Punishing winter storm to move inland, pummel Northeast
Aleksandra Bush
NEW YORK (NewsNation Now) — A major winter storm that has already dropped more than a foot of snow across the Northeast and killed an elderly Pennsylvania woman is expected to pound inland areas with potential blizzard conditions on Tuesday.
“The increasing winds could result in near blizzard conditions due to blowing and drifting of the snow,” the National Weather Service said in its forecast for Tuesday.
Some areas of the New England coast, which saw a mix of snow and rain on Monday, were forecast by the National Weather Service to see up to 15 inches of snow on Tuesday as the storm moves north.
“This storm will be slow to depart as the main storm center becomes nearly stationary off the southern New England coast (and) expands its influence across the Northeast,” the weather service said.
In the New York City region, the storm shut down public transport, canceled flights and closed coronavirus vaccination sites.
New York state Governor Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency in the city and 44 other counties, and warned of possible road closures.
“This is a dangerous situation. A life-threatening situation,” Cuomo told a news conference on Monday. “Expect closures. It’s going to get very bad, very quickly.”
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – FEBRUARY 01: A man takes a photo as snow continues to fall in Times Square on February 01, 2021 in New York City. NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio declared a State of Emergency as a Nor’Easter is expected to bring blizzard-like conditions with up to 18 inches of snow into the city. (Photo by Scott Heins/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – FEBRUARY 01: A woman poses for a photo as snow continues to fall in Times Square on February 01, 2021 in New York City. NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio declared a State of Emergency as a Nor’Easter is expected to bring blizzard-like conditions with up to 18 inches of snow into the city. (Photo by Scott Heins/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – FEBRUARY 01: A man rides a sled towed by a truck as snow continues to fall in Times Square on February 01, 2021 in New York City. NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio declared a State of Emergency as a Nor’Easter is expected to bring blizzard-like conditions with up to 18 inches of snow into the city. (Photo by Scott Heins/Getty Images)
TOPSHOT – People play as snow falls in Wall Street during a winter storm on February 1, 2021 in New York City. – A powerful winter storm is set to dump feet of snow along a stretch of the US east coast including New York City on February 1, 2021, after blanketing the nation’s capital. The National Weather Service issued storm warnings from Virginia to Maine — a swathe home to tens of millions of people — and forecast snowfall of 18 to 24 inches (45-60 centimeters) in southern New York, northeastern New Jersey and parts of southwest Connecticut. (Photo by Kena Betancur / AFP) (Photo by KENA BETANCUR/AFP via Getty Images)
People play as snow falls in Wall Street during a winter storm on February 1, 2021 in New York City. – A powerful winter storm is set to dump feet of snow along a stretch of the US east coast including New York City on February 1, 2021, after blanketing the nation’s capital. The National Weather Service issued storm warnings from Virginia to Maine — a swathe home to tens of millions of people — and forecast snowfall of 18 to 24 inches (45-60 centimeters) in southern New York, northeastern New Jersey and parts of southwest Connecticut. (Photo by Kena Betancur / AFP) (Photo by KENA BETANCUR/AFP via Getty Images)
People make their way through midtown in New York City during a snowstorm, Monday, Feb. 1, 2021. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)
Snow is piled by a loader in the Tri-City Plaza shopping center in Vernon, Conn., Monday, Feb. 1, 2021. The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Warning through Tuesday with a forecast of 7-15 inches in the region. (Mark Mirko/Hartford Courant via AP)
Parked taxis are covered with snow during a snowstorm, Monday, Feb. 1, 2021, in Brooklyn, New York. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)
A pedestrian kicks a soccer ball along the Central Park promenade during a snowstorm, Monday, Feb. 1, 2021, in the Manhattan borough of New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
CORRECTS SPELLING OF PHOTOGRAPHER’S LAST NAME TO BUMSTED INSTEAD OF BUMSTEAD – A bicycle food delivery worker rides his bike through heavy snow that fell at a rate of several inches an hour, Monday, Feb. 1, 2021, in the Soho neighborhood of New York City after a Nor’Easter snowstorm dumped nearly a foot-and-a-half of snow on the area. Much of the city was under a state of emergency Monday, but this bicycle delivery worker was still plowing his way through city streets. (AP Photo/Robert Bumsted)
CORRECTS SPELLING OF PHOTOGRAPHER’S LAST NAME TO BUMSTED INSTEAD OF BUMSTEAD – A bicycle food delivery worker rides his bike through Manhattan’s Soho neighborhood, Monday, Feb. 1, 2021, in New York, as a Nor’Easter snowstorm dumped nearly a foot-and-a-half of snow on the city and environs. Much of the city was under a state of emergency, but bicycle delivery workers were still plowing through the city’s streets. (AP Photo/Robert Bumsted)
Perrin Sue Peters, left, and her sister Harlow Peters, of Pottsville, Pa., help their mother Aubrey shovel out her car in Pottsville, Pa., on Monday, Feb. 1, 2021. (Jacqueline Dormer/Republican-Herald via AP)
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More than 90% of flights at New York City-area airports were canceled on Monday according to Rick Cotton, executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and operations suspended at La Guardia and John F. Kennedy airports in Queens.
More than 13 inches of snow dropped on Manhattan’s Central Park, and as much as 16 inches was reported in northern New Jersey.
The storm already disrupted the second phase of Massachusetts’ vaccine rollout as a Boston site that was supposed to open Monday for residents ages 75 and older did not; some other mass vaccination sites remained open. The state was expected to get 12 to 18 inches of heavy, wet snow and wind up to 55 mph along the coast, according to Gov. Charlie Baker.
In Connecticut, Gov. Ned Lamont said the storm forced the postponement of about 10,000 shots and delayed the state’s weekly resupply of vaccine, now expected Tuesday. He urged providers that called off vaccination appointments to extend their hours if needed to reschedule the shots by the end of the week.
Police in Allentown, Pennsylvania said that a 67-year-old woman suffering from Alzheimer’s disease was found lying dead in the snow on Monday after wandering away from her home. About 60 miles north in Plains Township, a shooting after an argument over snow removal killed a married couple, and the suspect was later found dead at his nearby home of a wound believed to have been self-inflicted, officials in Luzerne County said.
A preliminary investigation indicates the people involved had a long-running conflict, but “this morning, the dispute was exacerbated by a disagreement over snow disposal,” District Attorney Stefanie Salavantis said.
In Virginia, four firefighters were taken to hospitals with injuries that were not life threatening after their firetruck overturned Sunday on snow-covered roads in Henrico County, The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
