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| 'Life-threatening' winter storm expected to hit the east coast | 'Life-threatening' winter storm expected to hit the east coast |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| National weather experts are warning of a potentially “crippling winter storm” bearing down on the eastern US from Friday through Sunday that began forming quickly late Wednesday, with deadly results. | National weather experts are warning of a potentially “crippling winter storm” bearing down on the eastern US from Friday through Sunday that began forming quickly late Wednesday, with deadly results. |
| Washington DC is in the bull’s eye of the approaching tempest, but storm conditions ranging from hail and severe thunder to several feet of snow are forecast from Florida to New England. | |
| The capital is braced for white-out conditions with visibility close to zero, and is under a blizzard warning from 3pm on Friday through Sunday morning, with more than 30in of snow and wind gusts up to 50mph expected in places. If the predictions are accurate, snow totals could break a record set in 1922. | |
| Mayor Muriel Bowser on Thursday declared a state of emergency for Washington in the run-up to the storm, to go into effect from 9.30am Friday, and has been joined by the governors of Pennsylvania, Maryland, North Carolina and Virginia, with West Virginia announcing a state of preparedness. | Mayor Muriel Bowser on Thursday declared a state of emergency for Washington in the run-up to the storm, to go into effect from 9.30am Friday, and has been joined by the governors of Pennsylvania, Maryland, North Carolina and Virginia, with West Virginia announcing a state of preparedness. |
| Bowser was forced to offer a hurried apology for failing to prepare the district for a couple of inches of snow that fell there on Wednesday afternoon, immediately turning the evening commute into a gridlocked, slippery crawl on untreated roads for thousands – including the president’s motorcade, which was heading to the White House from Andrews air force base. | Bowser was forced to offer a hurried apology for failing to prepare the district for a couple of inches of snow that fell there on Wednesday afternoon, immediately turning the evening commute into a gridlocked, slippery crawl on untreated roads for thousands – including the president’s motorcade, which was heading to the White House from Andrews air force base. |
| By Thursday afternoon, one man had died in Maryland after being hit by a snow plow, one man was killed when his car slid off the road in snow in north-eastern Tennessee, and two women died in North Carolina in car accidents on icy roads. | By Thursday afternoon, one man had died in Maryland after being hit by a snow plow, one man was killed when his car slid off the road in snow in north-eastern Tennessee, and two women died in North Carolina in car accidents on icy roads. |
| The storm is prompting warnings beyond routine winter snowfall because of the prospect of sustained winds making lengthy blizzard conditions especially dangerous and because it is unusual for a storm to bring a foot of snow or more to such a large area, according to the National Weather Service. | The storm is prompting warnings beyond routine winter snowfall because of the prospect of sustained winds making lengthy blizzard conditions especially dangerous and because it is unusual for a storm to bring a foot of snow or more to such a large area, according to the National Weather Service. |
| Its meteorologists expect the snowstorm to affect up to 50 million people and its various effects to be felt across a third of the US. | Its meteorologists expect the snowstorm to affect up to 50 million people and its various effects to be felt across a third of the US. |
| “This will be a potentially paralyzing storm that is life-threatening,” National Weather Service director Louis Uccellini said in a press news conference on Thursday at the service’s forecasting center in Maryland. | “This will be a potentially paralyzing storm that is life-threatening,” National Weather Service director Louis Uccellini said in a press news conference on Thursday at the service’s forecasting center in Maryland. |
| He said that the main computer models projecting the path and severity of the storm were showing similar patterns, which was unusual and prompted him to urge civic leaders to take the forecast of perilous weather especially seriously. | He said that the main computer models projecting the path and severity of the storm were showing similar patterns, which was unusual and prompted him to urge civic leaders to take the forecast of perilous weather especially seriously. |
| Uccellini predicts coastal flooding in the mid-Atlantic states to result from a cycle of high tides swept higher by strong onshore winds as the nor’easter hits. | Uccellini predicts coastal flooding in the mid-Atlantic states to result from a cycle of high tides swept higher by strong onshore winds as the nor’easter hits. |
| Freezing rain, sleet and thunderstorms moving from Texas up to Oklahoma and across Louisiana, Mississippi and Arkansas will bring treacherous weather to the southeast into early Friday that will turn to snow as it moves north to the Carolinas and hits the freezing air surging down across the north-east from Canada. | Freezing rain, sleet and thunderstorms moving from Texas up to Oklahoma and across Louisiana, Mississippi and Arkansas will bring treacherous weather to the southeast into early Friday that will turn to snow as it moves north to the Carolinas and hits the freezing air surging down across the north-east from Canada. |
| Paul Kocin, also of the National Weather Service, has predicted the storm could bring one of the top 10 snow dumps on record. | Paul Kocin, also of the National Weather Service, has predicted the storm could bring one of the top 10 snow dumps on record. |
| “The mechanisms coming together for a major snowfall are textbook,” he said. | “The mechanisms coming together for a major snowfall are textbook,” he said. |
| Many store shelves, in the Washington area especially, had already cleared out of basic supplies such as milk, bread, toilet paper, batteries – and beer – by Thursday evening, and the utilitarian snow shovel was in short supply. | Many store shelves, in the Washington area especially, had already cleared out of basic supplies such as milk, bread, toilet paper, batteries – and beer – by Thursday evening, and the utilitarian snow shovel was in short supply. |
| Some airlines have begun cancelling flights for Friday and Saturday, warning of disruptions in a spread from Orlando to New York, while all major carriers have offered passengers the chance to rebook. | Some airlines have begun cancelling flights for Friday and Saturday, warning of disruptions in a spread from Orlando to New York, while all major carriers have offered passengers the chance to rebook. |
| By Friday morning, the majority of flights into and out of Philadelphia, Washington DC and Baltimore had already been canceled, with more than 4,800 flights for Friday and Saturday cancelled nationwide. Many train services out of DC have also been cancelled for Saturday. | By Friday morning, the majority of flights into and out of Philadelphia, Washington DC and Baltimore had already been canceled, with more than 4,800 flights for Friday and Saturday cancelled nationwide. Many train services out of DC have also been cancelled for Saturday. |
| Baltimore can expect to be blanketed shortly after Washington is hit on Friday afternoon, and as darkness falls the storm will reach Philadelphia and make its way northeast. | Baltimore can expect to be blanketed shortly after Washington is hit on Friday afternoon, and as darkness falls the storm will reach Philadelphia and make its way northeast. |
| The snow is expected to hit New York City on Saturday morning, but is only expected to bring eight to 12 inches of snow as the system starts to weaken. By the time it reaches Boston, which was hit with record late-winter snows last year, the snow will likely bring no more than a dusting. | The snow is expected to hit New York City on Saturday morning, but is only expected to bring eight to 12 inches of snow as the system starts to weaken. By the time it reaches Boston, which was hit with record late-winter snows last year, the snow will likely bring no more than a dusting. |
| New York City mayor Bill de Blasio warned on Thursday morning that New Yorkers should plan a weekend at home in order to avoid accidents and make way for the hundreds of snow-clearing vehicles he plans to unleash across the five boroughs from Friday, spreading more than a third of a million tons of rock salt. | New York City mayor Bill de Blasio warned on Thursday morning that New Yorkers should plan a weekend at home in order to avoid accidents and make way for the hundreds of snow-clearing vehicles he plans to unleash across the five boroughs from Friday, spreading more than a third of a million tons of rock salt. |
| “Anyone who has the illusion you’re going to be taking big trips over the weekend, get that out of your mind,” De Blasio said at a Thursday news conference. | |
| Unlike the so-called “snowmaggedon” mighty north-east blizzard of 2010, this winter’s first major storm in the region has yet to garner any decent nicknames. | |
| The Weather Channel dubbed the event Winter Storm Jonas, though the National Weather Service does not recognize the practise of naming winter storms. By Thursday evening jokes on social media were still thin on the ground, although Nick Jonas, of the former pop band the Jonas Brothers, did tweet, limply: “So, winter storm Jonas is coming. This is awkward.” | |
| One fan used Twitter to super-impose repeat images of the star over a weather map of the eastern states about to get walloped by the storm. | |
| The forecast of strong winds forced the free winter weekend sports event known as Winter Jam, planned with artificially-made snow, to be cancelled in New York’s Central Park. | The forecast of strong winds forced the free winter weekend sports event known as Winter Jam, planned with artificially-made snow, to be cancelled in New York’s Central Park. |
| An organized public snowball fight at Dupont Circle in Washington is expected to go ahead on Sunday rather than the original Saturday, but that was still subject to popular voting via social media on Thursday evening. | An organized public snowball fight at Dupont Circle in Washington is expected to go ahead on Sunday rather than the original Saturday, but that was still subject to popular voting via social media on Thursday evening. |
| Dubbed Snow Wars, the costume theme for the event is, predictably, Star Wars, with stormtroopers expected by the dozen, in perfect camouflage for the expected conditions. | Dubbed Snow Wars, the costume theme for the event is, predictably, Star Wars, with stormtroopers expected by the dozen, in perfect camouflage for the expected conditions. |