Winter storm whipping states with snow, thunderstorms
NEW YORK » A dangerous winter storm brought significant snowfall, strong thunderstorms and blustery winds to the northeastern U.S. on a holiday Monday.
A foot or more of snow fell in parts of Pennsylvania, New York state and Ohio on Sunday night through Monday morning, and tens of thousands of customers in the region were without power.
Forecasters in Buffalo, N.Y., said the snow was falling fast, dumping almost 17 inches by 10 a.m. The city advised people not to travel if they didn’t need to on the Martin Luther King Jr. Day, while some surrounding towns instituted a travel ban.
“WOW! (Latest) snow measurement at 1 AM was 4.6 inches in the last hour at the Buffalo Airport!” the
National Weather Service in Buffalo tweeted overnight. “And tack on another 4 inches in the last hour ending at 2 AM! Total so far since late Sun evening — 10.2 inches.”
The weather service said 17 inches or more of snow were reported in Ashtabula County in northeast Ohio.
“We’ve had a very strong area of low pressure that’s kind of moved up the coast, with pretty heavy snowfall accumulations from Tennessee, North Carolina all the way into the northeast,” said meteorologist Marc Chenard at the weather service’s headquarters in College Park, Md.
New York City got less than an inch of snow, which was washed away by rain overnight. The weather service said spotty showers and snow showers might continue through Monday night.
Forecasters said wind
gusts in New York City could top out around 45 mph, and around 60 mph on Long Island.
Sleet and rain were the main threats for much of
Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island. Periods of snowfall transitioned to rain overnight. NWS meteorologists in Boston said wind gusts could reach 70
mph.
The howling winds spread a fire that destroyed a motel and two other structures in coastal Salisbury, Mass., early Monday.
The storm forced the closure of many COVID-19 vaccination and testing sites in the northeast Monday.
The massive winter system brought similar conditions Sunday to the Southeast, where thousands were still without power Monday.
Multiple states reported inches of snow, and two people died Sunday in North Carolina when their car drove off the road. The roof of a dormitory partially collapsed in the state at Brevard College, with officials saying it broke under the weight of snow. There were no injuries.
Severe thunderstorms in Florida spun up a tornado with 118 mph winds, destroying 30 mobile homes and causing major damage to 51 more. Three minor injuries were reported.
Wet roads in the South were expected to refreeze Monday, causing icy conditions for motorists.