Epic snowstorm barrels toward Eastern U.S.
Schools closed, flights canceled ahead of blizzard
The forecast for a historic blizzard has been there for days, looming over the nation’s capital. Residents throughout the Eastern United States are heeding the warning.
WASHINGTON — The forecast for a historic blizzard has been there for days, looming over the nation’s capital like the UFO from “Independence Day.”
Projected snowfall totals have ticked steadily upward, to the point where the National Weather Service says more than 2 feet of snow could land.
Residents and elected officials throughout the Eastern United States are heeding the warning.
States of emergency have been declared in five states and the District of Columbia. Schools and government offices are being closed pre-emptively. Flights have been canceled. Food and supplies are disappearing from grocery and hardware stores. College basketball games and concerts will have to wait.
“It’s going to be dangerous out there,” said Tonya Woods, 42, a Washington Metro station manager who lives in suburban Clinton, Md. “I say they should shut things down.”
On Thursday afternoon, the capital’s subway system announced a complete shutdown from late Friday night through Sunday for the sake of employee and rider safety.
Underground stations usually stay open during major snowstorms.
Louis Uccellini, the director of the National Weather Service, said all the ingredients have come together to create blizzards with brutally high winds, dangerous inland flooding, white-out conditions and even the possibility of thunder snow, when lightning strikes through a snowstorm.
The snowfall, expected to continue from late Friday into Sunday, could cause more than $1 billion in damage and paralyze the Eastern third of the nation, Uccellini said.
Washington looks like the bull’s-eye of the blizzard, and New York City is just inside the slow-moving storm’s sharp northern edge, which means it is likely to see heavy accumulations, Uccellini said.
Boston will probably get off easy this time, according to forecasters.
Weather Prediction Center meteorologist Paul Kocin estimated more than 2 feet for Washington, a foot to 18 inches for Philadelphia and 8 inches to a foot in New York.
The snowfall could be as heavy as 1 to 3 inches per hour, and continue for 24 hours or more, Kocin said.
Unfortunately, more than just snow is coming. Ucellini said people should expect strong winds, a storm surge and inland flooding from Delaware to New York.
Other severe but non-snowy weather is likely from Texas to Florida as the storm system chugs across the Gulf Coast and gains moisture.