MAJOR WINTER STORMS BRING COLD, SNOWY WEATHER TO BOTH COASTS
major winter storm bringing heavy snow and freezing rain to some communities spread across New England on Sunday, sending residents scurrying for their shovels and snowblowers to clear sidewalks and driveways.
Winter storm warnings and watches were in effect throughout the Northeast, and icy roads made for hazardous travel as far south as North Carolina.
The Northeast snow came as a Sierra Nevada storm packing heavy snow shut down a stretch of interstate Saturday and briefly knocked out power to tens of thousands in Reno, Nev.
More than 17 million people from the northeastern United States to northern Arizona were under winter storm warnings Sunday.
More than 11,000 electric customers in California were without power Sunday afternoon.
Some communities in Massachusetts had recorded more than a foot of snow by Sunday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service. Nearly 13,000 electric customers in the state were without power Sunday afteroon.
More than 780 flights were canceled in the United States as of Sunday afternoon, according to FlightAware, a flight tracking service. As of 3 p.m., more than 160 flights to and from Boston Logan International Airport had been canceled.
Amtrak service was modified on the Northeast Regional and Acela routes.
As of Sunday morning, the weather service office in New York reported twotenths of an inch of snow had fallen in Central Park, though some outlying suburbs got 4 or more inches. It has been almost 700 days since Central Park last received 1 inch of snow on a single day.
Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York said at a news conference Sunday that there was a threat of coastal flooding in the New York City area, especially on Long Island and in southern Westchester County, the Bronx and Northern Queens.
The governor said that the most snowfall in the state so far was recorded in Ulster County, with 14 inches.
The storm reached into Maine with snow totals of up to 12 inches in some places — with locally higher amounts over southern New Hampshire and southwestern Maine. Wind gusts up 35 mph could add to blowing and drifting snow. Moderate to heavy snow was expected to continue in Vermont, with total snow accumulations of 6 to 12 inches.
Major winter storm conA ditions were expected through Sunday night, including snow in parts of New England and rain and freezing rain around the central Appalachian mountains.
In the West, cold air brought snowfall, icy conditions and fog along Interstate 5 near the Grapevine, which made for hazardous driving conditions. In the mountains around Lake Tahoe, the weather service said as much as 20 inches of snow could fall, with winds gusting up to 100 mph.
The California Highway Patrol said numerous spinouts and collisions forced an hourslong closure of Interstate 80 from west of Truckee to the state line west of Reno.
In Arizona, transportation officials said several highways in the state’s northern reaches — including Interstate 40 near Williams and state Route 64 near Grand Canyon National Park — were closed Sunday due to weather-related crashes and slide-offs from snowfall.
Forecasters also warned of another Northeast storm Tuesday into Wednesday that is expected to drop heavy rain on already saturated ground. They warned of possible flooding and coastal flooding and a threat of damaging winds that could topple trees and power lines.