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Thanksgiving storm hits east coast with snow, sleet and wind Thanksgiving storm brings snow, sleet and wind to most of the US
(about 5 hours later)
Schools and offices close and air travel hit by wintry mix as 9in of snow possible in Boston and New York expects 3in Slow-moving storm hit parts of the US Sunday and could bring 10in to 20in total by Tuesday morning from Pennsylvania to Maine
A wintry storm that made Thanksgiving travel miserable across much of the country gripped the eastern US with a messy mixture of rain, snow, sleet and wind, slowing the Monday morning commute, closing schools and offices and snarling air travel. A final hit from a seemingly endless winter storm that affected most of the US over the long Thanksgiving weekend was bearing down on the east on Monday, dumping heavy snow, shuttering schools and stymying travel.
Forecasters said the nor’easter could drop 10in to 20in of snow by Tuesday morning from Pennsylvania to Maine. Heavy snow was possible in the Appalachian Mountains down to Tennessee and North Carolina. The storm dropped one round of snow on parts of the region late on Sunday and could bring 10in to 20in total by Tuesday morning from Pennsylvania to Maine, forecasters said. Heavy snow was also expected in the Appalachian mountains down to Tennessee and North Carolina.
Schools closed preemptively as rain was expected to turn into snow in the first significant storm of the season, a nor’easter so named because the winds typically come from the north-east. “It’s moving very slowly, so the snow is just going to continue through the day,” National Weather Service (NWS) meteorologist Jennifer Vogt said.
New York governor Andrew Cuomo advised non-essential state employees to stay home on Monday and New Jersey governor Phil Murphy declared government offices for non-essential employees would close at noon. Since Sunday, the storm has already dropped 20in of snow in East Glenville, New York, 15 miles north-west of Albany, the highest snow total in the north-east so far.
More than 200 flights into or out of the US were canceled on Monday morning, with more than 450 delays. Airports in the New York and Boston areas accounted for many of them. The storm has pummelled the US for days, dumping heavy snow from California to the midwest and inundating other areas with rain.
Tractor-trailers were banned or lower speed limits put in place on stretches of interstate highways in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Governor Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency for seven counties in eastern New York and assigned 300 national guard members to assist with snow removal. State police had responded to more than 740 storm-related crashes.
Inland areas appeared to be in for the worst of it, with the forecast in Albany, New York, predicting 6-14in of snow. “We’re tough, we’ve seen it all, we can handle it all,” Cuomo said at a briefing before urging people to stay off the roads. He told non-essential state employees to stay home. But some workers had no choice but to trudge through knee-high snow and brush off their cars before heading out on the slushy roads.
Only 3in of snow was expected in New York City. Up to 9in, though, was possible in Boston by Tuesday night. As much as 5in was forecast for Philadelphia. Hundreds of schools were closed throughout the region, with more snow on the way.
The trouble began in the east on Sunday as the storm moved out of the midwest. State police had responded to more than 550 storm-related crashes across New York by 7pm. Icy roads caused crashes on Interstate 84 in Pennsylvania, and ice closed part of Interstate 81 near Binghamton, New York, for a time. “It’s going to be a long, difficult storm,” New Hampshire’s governor, Chris Sununu, said.
The same storm has pummelled the US for days as it moved cross country, dumping heavy snow from California to the midwest and inundating other areas with rain. In areas not already bludgeoned by the first wave, schools closed pre-emptively as rain was expected to turn into snow in the region’s first significant storm of the season, a nor’easter so named because the winds typically come from the north-east.
Duluth, Minnesota, is cleaning up more than 21in of snow. Major highways reopened in Wyoming and Colorado after blizzard conditions and drifting snow blocked them. At least four counties closed schools on Monday in West Virginia, where 2in to a foot of snow was forecast. Closer to the heavily populated, coastal Interstate 95 corridor, a wintry mix was more likely.
New Jersey’s governor, Phil Murphy, said at a news conference the worst was still ahead in the state. He closed state government for non-essential workers at noon.
Only 3in of snow was forecast for New York City, where schools were expected to remain open, and 5in for Philadelphia. Up to 9in, though, was possible in Boston by Tuesday night.
More than 450 flights into or out of the US were canceled, with more than 2,300 delays, according to the flight tracking site FlightAware. Airports in the New York and Boston areas accounted for many of them. There were 950 cancelations and 8,800 delays on Sunday.
The storm also caused major traffic disruptions. Tractor-trailers were banned or lower speed limits put in place on stretches of highway in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. New York also posted lower speed limits on some highways.
Many buses from New York City to Pennsylvania and upstate destinations such as Ithaca and Binghamton were canceled.
Dozens of school districts in upstate New York were closed Monday, along with several State University of New York campuses and other colleges. Many schools in southern Maine were also closed.
A commuter ferry on its way to Boston, where it was rainy and windy, hit a wave and listed heavily, sending some passengers to the floor. No injuries were reported.
The trouble began in the east on Sunday as the storm moved out of the midwest after days of pummelling parts of the US. Duluth, Minnesota, is still cleaning up more than 21in of snow that dropped over the weekend. Major highways reopened in Wyoming and Colorado after blizzard conditions and drifting snow blocked them.