US winter storm: More than 3,500 flights were canceled on Saturday.
New York:
Thick snow fell as strong near-cyclone winds blew into the eastern United States on Saturday, as one of the strongest winter storms in years triggered severe weather warnings, chaotic traffic and loss of life. electricity in an area of about 70 million 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 Saturday morning had strengthened into a “whirlwind”. bomb” – characterized by the explosive power of rapid drops. air pressure.
Coastal areas are expected to see more than a foot (30 cm) of snow by the end of the day, and as much as 3 feet in parts of Massachusetts, where nearly 117,000 homes have been reported as empty. electricity.
A cold weather warning has been issued for as far south as Florida, where the NWS warns “iguanas are scattered to isolated from trees” as the drop in temperatures temporarily cripples large lizards, which can weigh up to 20 pounds (nine kilograms).
Residents in towns and cities on the east coast are urged to stay home and avoid any unnecessary travel in the wake of the loss. On Long Island, officials said a woman was found dead in her car by a ski rink operator.
10 inches (25 cm) of snow has accumulated on the island north of Manhattan, and train lines in the area have been partially closed to clear ice from the tracks.
Salt makers and snow sweepers crawled along the streets of New York City, where city dwellers woke up Saturday to more than four inches of snow.
Mayor Eric Adams posted a video of himself in the Bronx, urging New Yorkers to stay at home.
In Times Square, the famous neon billboards cast bright halos in the snowy air. But the frigid temperatures didn’t stop Robert Burck, a Times Square fixture known as “The Naked Cowboy.”
Wearing only his underwear, cowboy hat, and cowboy boots, he strolled through an almost deserted tourist spot, strumming his guitar.
In the trendy Cobble Hill neighborhood of Brooklyn, the sidewalks are nearly empty and many businesses have to close. But a few people had the courage to let the members smile as they wished each other, “Have a nice snowy day!”
A state of emergency has been declared for New York and the neighboring state of New Jersey. New York Governor Kathy Hochul asked state residents to avoid non-essential travel.
For those who have to commute, she encourages them to fill up their car with gas and keep items like an ice scraper, blanket and water in the car.
Get ‘Pretty Bad’
In Boston, Mayor Michelle Wu declared a snow emergency. “It’s going to be pretty ugly out there,” she said in an early-morning television interview from City Hall.
“This will be a historic storm.”
Massachusetts residents flocked Friday to buy groceries, as well as ice melts to help keep their sidewalks and driveways clear.
By early Saturday morning, the Boston Public Company said 500 snow plows were hard at work on the city’s streets.
The NWS has forecast gusts of 80 to 120 mph (128 to 193 km per hour). The storm will produce extremely cold temperatures with dangerously cold winds from Saturday night through Sunday morning.
Snowfall rates will range from two to four inches per hour, and strong winds will cause “scattered blackouts.”
The service said: “There is a condition of loss of money and sometimes it is almost impossible to walk.
According to FlightAware, more than 3,500 flights were canceled for Saturday to, within, or out of the United States, and 885 flights were canceled for Sunday.
The total number of cancellations on Friday was more than 1,450.
The blizzard follows a similar winter storm that blanketed a swathe of Northeastern America – from Georgia to Canada – just two weeks ago, cutting power to thousands of homes and also disrupting thousands of flights.
(Except for the title, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from an aggregated feed.)
