Post by lamp4thelord on Feb 13, 2014 13:12:50 GMT -5
A deadly winter storm has taken a toll from Texas to New England, producing a messy mix of ice-slicked roads, power outages and whiteout conditions that have battered millions of Americans enduring an already punishing winter.
As more than a half-million homes and businesses in the South woke up Thursday without electric power following a vicious ice storm, millions more along the Interstate 95 corridor are struggling to dig out of more than a foot of snow in some parts.
The swift-moving storm — initially categorized as “catastrophic” — wreaked havoc across 22 states:
● There were still 689,000 power outages, mainly across the South, as of Thursday morning. Georgia and South Carolina bore the brunt of Wednesday’s ice storm and account for more than 60 percent of the outages. Georgia’s highways were virtually empty after officials warned drivers to stay off the roads — a vast difference from the Jan. 28 storm when commuters were stuck for hours in paralyzing gridlock.
● Areas around Washington, D.C., and Baltimore were slammed with at least a foot of snow overnight Wednesday as the storm moves up the coast at a rate of 1 to 2 inches per hour. Capitol Hill came to a standstill Thursday morning, with the federal government and courts closing, and the White House canceling a briefing with reporters.
● The storm hit Philadelphia at midnight, dumping more than 8 inches of snow by the morning and moving the winter of 2014 into the top five snowiest for that city. New York City, meanwhile, had 7 inches by 9 a.m. Tom Niziol, The Weather Channel’s winter weather expert, warned that while East Coast cities will see the snow turn into rain by the afternoon, the tail end of the storm will bring another blast of snow and potentially several more inches.
● The storm, which first struck eastern Texas on Monday, is being blamed for at least 16 deaths, mostly involving traffic accidents. Seven of those were in Texas, and included three people who died in an ambulance rollover near San Angelo on Monday night. There were also at least two deaths in Mississippi, two in Georgia, two in South Carolina and three in North Carolina.
● Highways in North Carolina turned into parking lots as Wednesday evening commuters became trapped in traffic. State officials said Thursday trucks were moving abandoned cars to the shoulder or towing them to safe locations so that more than 1,400 salt trucks and plows could mobilize.
The snow will be a major headache for travelers in the Northeast, already weather-beaten by the relentless winter season, said Kevin Roth, a forecaster with The Weather Channel.
Communities “may have enough plows to deal with normal storms but with two inches an hour … the snow just builds back up,” he added. “This will affect any roadways or airport runways in the region.”
There were already more than 5,500 flight cancelations across the U.S. as of 11 a.m. ET Thursday and more than 1,000 delays, according to FlightAware.com. All the major airports in the New York City area remained open Thursday morning, even as hundreds of flights were canceled.
But in D.C., both Reagan National Airport and Dulles International Airport closed their runways.
The D.C. Taxicab Commission has allowed hacks to add $15 to the metered charge as an incentive to work, according to NBC Washington.
Driver Abraham Hayandu said Wednesday night he wasn’t going to risk the drive.
“To make $100, $200, I don’t want to get stuck and pay $500, $300 for a tow truck,” he told NBC Washington.
Thousands of kids are being kept home in Philadelphia where flooding may also be a concern should heavy rainfall mix with snow already on the ground. This, combined with strong winds could also lead to power outages, NBC Philadelphia reported.
Gov. Chris Christie declared a state of emergency in New Jersey, where dozens of school districts canceled classes.
But public schools in New York City remained open Thursday even as New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency for the city, as well as the mid-Hudson and Long Island regions.
“These regions are expected to continue to receive heavy snow that may accumulate at rates of around two to three inches per hour, which will make it difficult for plows to keep some roads clear,” Cuomo said in a statement. “New Yorkers should stay off of the roads and remain in their homes until the worst of the storm has passed.”
Micah Asculai, a sous chef at Del Frisco’s in Manhattan, arrived at the train station in Fanwood, N.J., for a challenging commute Thursday morning.
“I grew up in Canada,” he told NBC News, “but I’ve had enough of this. ... Just 37 days ‘til spring!”
NBC News' Henry Austin, Alexander Smith and John Makely contributed to this report.
www.nbcnews.com/storyline/deep-freeze/whiteout-monster-snowstorm-wipes-out-power-half-million-n29176
As more than a half-million homes and businesses in the South woke up Thursday without electric power following a vicious ice storm, millions more along the Interstate 95 corridor are struggling to dig out of more than a foot of snow in some parts.
The swift-moving storm — initially categorized as “catastrophic” — wreaked havoc across 22 states:
● There were still 689,000 power outages, mainly across the South, as of Thursday morning. Georgia and South Carolina bore the brunt of Wednesday’s ice storm and account for more than 60 percent of the outages. Georgia’s highways were virtually empty after officials warned drivers to stay off the roads — a vast difference from the Jan. 28 storm when commuters were stuck for hours in paralyzing gridlock.
● Areas around Washington, D.C., and Baltimore were slammed with at least a foot of snow overnight Wednesday as the storm moves up the coast at a rate of 1 to 2 inches per hour. Capitol Hill came to a standstill Thursday morning, with the federal government and courts closing, and the White House canceling a briefing with reporters.
● The storm hit Philadelphia at midnight, dumping more than 8 inches of snow by the morning and moving the winter of 2014 into the top five snowiest for that city. New York City, meanwhile, had 7 inches by 9 a.m. Tom Niziol, The Weather Channel’s winter weather expert, warned that while East Coast cities will see the snow turn into rain by the afternoon, the tail end of the storm will bring another blast of snow and potentially several more inches.
● The storm, which first struck eastern Texas on Monday, is being blamed for at least 16 deaths, mostly involving traffic accidents. Seven of those were in Texas, and included three people who died in an ambulance rollover near San Angelo on Monday night. There were also at least two deaths in Mississippi, two in Georgia, two in South Carolina and three in North Carolina.
● Highways in North Carolina turned into parking lots as Wednesday evening commuters became trapped in traffic. State officials said Thursday trucks were moving abandoned cars to the shoulder or towing them to safe locations so that more than 1,400 salt trucks and plows could mobilize.
The snow will be a major headache for travelers in the Northeast, already weather-beaten by the relentless winter season, said Kevin Roth, a forecaster with The Weather Channel.
Communities “may have enough plows to deal with normal storms but with two inches an hour … the snow just builds back up,” he added. “This will affect any roadways or airport runways in the region.”
There were already more than 5,500 flight cancelations across the U.S. as of 11 a.m. ET Thursday and more than 1,000 delays, according to FlightAware.com. All the major airports in the New York City area remained open Thursday morning, even as hundreds of flights were canceled.
But in D.C., both Reagan National Airport and Dulles International Airport closed their runways.
The D.C. Taxicab Commission has allowed hacks to add $15 to the metered charge as an incentive to work, according to NBC Washington.
Driver Abraham Hayandu said Wednesday night he wasn’t going to risk the drive.
“To make $100, $200, I don’t want to get stuck and pay $500, $300 for a tow truck,” he told NBC Washington.
Thousands of kids are being kept home in Philadelphia where flooding may also be a concern should heavy rainfall mix with snow already on the ground. This, combined with strong winds could also lead to power outages, NBC Philadelphia reported.
Gov. Chris Christie declared a state of emergency in New Jersey, where dozens of school districts canceled classes.
But public schools in New York City remained open Thursday even as New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency for the city, as well as the mid-Hudson and Long Island regions.
“These regions are expected to continue to receive heavy snow that may accumulate at rates of around two to three inches per hour, which will make it difficult for plows to keep some roads clear,” Cuomo said in a statement. “New Yorkers should stay off of the roads and remain in their homes until the worst of the storm has passed.”
Micah Asculai, a sous chef at Del Frisco’s in Manhattan, arrived at the train station in Fanwood, N.J., for a challenging commute Thursday morning.
“I grew up in Canada,” he told NBC News, “but I’ve had enough of this. ... Just 37 days ‘til spring!”
NBC News' Henry Austin, Alexander Smith and John Makely contributed to this report.
www.nbcnews.com/storyline/deep-freeze/whiteout-monster-snowstorm-wipes-out-power-half-million-n29176