Blizzard 2015: New England buried in snow as coastal towns fear flooding – as it happened
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Version 0 of 1. 6.11pm ET23:11 We’re going to wrap up our live blog coverage for the day. Here’s a summary of where things stand: Updated at 6.24pm ET 5.46pm ET22:46 A journalist asked the governor Charlie Baker, “Is it possible we’re going after the wrong Olympics?” Boston is pursuing the 2024 summer Olympics. This is the governor’s first brush with mother nature since being sworn in earlier this month. One journalist asked how he feels about mother nature: “She’s a big powerful lady ... I’ve been incredibly impressed with the collaboration, coordination and professionalism with everyone involved.” 5.34pm ET22:34 Overall, the governor appeared happy with the states’ response, though he said there still work to be done with respect to clearing the roads and restoring power to residents in Nantucket. “Things worked as we hoped and anticipated they would ...we’re in pretty decent shape to begin to start to turn the corner tomorrow. But I’d certainly encourage everyone to use best judgement here.” Earlier in the day, Baker and Pollack drove around the state to asses the storm impact and clean up response. The governor said: “The main streets were ploughed, mostly not down to the asphalt, but passable. The sidewalks almost everywhere need a tremendous amount of work ... There’s a ton of work that would need to happen between then and tomorrow for people to really feel comfortable [being on the roads].” Updated at 5.46pm ET 5.12pm ET22:12 Governor signs executive order to lift Massachusetts travel ban Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker is speaking now. Watch live here. The governor announced that he is lifting the travel ban in the state of Massachusetts at midnight. “This is a very significant storm and in many parts of Massachusetts I think you could call it historic...It’s clear we have a pretty good handle on what’s going on out there.” Taking to the podium, the incoming secretary of transportation, Stephanie Pollack, said Logan International Airport will also re-open tomorrow at 6am,and the state’s public transit services will also resume service, with full service expected by Thursday. Bus service will depend on the roads. The governor said between 2in and 6in of snow are still expected to fall in parts of the state throughout the night. Updated at 5.52pm ET 4.47pm ET21:47 Here are some of the latest snow totals from the National Weather Service: Updated at 4.49pm ET 4.29pm ET21:29 Residents of Plum Island, off the northeast coast of Massachusetts, are bracing for powerful waves, and possible costal flooding during the next high tide, scheduled for 5.05pm, the Boston Globe is reporting. The Island received about 17in of snow. Blizzard warnings are still in effect for Rhode Island and eastern Massachusetts until 8 pm tonight and eastern Maine until 4 am tomorrow. Updated at 4.37pm ET 4.04pm ET21:04 Updated at 4.11pm ET 3.57pm ET20:57 Boston mayor Marty Walsh said there has already been more than 2 feet of snow so far in Boston with more snow on way. He also said the emergency declaration will not be lifted until sometime tomorrow, and said there is a possibility schools may close for a third day, on Thursday, depending on how the storm progresses through the night. The mayor said it’s a decision he’ll make tomorrow. He also put a definitive end to this simmering debate. ' @marty_walsh "if you spent 10 hours shoveling out your spot - it's your spot" #blizzardof2015 #fox25 Updated at 4.18pm ET 3.48pm ET20:48 Updated at 4.12pm ET 3.36pm ET20:36 Uccellini said eastern Massachusetts could still see “historic” snow levels. The phrase was first used in a header of a report, he said, and was recycled in just about every newspaper headline that followed. Defending the use of the term “historic” he said that while it certainly won’t be true from NYC, it could still be true for some cities in parts of New England. “That phrase could still verify, so let’s not be premature here.” “Everybody’s focused on where it didn’t snow, but let’s bring your attention to where it actually did snow - Long Island, southern New England, and eastern Massachusetts, where the same header was used - the amounts there could actually be historic in nature, in the top five snowfalls in those areas.” “We all know in this business you’re only as good as your last forecast ... there are going to be errors in a forecast. There were aspect of this forecast that were very good. There were aspects of this forecast that were not good. The point is that’s true with any system.” In that regard there’s nothing new here with respect to this particular storm, Having stated that, given the sensitivity of exactly where the forecast uncertainties were, and choices made that affected, I’d say, on the order of 10-15 million people, this one had more consequences.” Updated at 3.50pm ET 3.23pm ET20:23 Dr Louis Uccellini, National Weather Service director, said the best possible science was used to predict the storm’s impact. “We need to make these uncertainties clearer so decision makers can asses the risk, take action or do nothing knowing the level of uncertainty for each forecast. During national interviews I gave yesterday I attempted to convey this uncertainty for the western boundaries of the area. That it would be a pivotal factor for the amount of snowfalls in those areas. But, clearly this is not enough and we have many challenges facing us in ensuring that the uncertainty is included in all of our forecast parameters ... “What we’ve learned from this storm is that we all need to improve how we communicate forecast uncertainty. And the National Weather Service moving forward will certainly be more aggressive in addressing this particular component of the forecast.” Updated at 6.04pm ET 3.04pm ET20:04 If you have cabin fever from being inside all day, WNYC put together this handy map of the best places to sled in NYC. All we ask is that you share yours pictures of sledders zipping through Central Park with the Guardian Witness. ... And if you’re happy - or stuck - inside, we’ve complied a definitive guide of what to watch, read and listen to here. Updated at 3.05pm ET 2.53pm ET19:53 The Guardian caught up with Mark Roderick, who is studying atmospheric science at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell, just as he finished digging his car out from under the snow. My day started at about 7.30am, I woke up, checked the radar, satellite images, [National Weather Service] discussions and my fav professional meteorologist’s [social media] accounts. I then put on my snowboard gear and started digging out. Roderick said he heeded forecasters’ warnings and stocked up before the storm hit so he could relax and enjoy the snow day(s). I did prepare by topping off my gas tank, and buying water, deli meat, milk, crackers, hummus, and spaghetti and beer :) All stuff I needed anyway. I will probably spend the next couple days helping friends, doing some homework and relaxing. Still snowing-n-blowing #brighton #BOSnow #mawx #blizzardof2015 pic.twitter.com/khfnCIcHYi Roderick said the storm was bad, but he’s experienced worse. I went to high school in Watertown, New York and dealt with lake-effect snow, so this storm isn’t bad to me but it is significant for some ... We typically experience a big storm every few years and a few “smaller” storms each winter. Before this storm, we had only received around 10 inches, our seasonal average is around 41 inches. So was it over-hyped? With social media, I can see how this storm was overhyped, especially for Philly and NYC not getting the amounts some had forecast. To that I would say, our atmosphere is very complex and predicting the weather is still incredibly difficult. If you look at totals in NYC, east to Montauk, you will see a steep gradient over a short distance. All forecasts have a margin of error. Here in Massachusetts, we have areas who have already received 30in, as well as folks on the coast getting heavy snow, high winds, flooding from storm waves, and currently without power, to them the storm wasn’t under-hyped. Updated at 2.57pm ET 2.31pm ET19:31 1.59pm ET18:59 Summary Updated at 2.00pm ET 1.47pm ET18:47 New York’s leaders have come under fire for their decisions before and during the snowstorm that hammered into New England but left Manhattan and the boros with a mild frosting, my colleague Nicky Woolf (@nickywoolf) reports. On Tuesday, with the benefit of hindsight, many New Yorkers criticised state and city government for its reaction to the storm, which included shutting down the subway – for the first time in response to snow – and imposing a travel ban after 11pm. Other than bridges, there was no travel ban when the city was hit by Hurricane Sandy in 2012. José Holguín-Veras, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, said the response had been “on the cautious side”, but said that while putting the city effectively under house arrest might sound extreme, it was part of a calculation of risk. “Of course, it’s hard to explain to the public why they have to go through all these inconveniences,” Holguín-Veras added. “But … the general public have to understand that in cases like this, randomness plays a role. It’s better to be safe than sorry.” Nicky’s full story, which you can read here, did not cover a few more creative complaints from a city that has won 29 World Series and five Super Bowls between its baseball and football teams. This storm was historic... for Boston. They win world series, super bowls, and snow championships. 1.37pm ET18:37 Massachusetts is bracing for high tide later this afternoon, when storm surges could cause more flooding on the coast. Boston’s station of the National Weather Service warns of “renewed coastal flooding of shores; severe beach erosion; comparable impacts to [this morning’s] high tide”. The Weather Channel’s Michael Lowry has tweeted a chart that estimates how much water could pour into vulnerable cities due to the snowstorm. How high did the water get overnight? Doesn't take much to cause major problems. #Juno pic.twitter.com/wNjfXoQL1Q And for a more illustrative take on how bad it can get, here’s a photo from this morning in Marshfield from NBC’s Alexander Smith. A resident of #Marshfield #Massachusetts, just sent me these photos of flooding outside his house. Big storm surge. pic.twitter.com/uXzIPu7ftM 1.25pm ET18:25 There are now 28in of snow in Lowell, Massachusetts, just north of Boston, and 20.8in at Logan International Airport in Boston. @NWSBoston 28 inches #BLIZZARDof2015 in Lowell, MA pic.twitter.com/zgA8kAnuME Floods have overwhelmed much of the Cape and the towns lining the bay. Pictures from the Town Cove in Orleans, MA #blizzardof2015 (photos courtesy of Katherine Davis) pic.twitter.com/2sO48cEZED 1.10pm ET18:10 The details of governor Charlie Baker’s changes to the travel ban in Massachusetts: Governor Charlie Baker has announced that the statewide travel ban has been lifted for Berkshire, Franklin, Hampshire, and Hampden Counties for local and I-91 traffic only, effective immediately. The travel ban remains in effect for the entire length of the Massachusetts Turnpike, Interstate 90, and for Barnstable, Bristol, Dukes, Essex, Middlesex, Nantucket, Norfolk, Plymouth, Suffolk, and Worcester Counties with only essential workers, healthcare and human service professionals and others specifically exempted, permitted to travel. The travel ban will be lifted based on road conditions and the advice of emergency response officials. Baker has exempted the following people from the ban. Other exemptions, depending on the circumstances, can include public safety and works vehicles, news media, healthcare personnel, and private companies helping to clear the snow and ice. 1.01pm ET18:01 Noaa with a satellite shot of the blizzard near its peak last night: Suomi NPP captures blizzard near peak intensity as it moves over New York and Boston regions at 1:45 am EST, Jan. 27. pic.twitter.com/LljU04mFuY 12.49pm ET17:49 Then incoming secretary of transportation, Stephanie Pollack, takes the podium, saying that the Massachusetts Transportation Department spent “nearly $20m on the big storm in 2013”, a figure that does not include what local governments budget for winter weather. A police colonel then says that “compliance with the travel ban has been quite high,” although “we have had several instances of citations or summonses.” “People have been handling this very very well, and I think we’ve gotten exceptional compliance.” Finally, a fire marshall asks that people keep vents clear of snow to prevent any dangers of carbon monoxide, and also to clear fire hydrants for firefighters to reach if nessary. Pollack sums up the message from the officials: “if you’re home stay home, there’s really nothing to get out to.” 12.46pm ET17:46 Governor Baker retakes the podium and says there have been “widespread examples of moderate coastal flooding” and that the state is preparing for another high tide due at 4pm ET. “There was a sea wall that breached in Marshfield that took out a house that nobody was in,” Baker says, and when asked to assess the damage in general, he says, “I don’t think anyone think’s its much beyond what would be reasonable for this type of event.” 12.43pm ET17:43 Some power restored to Nantucket “The news on Nantucket is good in just the last little while,” a Massachusetts emergency management official says, after the governor calls him over to the podium. But floods and power on the island town remain “an issue” the state is trying to resolve, especially with another high tide due at 4pm. “A good part of Nantucket is now with power,” the official says, “but it’s being driven by generators on Nantucket.” For emergency services, he says, there’s a shelter on Nantucket that has capacity “if people need to get out of their cold homes,” and the Nantucket hospital is operating. “Things look promising over the next 24 hours that we’ll get power back to the island.” Updated at 12.46pm ET 12.37pm ET17:37 Travel ban lifted in western Massachusetts Massachusetts governor Charlie Baker is giving an update press conference on his state, saying “for now the eastern Mass ban needs to remain in place”. The storm is “putting down as much snow as it has at any point since it started at midnight last night,” Baker says, and people in eastern and central Massachusetts “can fully expect to get an extra 5-10in of snow.” “There’re areas of Massachusetts you’d probably describe as being in a whiteout situation,” he says, and “drifting continues to be an issue. There’re drifts as high as four, five, six feet.” Baker lifts the travel ban on western Massachusetts, but that “we’d ask people to continue to cooperate with respect to the travel ban and let our emergency personnel do the work that they’re doing.” Update: Travel ban has been lifted for Berkshire, Franklin, Hampshire, & Hampden Counties. Pike access still entirely restricted. “We’ve also been in touch with many of the hospitals … and their workers have been able to get in and out of their institutions.” He also asks that people “who can and have the opportunity to look in on their neighbors, to do so, especially if they live alone.” Updated at 1.01pm ET 12.15pm ET17:15 Connecticut travel ban to lift at 2pm Connecticut governor Dan Malloy just gave an update on conditions in his state simultaneous to de Blasio’s press conference. Malloy said the statewide travel ban will be lifted at 2pm, although “we still encourage residents to limit travel and use common sense.” He said that thanks to the cooperation of citizens who kept off the road, there have only been 15 accidents in the past 24 hours caused by the storm. He also reminds people that Massachusetts and Rhode Island still have statewide travel bans. Finally, Malloy says that although “nonessential state employees” don’t have to report to duty tonight, Connecticut plans to have its state government and transit systems all back in order on Wednesday morning. 12.03pm ET17:03 Officials are now coming out – sanitation, parks, etc – and asking that people be cautious on streets and in the parks, and to help cleanup workers do their job by getting out of the way when possible. The parks official says that if children want to know the best spots for sledding in New York, they can check out the parks website “so they can enjoy themselves in the snow”. 11.58am ET16:58 De Blasio: 'This storm was real' New York’s mayor is delivering a statement that begins by saying it’s “a blessing” that the city “missed the worst of the storm”. “We got a much better result than the original projections portrayed. Just 20-30 miles east of the city border in Long Island they got exactly what was originally projected for here. Obviously our friends in Boston got what was projected for here.” “This storm was real, and it was big as it was projected to be,” de Blasio continues, “but it moved eastward, and thank God for that. But a lot of other people in the metropolitan area are going through a tough time, and in the north-east are going through a tough time.” He tries to frame the storm as a bullet the city just narrowly missed, illustrating that point with the short distance between Queen, which had 10in of snowfall, and Long Island, which had more than 20in: “so just literally 18 miles they got twice as much snow.” “So there’s no question of how this serious this is, how serious it was projected to be and the kind of precautions we had to take.” He goes on to praise the sanitation department for their work clearing the city, saying that they were so “extraordinarily effective” because people got out of the way. “It’s still very cold out there, it’s still very slippery,” he warns: “people need to be careful, and the farther east in the city the more careful you need to be.” He says schools will re-open as usual tomorrow, and MTA service will be back in weekday workday order tomorrow. Updated at 12.00pm ET 11.47am ET16:47 Summary Updated at 12.55pm ET 11.28am ET16:28 Thirty inches of snow in Massachusetts The latest updates from the National Weather Service: This will almost certainly be one of the top 10 biggest snowstorms in Boston’s history, and has a chance of breaking the city’s snowfall record of 27.5in. Not far away in Nantucket, the Weather Channel’s Dave Malkoff relays an alarming shot of the floods and where there are still sustained winds of more than 50mph – that’s the force of a tropical storm. Streets of Scituate MA are underwater mixed with debris & chunks of slushy icebergs. #blizardof2015 #WinterStormJuno pic.twitter.com/z9RtQ6Dy67 Cape Cod has also been hit hard. Deck collapse at Town Neck Beach Sandwich @capecodtimes #capestorm pic.twitter.com/1GyzPTNVfz Updated at 11.36am ET 11.08am ET16:08 “I’m ready for another round,” says a New Yorker of the storm, “and as soon as this is over, don’t talk to me.” Laurence Mathieu-Leger hit the streets for the Guardian to see how underwhelmed people are about the storm that did hit New York. 10.54am ET15:54 Philadelphia’s mayor Michael Nutter says it would have been “’completely unfair’ and nearly impossible” to reverse the shutdown last night after it became clear that the blizzard had skipped the city, the Inquirer’s Julia Terruso reports. Terruso points out that by 7am – just an hour after the state of emergency was declared over – only an inch of snow had fallen at the Philadelphia International Airport. The city salted 1,000 miles of roads, but Nutter doesn’t know what cost all that salt and Philadelphia’s preparations will have, Terruso says. There’s also bad news for Philly’s public school students, delivered by Inquirer reporter Kirsten Graham. No snow days built into Philly district calendar, so today must be made up at some point. #PHLed #snownewsPHL 10.43am ET15:43 New York has now lifted its travel ban throughout the state, including Suffolk County, governor Cuomo announced. A rare sight earlier today: The George Washington Bridge (@PANYNJ_GWB) sans vehicles. http://t.co/CLFzig0kI3 pic.twitter.com/IN47Tq1BWV Updated at 10.51am ET 10.27am ET15:27 All Boston transit suspended Governor Charlie Baker has announced that no flights will depart or arrive at Logan International Airport today, which has already received more than 11in of snow, and the Boston’s public transport – the T, buses, and the steamship authority – will all remain shut down. The snow continues to plummet there and flood damage is becoming increasingly clear as the waters start to recede. Police in Marshfield, near Plymouth, say that a “major” breach has caused damage to at least one home there. #Plymouth getting slammed along #ManometWHB by #Blizzardof2015 @ericfisher @BreeSison #WBZblizzard pic.twitter.com/3SVkZz0r1B NWSBoston: [10a] Images courtesy of Marshfield_PD of coastal flooding & impacts along Bay Ave. & Brant Rock Esplanade pic.twitter.com/a2i0nrzGZe Updated at 10.57am ET 10.18am ET15:18 Why did it all go so wrong for weather forecasters, who en masse predicted a New York blizzard to rival that of 1888? Here’s the take of Harry Enten (@forecasterenten), friend of the Guardian and forecasting obsessive: “Snow is a tricky business… This was a bust, but thanks to wide ranges not a huge one. “In this situation, it’s fairly clear that the National Weather Service and almost everyone else got had by the Euro” – Harry means a forecasting model, not the currency of the EU or some European person trusted who felt a blizzard in her bones. “There were some meteorological reasons behind it, but let’s be clear: the Euro saw it, so we thought it… The most accurate model was clearly wrong.” Many of the models, including the GFS, Canadian mid- and short-range models, UK model and HRRR and RAP models also didn’t have the same scale storm, Harry says. “Perhaps though, the biggest warning side was the SREF – this a bunch of models run with tweaking the initial conditions because it’s impossible to precisely measure the initial conditions of the atmosphere. I don’t think more than half the members ever supported the big snows. “The writing though was mostly on the wall by [Monday] afternoon. Once the Euro went east and the others stayed steady, it should have been the key sign that something was wrong. For whatever reason, forecasters didn’t jump off the boat.” Harry is not exaggerating. Meteorologists and TV weather people did not underplay this storm. Back to Harry: “There’s nothing wrong with changing a forecast. In fact, it should be encouraged as more data becomes available. Additionally, I don’t think enough was done to communicate the model differences, and it’s also a reason for averaging models rather than just taking the best one.” The short version: The meteorologists look at the radar and make predictions. They are not fortune tellers. Updated at 10.56am ET 10.07am ET15:07 Amtrak train service is still suspended indefinitely, Connecticut governor Dan Malloy has said, meaning the trains cannot run father than New York state. .@Amtrak & @ShoreLineEast service remains suspended. Crews are working to determine when they can re-open. No service expected today. New York’s MetroNorth train service, on the other hand, will open on all three lines with a Sunday service schedule. Limited MetroNorth service on the New Haven line will reach the Connecticut city, with normal operations expected tomorrow. 10.03am ET15:03 A five-hour timelapse of New York’s Times Square being covered in a layer of snow last night, courtesy the Guardian’s video desk Updated at 10.03am ET 9.54am ET14:54 Good news, snowy news and bad news for Massachusetts. Winds seem to have clocked their maximum speeds, between 60-70mph. [9a] N Winds appeared to be peaking / have peaked @ 55-60 kts (60-70 mph) per our offshore buoys pic.twitter.com/Hd4QXcs77l But the state is still buried. Boston RT @jeremyhobson: Poor cars. #bostonblizzard pic.twitter.com/gx2mSJnH13” #blizzardof2015 A sample of the New England blizzard in Westborough, Mass., from a WeatherBug user http://t.co/KIIKRJFuJl pic.twitter.com/JBZlwCGmW5 And homes still don’t have power. MEMA’s real-time power outage viewer for outage info across the state: http://t.co/GGBkB3GSp5 #MAsnow pic.twitter.com/gske0hNjwm 9.44am ET14:44 Summary 9.33am ET14:33 More than two feet of snow have fallen in towns west of Boston, the National Weather Service reports in its tallies of the latest snow totals, a couple of which anon. Updated at 9.33am ET 9.26am ET14:26 9.19am ET14:19 Got photos of the blizzard that both was and wasn’t? Share ‘em here at Guardian Witness. Blowing Snow in Portland, Maine View out my front door at roughly 7:00 this morning Sent via Guardian Witness By kamilewicz 27 January 2015, 8:09 9.15am ET14:15 As New York eases back into normality, so does its symbiotic partner New Jersey. From @NJTRANSIT: NE Corridor will be operating on a weekend schedule at 10AM starting w/ the 10:19AM out of Trenton & 10:15AM out of NYC. 9.03am ET14:03 New York subways resume service Per MTA chief Tom Prendergast, one of the world’s largest and oldest underground train systems has begun to restore 24-hour service after a very rare closure for weather. “Sunday-level service” should be functioning by noon, he said, meaning that about 60% of service ought to be running by that time. There is also limited bus service restored via the Port Authority. 8.58am ET13:58 The snow continues to pour down near Boston, Massachusetts. #Brighton #mawx @WX1BOX @ericfisher #blizzardof2015 @NWSBoston @wbzweather pic.twitter.com/53vutE3p5l 8.39am ET13:39 Connecticut partially lifts travel ban Connecticut governor Dan Malloy is lifting the travel ban for some local roads in a Fairfield and Litchfield counties, effective 8.30am, but the ban remains in place for most of the rest of the state. He says the snow remains falling at a serious rate in eastern Connecticut, and thanks people for staying off roads. Malloy asks that people help clear storm drains to prevent flooding and clear the area around fire hydrants so that firefighters can reach them if necessary. Of power outages, he says “we only have eight.” “I think we can be up and running tomorrow on a normal basis.” He credits the compliance with the travel ban for helping avert a more deadly disaster: “Under normal circumstances we would have expected hundreds of travel accidents [last night]. We had 11.” “There’s no bad news in not everyone getting three feet of snow.” Updated at 9.06am ET 8.32am ET13:32 Connecticut was also hit extremely hard in some parts last night, and governor Dan Malloy is set to speak in a few minutes to give an update on the state’s plan. 26" of snow in Norwich, CT @JimCantore @weatherchannel @NOAA #Juno #snow #snowpocalypse #ctwx pic.twitter.com/qfLVNNRIry 8.31am ET13:31 As day breaks over Massachusetts severe flooding continues and the snow falls at a steady clip. Significant flooding in the Francis St & Washington St area #Nantucket #AckJuno pic.twitter.com/ov3vR6SSVF Massachusetts governor Charlie Baker has told citizens to call 211 for emergency information, and to help get people in need to the state’s 77 shelters. Coastal #flooding - #Juno RT@freitasderek:Getting worse water rising hrs after tide! That is water not snow #Humarock pic.twitter.com/25Qu1r5gBa 8.27am ET13:27 “People should take precautions, it does not mean people should go rush rush,” mayor Bill de Blasio told local New York CBS news. “We had a meteorologists across the spectrum saying this thing could’ve been two feet or more. In light of that we needed people to clear the roads. … We missed the bullet this time.” Like Cuomo, he says that it was better to be cautious based on the information available yesterday than not to err on the side of safety. In a press release he too announced that all city roads will be open for driving this morning. Updated at 8.52am ET 8.24am ET13:24 “We had no issues overnight in policing. New Yorkers were great,” a police representative says (his name obscured by the camera’s angle). He says people cleared the roads and let plows do their business. “The LIRR service is comign online slower in Suffolk,” Cuomo says, although they are slowly lifting the travel ban. “The roads are more significantly affected there” than anywhere else, he adds. “I also want to thank Governor Christie and Governor Malloy of Connecticut,” Cuomo says. “No one state can do this alone.” 8.22am ET13:22 Cuomo says he’ll go out to Long Island today to deliver a briefing from Suffolk County this afternoon. Asked about the cost attached to the emergency response preparations, he says he doesn’t have an estimate at this point. He again refers to the severe Buffalo storm as a comparison, using it as a counter example of where preparations were not in place and the cost was very high. The New York subway will reach a “Sunday level service” by noon, the head of the MTA, Tom Prendergast, tells reporters. What lines exactly will be running, then, is to be determined. “You’re only as good as your last snowstorm,” Prendergast adds. “No human life was lost as far as we know” due to any transit accident, another official says, trying to put the storm in perspective of other bad storms, such as the one that struck Buffalo last year. “It is still weather, that is the nature of the beast. There is a certain imprecision,” Cuomo says, as he cautions people about still slippery road conditions and likely heavy traffic. Updated at 8.52am ET 8.14am ET13:14 Cuomo again defends the decision to clear the roads and shut down train service, framing it as a choice to lean toward “one way or the other”. “I would lean toward safety, because I’ve seen the consequences the other way and it gets very frightening very quickly. “We’ve had people die in storms. I’d much rather be in a situation where we say’ we got lucky’ than be in a situation and say ‘we didn’t get lucky’ and somebody died.” 8.12am ET13:12 If you don’t have to travel today, don’t do it, Cuomo stresses. A reporter asks him about the state’s extreme caution in the face of the storm, and Cuomo talks about the storm that hit Buffalo, New York, several weeks ago, which was not forecast as particularly major and dropped many feet of snow on the city and the area around it. “You act on the information that you had at the time. … Obviously in this region there was less snow than anticipated.” Cuomo then argues that emptying the roads and keeping trains off the tracks may help clear away snow faster than to allow normal transit: “I don’t know that net didn’t wind up saving us time; because the roads were empty we could actually plow the roads.” “What very often happens is you get a couple of cars stuck on the highway,” he says, and that prevents plows “from doing their job.” “The system got back online much faster than it would have if the trains were exposed to conditions and had to shovel out this morning.” “If you tally it up I don’t know that this wasn’t the more prudent course of action in any event.” “But I do not criticzed weather forecasters. I learned.” 8.05am ET13:05 Cuomo: New York subways to resume at 9am New York governor Andrew Cuomo is giving an update about the storm. “The storm in general I think it’s fair to say was less destructive than predicted so far, but there were variances in what the storm actually did. In the New York City area about 4-6 inches of snow, in the mid-Hudson, the snow was also less than had been originally been predicted, with variations.” It was “less than predicted, which was good news,” he says. “Long Island was much harder hit than the New York City area.” “Suffolk County is still getting hit very hard, in Suffolk County is where we have serious issues.”(Suffolk County is the far end of Long Island.) He says Long Island had as much as 14in of snow. “We’ll be redeploying much of the equipment from the New York City area … to Long Island. We’re lifting all the travel bans on the road at 8 o’clock. … We coordinated that with the governor of New Jersey.”” “Obviously you can’t open the traffic ban on one state unless you’re coordinated with the other state.” “MTA is in the process of bringing the trains back out of subway and rail … They are now redeploying as we speak, service will begin at 9 o’clock. By noon, the system will be back to Sunday service, which is roughly 60% of weekday service.” Bridges and tunnels will open and PATH will open at 9.30am, he says. Updated at 8.51am ET 7.54am ET12:54 Summary Updated at 8.40am ET 7.47am ET12:47 Despite the late start the Post was premature. Sounds about right. #NYCblizzard #blizzardof2015 @nypost pic.twitter.com/l4sK10Vqc2 7.41am ET12:41 New York mayor Bill de Blasio has allowed cars back on the road, joining the Twitter blitz of announcements from officials that life is in fact returning to normal after a night of mild snow (south of Connecticut). Mayor @BilldeBlasio has lifted the travel ban for all city roads effective immediately. @NYCASP remains suspended. There are qualifications to the statements from governors Christie and Cuomo. A travel ban remains in effect for Suffolk County, New York, Cuomo says, and Christie has said that NJ Transit won’t resume until line-by-line inspections are carried out by federal workers. Updated at 7.44am ET 7.37am ET12:37 New Jersey governor Chris Christie has lifted the ban for all 21 counties in his state, effective at 7.30am. From Christie: “NJDOT still has 2,500 plows and salt spreaders working to clear the roadways this morning. I am asking everyone in NJ who doesn’t have to drive this morning please don’t. And those that do, please drive slow.” New York governor Andrew Cuomo has also given a bit more detail on the state of affairs in the Empire State. I-84 and NYS Thruway have also reopened. More details at 8am briefing. Watch live here: http://t.co/otgaGHU3mg 7.35am ET12:35 Schools will open two hours late in Washington DC, NBC’s Eun Yang reports, a city that historically has struggled time and time again with even the lightest frosting. Federal officials will also have to work today, though they can do so from home. JUST IN: Federal agencies are open under a two hour delayed arrival and employees have the option for unscheduled leave or telework. 7.28am ET12:28 New York lifts travel ban Governor Andrew Cuomo has announced the ban will lift in approximately one minute. The travel ban in Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Ulster, Westchester, Nassau counties & NYC is lifted effective at 7:30 a.m today He and other officials will provide more details at a press conference scheduled for 8am. Updated at 8.51am ET 7.21am ET12:21 Thousands of people and a nuclear plant don’t have power in Massachusetts, the Boston Globe and Boston local news are reporting, with some 3,500 homes reporting outages in Nantucket alone. Massachusetts’ Emergency Management Agency (Mema) has shut down the Pilgrim nuclear power plant “due to loss of offsite power”, but hastens to assure us there is “no public safety hazard”. The National Weather Service has measured 11.8in at Boston’s Logan International Airport; CBS Boston measured 18in in Oxford; and Boston’s public schools have cancelled classes for Tuesday and Wednesday, the city has announced. Mema director Kurt Schwartz has warned residents to stay out of flooding areas, and especially not to attempt drive through them. On the South Shore of MA most flood prone areas are underwater. #Fox25Blizzard #blizzardof2015 pic.twitter.com/aM4vJKureS Updated at 7.33am ET 7.10am ET12:10 The New York station of the National Weather Service has lowered its Tuesday snow forecast by several inches, down to 2-4in for the day. @EricHolthaus we have lowered amounts and only expecting another 2 to 4 inches today in the city. 7.03am ET12:03 New Jersey lifts travel ban Governor Chris Christie has announced that his state will start to return to work as usual. *Update: Christie has lifted the ban in toto as of 7.34am ET. After assessing the situation this morning, the travel ban for south of 195 will be lifted at 7am. But services will be spotty at best as the rest of the region still treads cautiously over icy and snow conditions. NJ TRANSIT services remain suspended while roads are cleared and rail systems are inspected per regulations Updated at 7.34am ET 7.01am ET12:01 The New York Stock Exchange will open today, Reuters reports, with trading as normal now that the blizzard warning has lifted for New York. New York City schools are closed, as are most businesses. Reuters did not report how Wall Street traders who do not live in the financial district might reach the Stock Exchange, considering the closed subways and city travel ban. Updated at 7.08am ET 6.58am ET11:58 When will the travel ban on New York be lifted, my colleague Nicky Woolf (@nickywoolf) has asked the NYPD. “The determination has not been made. It will be made based on conditions.” Asked who had final say on the determination, the press officer told him: “the mayor’s office makes that determination.” Asked if they’ve heard from the mayor’s office this morning: “that’s not something we’d discuss.” Meanwhile local New York news has been told by the MTA: “there is no plan in place to get people back on the roads or any of the rails.” 6.50am ET11:50 Summary With the north-east waking up to a little snow south of Connecticut and a lot of it to the north, a quick summary of the first major snowstorm of 2015: Updated at 6.52am ET 6.32am ET11:32 If you’re just waking up this brisk Tuesday morning and trying to figure out whether life as you know it has been consumed in a wintry snowpocalypse in the order of Dante or Hoth – this is the list for you. Planes, trains and roads New York Massachusetts Connecticut Pennsylvania Check out the full list for more resources; h/t my colleagues Kayla Epstein (@kaylaepstein) and Tom McCarthy (@teemcsee). 6.22am ET11:22 Meteorologist at large Eric Holthaus tells New York that it has in fact reached 10in of snow… just that you won’t see that much unless you’re in Jamaica, Queens. NYC has crossed 10" of total snow (Jamaica, Qns) as of 3:15am, but many spots less. Heaviest band over Long Island http://t.co/WIgU9qHPMy Statistics and meteorology guru Harry Enten of FiveThirtyEight has shifted forecasting gear: where he once hoped for snow he now sees awkward officials. There are going to be a lot of funny press conferences in the morning... Totals are going to come in a third of what the NWS thought. Meanwhile, Boston doing well as expected... Basically anywhere from Hartford to Boston and down to Eastern LI...OH wells. It'll happen. 6.07am ET11:07 In New York concerns are far more mundane as the clock strikes 6am. The earliest of birds are checking out streets deserted of all but emergency personnel (and delivery trucks for the New York Post). My walk over to @NY1 without a single private car or delivery truck on the streets. pic.twitter.com/Z5tOSNV6kO Subways and rail service are still shut down, even though plows have even reached as far as the side street where this reporter lives in Brooklyn. Have you ever seen @GrandCentralNYC empty? Photo from the @MTA, as all @MetroNorth remains suspended. #NY1snow pic.twitter.com/LO6de1eDpV Governor Andrew Cuomo does not seem particularly eager to get the city rolling again, taking time to gaze at a desolate bridge, courtesy New York public transportation. RT @MTA All bridges are now closed, but check out this RFK beauty shot. #Blizzardof2015 pic.twitter.com/gmxgXQjuCa Updated at 6.09am ET 5.56am ET10:56 Flooding and whiteout in New England Massachusetts may be suffering the worst of 2015’s first major winter storm, as high tide has started pushing into towns along the coastline. CBS Boston’s Eric Fisher quotes an official of Scituate, near Plymouth, as saying that authorities are trying to evacuate people from their homes due to the flooding. Gusts are over 60mph in some towns, Fisher says. The Boston area still expects several hours of heavy precipitation, and could end up with a storm as massive as predicted. Coastal Mass. MT @BreeSison Scituate Town Admin tells #WBZ there's severe flooding in downtown. 4ft of water in Humarock. State of Emergency In Maine, meanwhile, there are whiteout conditions. #Maine #travel RT @MaineTurnpike: Visibility now appears to be at zero from York to Saco, please avoid travel today. pic.twitter.com/HcTMCHDpXa 5.48am ET10:48 Weather warning downgraded for part of east coast The National Weather Service no longer has a blizzard warning in effect for New York’s five boroughs, the lower Hudson Valley and east New Jersey, though it has a winter storm warning in place until midnight Tuesday. The NWS also warns of strong winds and biting snow coming off those gusts, but final snowfall totals are far below what forecasters predicted even 12 hours ago. In Philadelphia and central New Jersey, forecasters are now calling for about 6in; about an hour ago, about 6.3in had fallen in Central Park on Manhattan, and 7.6in at LaGuardia Airport in Queens. Updated at 6.16am ET 5.38am ET10:38 In New York City, meanwhile, the subway and most services are still shut down, despite Manhattan receiving only about a third of the predicted snowfall. Updated at 5.40am ET 5.35am ET10:35 The snowstorm had an uneven effect along the coast, failing to approach anything close to New York’s blizzard of 1888, but still proving extremely dangerous for New Englanders. Roads in Connecticut --CLOSED. Very dangerous conditions .. Delaware, on the other hand, has received very little snowfall, and is already back on track for a normal Tuesday morning, the governor has announced. State of Delaware offices are opening today (1/27) as regularly scheduled. Employees are to report to work as scheduled. #netDE #stormDE Updated at 5.35am ET 5.26am ET10:26 Another shot from Boston, courtesy the National Weather Service. RT @acme401: @NWSBoston waves over the seawall in Winthrop (Harbor side) pic.twitter.com/q5gWErOfbD The Weather Channel reports winds gusting more than 60mph on Nantucket, and puts snowfall in Plymouth, Massachusetts (a town south of Boston along the coast) at an accumulated 15.8in so far. Marlborough, Connecticut, now has more than 13in, the Channel reports. In other words Massachusetts and Connecticut are on track to have very serious storms, even as New York City, Delaware and the states to the south seem to have largely escaped. Updated at 5.26am ET 5.18am ET10:18 Meteorologist Jim Cantore and the Weather Channel’s Steve Petyerak are in Boston, where very serious weather continues. Already snowing & blowing hard here in Boston Common by the State House with @JimCantore pic.twitter.com/At02J04zvz Nearby Nantucket police are reporting “significant flooding” on the island south of Cape Cod, as high tide and high winds continue to batter the Massachusetts coast. Significant flooding in the downtown area including Broad St. as we approach high tide #Nantucket #AckJuno pic.twitter.com/6VtZgi4ZzX 5.08am ET10:08 Good morning and welcome to our continuing coverage of the storm that has so far delivered far less than the historic amount of snow predicted for much of the US east coast, but continues to pummel Boston and parts of New England. |