Record-Breaking Snowstorm Buries East Coast in SnowThe killer snowstorm that battered millions and buried records kept major East Coast cities at a standstill early Sunday — but the worst of the mammoth stor…
East Coast Begins Digging Out from Mammoth Record-Breaking Snowstorm
Crews had cleared many major thoroughfares in the hardest hit areas and travel bans were being lifted. Mass transit systems were slowly resuming normal operations. But many side roads remained impassable and icy conditions in the storm's wake remained a danger for motorists.
Live Blog: Latest Updates on The Snowstorm
At least 20 deaths have been attributed to the severe weather, which cancelled thousands of flights and was beginning to impact airlines' schedules for Monday.
At its height, the storm cut power to hundreds of thousands of residents, but most had electricity again by early Sunday. The biggest remaining outages affected about 25,000 customers in New Jersey -- mostly along the Jersey Shore - with smaller outages reported in Pennsylvania and Delaware.
Five states saw totals of more than 30 inches of snow — New York, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania — while storm surges saw tides reach near "Sandy-like levels" in New Jersey. Still, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said at a news conference Sunday morning that coastal towns suffered only "mild to moderate flooding," and saw no significant property damage.
Other areas of the city got even more snow: John F. Kennedy Airport was walloped with 30.1 inches; Williamsburg in Brooklyn got 29; and at the Bronx Zoo, there was 27.6 inches of powder.
Elsewhere, Baltimore broke its all-time snowstorm record with 29.2 inches, while Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, also set a new record with 28.6 inches, according to The Weather Channel. The highest total so far was 40 inches at Glengary, West Virginia. Fourteen states received more than a foot of snow.
"It's likely to go down as one of the most impressive blizzards we've seen on the Eastern Seaboard in recorded history," said Michael Palmer, lead meteorologist for The Weather Channel.
Coastal flooding remained a concern throughout Sunday morning, with strong winds set to continue along the northern coastline.
"There will still be some elevated surf this morning — a lot of coastal flooding in Delaware in New Jersey," Palmer said. "There's been a lot of beach erosion with this system. Water levels got up to Sandy-like levels. The difference was that Sandy had the high waves on top of the tide."
Moderate to major coastal flooding had impacted the Outer Banks of North Carolina to the coast of southern New England, The Weather Channel reported.
Air travel continued to be disrupted, with the total number of canceled flights over Friday, Saturday and Sunday totaling 10,877. More than more than 600 Monday flights had been canceled.
Stranded travelers Saturday included Defense Secretary Ash Carter, whose high-tech aircraft, the Doomsday Plane, couldn't land at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland after returning from Europe. Carter was rerouted to Tampa, Florida.
Associated Press
Winter Storm Live Updates: Massive Snowstorm Slams East Coast
Ongoing coverage of the deadly snowstorm dumping snow on the East Coast and bringing severe conditions to millions of people.
The New Jersey Shore, where about 40,000 customers were without power at the high point of the storm on Saturday, around 18,500 customers were still without electricity early Sunday, Atlantic City Electric reported. Most of those were in Cape May, Ocean and Atlantic counties.
Small outages also were reported in parts of Pennsylvania and Delaware
"Restoring service requires clearing snow and ice from tracks, third rails, switches and signals, using power equipment as well as manual labor. In most cases, full service will be restored gradually, as equipment and crews are put into position," Cuomo said in a statement.
Check the MTA's website for more details.
What we know
- New York City broke its all-time daily snowfall record, with 26.6 inches at Central Park. Meanwhile 30.1 inches was recorded at JFK airport.
- Four other states — West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania — saw totals over 30 inches.
- At least 20 deaths have been blamed on the severe weather.
- Airlines canceled 10,877 flights across the weekend, according to FlightAware, and airlines on Sunday were canceling some flights on Monday.
The Latest from the Storm
Thousands still without power
Thousands across the region remained without power Sunday morning in the wake of Saturday's historic blizzard.The New Jersey Shore, where about 40,000 customers were without power at the high point of the storm on Saturday, around 18,500 customers were still without electricity early Sunday, Atlantic City Electric reported. Most of those were in Cape May, Ocean and Atlantic counties.
Small outages also were reported in parts of Pennsylvania and Delaware
New York Travel Ban Lifted
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo this morning lifted a travel ban this morning, and said the MTA would return bus, subway, and regional railroad services throughout the day."Restoring service requires clearing snow and ice from tracks, third rails, switches and signals, using power equipment as well as manual labor. In most cases, full service will be restored gradually, as equipment and crews are put into position," Cuomo said in a statement.
Check the MTA's website for more details.
Correspondent Jacob Rascon is in
Jersey Shore, where neighborhoods remain underwater after being hit by
severe weather on Saturday that brought back memories of Hurricane Sandy
in 2012. Last night's Nightly News package below.
What Not to Do After the Blizzard
The snowstorm is over, but that doesn't mean you're out of danger. Here's a handy list of things to avoid doing when you venture outside this morning.
There were hopes that this
weekend's blizzard may have pipped New York's February, 2006, snowstorm
as city's largest ever. Yesterday's 26.6 inches broke the all-time daily
snowfall record — but another measurement this morning confirmed the
Big Apple fell just 0.1 inch short of setting a new benchmark for a snow
event.
Astronaut Scott Kelly has tweeted another out-of-this-world picture of the snowstorm.
Check out yesterday's photo here.
Check out yesterday's photo here.
Forecaster's Dilemma
New York City broke its all-time daily record for snowfall, but how about a mere 30 miles to the north?Nope — no snow at all. Micheal Palmer, lead meteorologist at The Weather Channel, said the storm system was particularly tough to read at its northern edge.
"There was a very tight gradient of snow — in New York City you had 25 inches of snow. But you go 20 to 30 miles north to Poughkeepsie and you got no snow. That gradient is what made the north edge of the storm so difficult to forecast."
Another One Bites the Dust...
Baltimore has broken its all-time snowstorm record with 29.2 inches of snow, according The Weather Channel.Meanwhile, five states have seen totals over 30 inches.
- West Virginia: 40 inches was recorded at Glengary.
- Virginia: 38 inches in Philmont.
- Maryland: 38 inches at Redhouse.
- Pennsylvania: 35.5 inches at Somerset.
- New York: 30.5 inches at JFK airport.
Stuck in the snow? If you're lucky NBC Washington reporter Shomari Stone might be around to help dig you out.
LATEST: Flight Cancelations
Over 600 flights scheduled for Monday were canceled early Sunday, causing more misery for travelers in the wake of a massive snowstorm that blanketed the East Coast.Most of the newly canceled flights had been scheduled to fly into the Washington, D.C., New York City metro areas or to Philadelphia.
More than 10,877 flights within, into, or out of the U.S. had been canceled Friday, Saturday and Sunday, according to the site. An additional 600 were canceled for Monday.
Many of those flights were scheduled to depart or arrive from airports in the New York City and Washington, D.C., metro areas, and Philadelphia, regions socked by the snowstorm.
But the snow caused backups and cancelations elsewhere in the system, resulting in called-off flights Saturday in Los Angeles and other cities far from the storm.
Reagan National and Dulles International airports in the D.C. area shut down, and runways are expected to be closed through Sunday, the airports said in a joint statement Saturday.
United Airlines said Saturday it was suspending operations in D.C. metro airports and planned to gradually resume Monday. It planned "very limited operations" in Newark and other New York City area airports Sunday.
Snowfall Breaks Records in Baltimore, D.C. Area
A monster snowstorm that socked the East Coast dropped a record-breaking 25.5 inches on Baltimore Saturday, the National Weather Service said.The snowfall recorded at BWI Airport broke a one-day record of 11.5 inches set in 1935. Dulles International Airport near Washington, D.C., got 21.1 inches, breaking a daily record set in 1982.
New York City came close to tying a record set in 2006, with 26.8 inches recorded at Central Park at midnight. The record, set on Feb. 11, 2006, was 26.9 inches, the weather service said.
The snowstorm is still considered the second largest snowstorm since 1869, the NWS said.
Farther north, 6.1 inches of snow fell in Boston as of midnight, and blizzard conditions were reached in five areas of Massachusetts Saturday: Nantucket, Chatham, Martha's Vineyard and Plymouth and Marshfield, the weather service said.
Blizzard conditions mean visibility of less than a quarter-mile and gusting winds of at least 35 mph, for 3 consecutive hours.
Blizzard Warning Canceled for New York City, Remains for NJ and Long Island
A blizzard warning for New York City was canceled late Saturday, as the monster snowstorm that socked the city with more than two feet of snow began winding down.The warning remained in place for Long Island and parts of New Jersey until 7 a.m. Sunday, according to the National Weather Service.
The downgrade in the threat facing New York City came hours before a travel ban that shut down streets, buses, and Hudson River crossings to New Jersey will likely be lifted.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who ordered the travel ban at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, said it should be lifted at 7 a.m. "We have made very good progress in cleaning the roads," Cuomo said in a conference call Saturday night.
New York City Snowstorm Short of Tying Record By 0.1 Inch
The blizzard that dumped more than two feet of snow on New York City dropped 26.8 feet on Central Park as of midnight — 0.1 inch shy of tying the record set in 2006, the National Weather Service said.It's the second largest snowstorm to hit New York City since 1869, the weather service said. The record is 26.9 inches that fell on Central Park on Feb. 11, 2006.
The snowstorm slammed Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York as it swept over the Midwest and up the East Coast.
At least 19 people died in incidents related to the weather. Most died in car crashes, but others died while shoveling or clearing snow, officials said. Three died while shoveling snow in New York City, police said Saturday.
A travel ban in New York City instituted Saturday is set to be lifted at 7 a.m. Sunday.
Death Toll Rises to 19 in Winter Storm
The death toll related to a massive snowstorm that battered much of the East Coast this weekend rose to 19 Saturday, officials said.A 61-year-old man went into cardiac arrest while using a snow blower in West Hempsted on Long Island at around 4 p.m. Saturday and he was pronounced dead at a local hospital, Nassau County police said.
A 94-year-old man died after collapsing while apparently using a snow blower in Smithtown on Long Island at around noon Saturday, Suffolk County police said.
At least 19 people died in weather related incidents in the snowstorm, which struck from Arkansas to Washington, D.C. and New York. Most of the deaths have been from traffic crashes, officials said. Six died in crashes in North Carolina.
Three people in New York City died while shoveling snow, police said Saturday. Nassau County saw snowfalls from 18 to 27 inches of snow by Saturday evening, the National Weather Service said. Smithtown got 16 inches.
D.C. Records 22 Inches, Maryland Closes 2 Major Highways
Washington, D.C., may have received more than 22 inches of snow during the weekend's monster blizzard, the National Weather Service said.A measurement of 22.2 inches was made by a trained spotter near the National Zoo at 7:30 p.m., although the measurement is considered unofficial, the weather service said. Light snow was still falling Saturday night,
A blizzard warning was in place for the district until 6 a.m. Sunday.
Earlier Saturday, the National Zoo shared a video of its giant panda, Tian Tian, playing in the snow.
In Maryland, two sections of interstates spanning from the northwest part of the state to near Baltimore and Washington were closed overnight so crews can clear snow.
The entire 34.7-mile stretch of I-270, and I-70 from I-81 near Hagerstown to the Baltimore Beltway (I-695) will be closed until 7 a.m. Sunday Gov. Larry Hogan said in a statement.
2,200 National Guard Personnel Deployed
More than 2,200 National Guard personnel from across 12 states were helping state and local agencies with storm response.Eleven states have declared states of emergency due to the storm: Delaware, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.
The National Guard assisted with response to traffic crashes, evacuations, medical calls and guiding equipment, the National Guard said.
More than 400 National Guard Personnel were in Virginia, which racked up more than 30 inches of snow in some areas. Virginia State Police said it had fielded calls for 1,324 traffic crashes and 1,683 disabled vehicles as of Saturday night.
New York Travel Ban Expected To Be Lifted at 7 a.m. Sunday
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Saturday that a travel ban in New York City and on Long Island that had been in place since 2:30 p.m. would likely be lifted by 7 a.m. Sunday.The lift of the ban would reopen roads, bridges and allow buses to resume service. "We have made very good progress in cleaning the roads," Cuomo said.
Officials plan to update at 6 a.m. on Sunday about when the shuttered Long Island Railroad, Metro-North and above ground subway trains would be operational again. Subway trains that run below ground are expected to keep running.
"We never like to disrupt travel, but the storm was fast and furious," Cuomo said. He thanked New Yorkers for cooperating with the ban, which he said he realized created a hardship.
"When things are at their worst, New Yorkers are at their best," Cuomo said. "There is no population, no community that is as gracious and as loving and as giving in a time in need."
Snowfall at NYC's Central Park Third-Heaviest Since 1869
New York City's Central Park had its third greatest snowfall in nearly 150 years — and the snow is still falling, the National Weather Service said.There were 25.1 inches of snow in Central Park by 7 p.m. The NWS said it was the third-heaviest snowfall recorded at the landmark park since 1869.
The record was 26.9 inches of snow that fell on the park on Feb. 11, 2006, the weather service said.
Baby Delivered at Home With Help of Dispatcher in Storm
Parents of a new baby boy in Virginia will have an interesting story to tell about his arrival.
A couple in Stafford County was planning on using a midwife for a home birth, but when the expectant mother went into labor during heavy snowfall Saturday afternoon, the midwife wasn't able to make it to their house, according to the Stafford County Sheriff's Office.
A Stafford County Fire and Rescue dispatcher assisted the father over the phone, which "progressed very quickly," according to the sheriff's office. The new baby boy was delivered at 1:46 p.m., and he and his parents, who have not been identified, are healthy, according to the sheriff's office.
Parents of a new baby boy in Virginia will have an interesting story to tell about his arrival.
A couple in Stafford County was planning on using a midwife for a home birth, but when the expectant mother went into labor during heavy snowfall Saturday afternoon, the midwife wasn't able to make it to their house, according to the Stafford County Sheriff's Office.
A Stafford County Fire and Rescue dispatcher assisted the father over the phone, which "progressed very quickly," according to the sheriff's office. The new baby boy was delivered at 1:46 p.m., and he and his parents, who have not been identified, are healthy, according to the sheriff's office.
Newark Mayor Issues Travel Ban
Newark's mayor on Saturday issued a travel ban in the New Jersey city amid the snowstorm, warning residents that nonessential vehicles will be towed.Mayor Ras Baraka issued the order effective of 5 p.m. Saturday. More than 21 inches of snow was recorded at Newark International Airport by 3:45 p.m., the National Weather Service said.
NJ Transit early Saturday suspended rail, light rail and bus operations as the snowstorm hit the state.
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Record-Breaking Snowstorm Buries East Coast in SnowThe killer snowstorm that battered millions and buried records kept major East Coast cities at a standstill early Sunday — but the worst of the mammoth stor…
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