Blinding snow whipped up by near-hurricane force winds pummelled the eastern US yesterday, as one of the strongest winter storms in years triggered severe weather alerts, transport chaos and power outages across a region of some 70mn people.
With multiple blizzard warnings in effect, cities like New York and Boston bore the brunt of the storm, which the National Weather Service (NWS) confirmed yesterday morning had intensified into a “bomb cyclone” – characterised by the explosive power of rapid drops in atmospheric pressure.
“It’s really these coastal areas that are going to be most impacted,” said NWS meteorologist Marc Chenard, adding that powerful winds could cause minor to moderate flooding in communities close to the shore.
Coastal areas were expected to receive more than 1’ (30cm) of snow by the end of the day, and as much as three feet in parts of Massachusetts, where nearly 117,000 homes were already reported without power.
Cold weather alerts were raised as far south as Florida, where the NWS warned of “scattered to isolated falling iguanas from trees” as plunging temperatures temporarily paralysed the large lizards, which can weigh up to 20 pounds (9kg).
Residents in towns and cities across the eastern seaboard were urged to stay home and avoid all unnecessary travel in the whiteout conditions.
In Long Island, officials said a woman had been found dead in her car by a snowplough operator.
The elderly woman who was found early yesterday morning in a hotel parking lot in Uniondale with her car window open, according to an officer at the Nassau County Police Department in Long Island.
Ten inches (25cm) of snow had already accumulated on the island north of Manhattan, and regional train lines were partially shut down to clear ice off the tracks.
Salt machines and snowploughs crawled along the streets of New York City, where city residents woke up yesterday to more than 4” of snow.
Mayor Eric Adams posted a video of himself in the Bronx borough, urging his fellow New Yorkers to stay at home.
In Times Square, the famous neon billboards formed glowing halos in the snowy air.
In the trendy Cobble Hill neighbourhood in Brooklyn, the sidewalks were almost deserted and many businesses were closed.
The few who did brave the elements smiled as they wished each other, “Happy snow day!”
A state of emergency has been declared for New York and the neighbouring state of New Jersey.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul asked state residents to avoid unnecessary travel.
“It’s high winds, heavy snow, blizzard conditions – all the elements of a classic ‘Nor’easter’,” she said at a news briefing, warning of frigid temperatures overnight. “This could be life-threatening.”
For people who had to travel, she urged them to fill their car gas tanks and keep supplies such as ice scrapers, blankets and water in their vehicles.
In Boston, Mayor Michelle Wu declared a snow emergency.
“It is going to get quite ugly out there,” she said in an early-morning television interview from City Hall. “This is going to be a historic storm.”
She said in a CBS TV interview: “We are not only expecting a whole lot of snow, but it is going to come down really quick in the most intense hours.”
Massachusetts residents had rushed on Friday to buy groceries, as well as snow- and ice-melting pellets to help keep their sidewalks and driveways clear.
By early morning, Boston Public Works said 500 snowploughs were already hard at work on the city streets.
The NWS has forecast wind gusts of 80-120mph (128-193kph).
The storm will produce extremely cold temperatures with dangerous wind chills overnight.
The snowfall rate would range from two to four inches per hour, it said, and strong winds would cause “scattered power outages”.
“Expect whiteout conditions and nearly impossible travel at times,” the NWS said.
More than 3,500 flights were cancelled yesterday travel within, into or out of the US, according to flight tracker FlightAware, and 885 flights have already been cancelled for today.
Cancellations on Friday totalled more than 1,450.
The blizzard comes on the heels of a similar winter storm that blanketed a swath of Eastern North America – from Georgia to Canada – just two weeks ago, cutting power to thousands of homes and also disrupting thousands of flights.
People take a ‘wefie’ in the snow in Times Square during a ‘Nor’easter’ storm in Manhattan, New York City.
