expected to start falling Wednesday – and could dump up to eight inches on New York City with areas outside the city getting up to a foot, though higher amounts are possible.
The North Dakota Highway Patrol says a 35-year-old Fargo man driving a pickup rear-ended a snowplow on an icy Interstate 29 in Grand Forks County on Tuesday morning. “We’re not trying to panic people”, said Walter Drag, a lead forecaster at the National Weather Service Office in Mount Holly, but “it’s going to be big”. Snowfall rates of 1-2 inches per hour are expected in eastern Pennsylvania and northern New Jersey during Wednesday, especially from 11 a.m.to 7 p.m.
But if the rain/snow line moves farther east, Boston’s snow accumulation would rise. While not all schools had yet announced their closures, Philadelphia said all public and Parochial schools would be closed due Wednesday to inclement weather, KYW-TV reported. “Current model consensus now supports up to a foot or so of total accumulation across the higher terrain of the Tug Hill and western Adirondack foothills between Wednesday afternoon and the end of the day Friday”, the weather service said.
“This shifts to (Southern New England) tonight, so don’t be surprised to hear thunder or see lightning!”, the Weather Service said. Ground temperatures in the winter are usually too cold for thundersnow to occur. Severe winter weather conditions will make travel very hazardous or impossible throughout northeast New Jersey, New York City, the lower Hudson Valley, southwestern CT, and beyond.
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