Snow Totals climb as huge Northeast storm forces millions to stay home
A massive snowstorm pummeled the northeastern United States from Maryland to Maine on Monday, forcing millions of people to stay home amid strong wind and blizzard warnings and widespread transportation shutdowns. The storm has produced notable snow totals and prompted emergency declarations, school and business closures while officials brace for another system later in the week.
Storm footprint: Maryland to Maine, emergency declarations and closures
The storm struck the northeastern United States on Monday, extending from Maryland to Maine and producing strong wind and blizzard warnings. Officials declared emergencies as schools and businesses closed and transportation systems shut down, leaving millions of residents at home.
Snow Totals recorded: Warwick tops the nation, Central Park measures 19 inches
Across the metropolitan Northeast the storm dumped more than 2 feet (60 centimeters) of snow in parts, shattering accumulation records in places. Central Park recorded 19 inches (48 centimeters) of snow, while Warwick, Rhode Island, exceeded 3 feet (91 centimeters), topping the nation so far.
Winds, gusts and power failures intensified the disruption
The highest wind gust recorded was 83 mph (133 kph) in Nantucket, and hurricane-force gusts were seen across Cape Cod. Those winds contributed to power failures that left people grappling with outages as the storm immobilized transit across the region.
New York scenes: first old-school snow day in six years and human stories
New York City saw its first “old-school” snow day in six years as schools closed. In Lower Manhattan, snow shovelers outnumbered commuting office workers and pedestrians walked freely in streets normally blocked by morning traffic. Luis Valez, a concierge at a residential tower just off Wall Street, said, “It’s very quiet, except for the howling winds, ” and noted that a couple of residents had gone out for essentials while most stayed inside.
In Brooklyn, 57-year-old attorney Matthew Wojtkowiak was shoveling in his neighborhood and said, “I’m from the Midwest, so this is in the zone, ” adding that it was “not too bad, not too easy, either” and that he hoped people would get out and enjoy the snow. Tourists Karen Smith and Adele Bawden, visiting from the United Kingdom, were spotted dancing in Times Square; Bawden said, “We’ve been dancing in Times Square this morning in the middle of the road in rush hour, ” and that they could hardly believe the moment. Ingrid Devita said she patrols the Lower East Side on skis to check on people who might need help, adding, “I find people fall in the snow and they can’t get up. ”
Transit immobilized, a UN meeting postponed and another storm on the radar
The storm immobilized transit and disrupted flights, and it even led the United Nations to postpone a Security Council meeting. The National Weather Service said that even as the snow moved northward and tapered off in some areas, it was tracking another storm that could bring more snow to the region later this week.
The weather service described Monday’s system as a “classic bomb cyclone/nor’easter off the Northeast coast. ” A bomb cyclone occurs when a storm’s pressure falls by a certain amount within a 24-hour period and typically happens in the fall and winter when frigid Arctic air can reach the south and clash with warmer temperatures.
Museum crews and ship preservation work amid heavy snow
In Connecticut, crews at the Mystic Seaport Museum prepared to clear snow by hand from a fleet of historic ships, including the 113-foot-long Charles W. Morgan, a wooden whaling ship from the 19th century American merchant fleet. Shannon McKenzie, vice president of watercraft operations and preservation, said shipyard staff will clear the snow by hand using rubber or plast.
