National Post (National Edition)
IMPACT OF THE ‘WEATHER BOMB’
The powerful winter storm that crashed into the East Coast this week, dropping snow across the U.S. and Atlantic Canada has left behind frigid temperatures. Here is how it has impacted people in the various locations.
POWER OUTAGES, STORM SURGES
Tens of thousands of people in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and P.E.I. woke up in the dark Friday due to power outages linked to winds that gusted up to 170 kilometres an hour at their highest in Grand Etang, N.S., as part of a system being dubbed a “weather bomb” on social media sites. By 11 a.m. Friday, Nova Scotia Power was reporting 2,000 outages affecting almost 83,000 customers, while NB Power was dealing with 140 outages that affected 16,000 customers. Both utilities had dispatched large crews throughout the area to continue the restoration effort as winds gusted to 80 km/h. Some roadways were washed out and others littered with debris due to storm surges and heavy rains, according to Dominic Fewer of Nova Scotia’s Emergency Management Office. In New Brunswick, crews began clearing away mounds of snow that began piling up when the slow-moving, low-pressure system moved into the area Thursday afternoon. The highest snowfall was recorded at Pokemouche, which got a staggering 58 centimetres, while Big River nearby got 50 centimetres of snow. Fredericton reported 25 centimetres of snow early Friday.
U.S. AIR, RAIL TRAVEL REDUCED AND SCHOOLS, BUSINESSES CLOSE
Forecasters predict strong winds and record-breaking cold air will sweep the region, from the mid-Atlantic to New England, and hang around through the weekend. The arctic blast could make temperatures feel as low as -26 C to -31 C from Philadelphia to Boston. The wind chill could make it feel like minus 37 degrees in the Berkshire Hills of western Massachusetts, the National Weather Service said. The storm began days ago in the Gulf of Mexico and first struck the Florida Panhandle. By Thursday, it was wreaking havoc as blizzard warnings and states of emergency went into effect along the Eastern Seaboard. Wind gusts hit more than 113 km/h in places and some areas saw as much as 46 centimetres of snow. The storm caused school and business closings, airline and rail service cancellations or reductions and thousands of utilities outages, many of them restored quickly. Flights resumed at many airports Friday, and business was expected to pick up as the day progressed.
SEVERAL DEATHS BLAMED ON WEATHER
Cold weather and blizzard conditions have been blamed in the deaths of a number of people over the past two weeks. An elderly woman who went to check on her husband on their southwestern Ontario property died outdoors from extreme cold earlier this week, while her spouse was found dead after a medical episode. A Winnipeg woman who walked away from a hospital and was later found dead outdoors in frigid temperatures was two months pregnant, her mother says. The 29-year-old mother of four was found Dec. 28, far from the hospital. Temperatures were well below -20 C. Authorities say a 64-year-old Ohio man whose body was found on the front porch of his home by a meal delivery driver froze to death. In North Carolina, authorities have confirmed a fourth death because of this week’s winter storm. Surf City Police Chief Ron Shanahan released a statement saying officers found a vehicle submerged in a canal during the storm early Thursday. A State Emergency Management spokesman says investigators have determined the winter storm caused the driver to slide off the road and into the canal. Maine authorities are searching for a clammer who disappeared during the blizzard.