The winter storm slamming into dozens of states and menacing nearly 50 million Americans is a blizzard for the history books. According the National Weather Service, it could rank near the top 10 of winter storms to ever hit the region.
To stay safe, authorities are asking affected residents to stay indoors and avoid all unnecessary travel until roadways have been cleared.
Snowfall as heavy as 1 to 3 inches an hour could continue for 24 hours or more in the area starting today, said meteorologist Paul Kocin with the service’s Weather Prediction Center. That puts estimates at more than 2 feet for Washington and Baltimore, a foot to 18 inches for Philadelphia and 8 inches to a foot in New York.
Kocin compared the storm it to “Snowmageddon,” the first of two storms that “wiped out” Washington in 2010 and dumped up to 30 inches of snow in places, but he said the weekend timing and days of warning could help limit deaths and damage.
At a supermarket in Baltimore, Sharon Brewington stocked her cart with ready-to-eat snacks, bread, milk and cold cuts. In 2010, she and her daughter were stuck at home with nothing but noodles and water.
“I’m not going to make that mistake again,” she said.
As food and supplies vanished from store shelves, five states and the District of Columbia declared states of emergency ahead of the slow-moving system. Schools and government offices closed pre-emptively. Approximately 5,000 flights were canceled. College basketball games and concerts were postponed.
The snowfall, expected to continue into Sunday, could easily cause more than $1 billion in damage and paralyze the Eastern third of the nation, weather service director Louis Uccellini said.
“It does have the potential to be an extremely dangerous storm that can affect more than 50 million people,” Uccellini said at the Weather Prediction Center in College Park, Maryland.
The director said all the ingredients have come together to create a blizzard with brutally high winds, dangerous inland flooding, white-out conditions and even the possibility of thunder snow.
Washington looks like the bull’s eye of the blizzard, Uccellini said. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said President Barack Obama would hunker down at the White House.
“It’s going to be dangerous out there,” said Tonya Woods, 42, a Washington Metro station manager who lives in suburban Clinton, Maryland. “I say they should shut things down.”
Late Thursday, she got her wish when the federal government announced that its offices would be closing at noon Friday. The capital’s subway system had announced earlier in the day that it will shut down entirely late Friday night and remain closed through Sunday for the sake of employee and rider safety. Underground stations usually stay open during major snowstorms.
New York City is just inside the storm’s sharp northern edge, which means it is likely to see heavy accumulations, but Boston will probably get off easy this time, forecasters said.
Unfortunately, more than just snow is coming. Uccellini said it won’t be quite as bad as Superstorm Sandy, but people should expect high winds, a storm surge and inland flooding from Delaware to New York. Other severe but non-snowy weather is likely from Texas to Florida as the storm system chugs across the Gulf Coast, gaining moisture.
States of emergency were declared in Tennessee, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and parts of other states, where road crews were out in force Thursday. Blizzard warnings or watches were in effect along the storm’s path, from Arkansas through Tennessee and Kentucky to the mid-Atlantic states and as far north as New York.
Train service could be disrupted as well, by frozen switches, the loss of third-rail electric power or trees falling on overhead wires. About 1,000 track workers will be deployed to keep New York City’s subway system moving, and 79 trains will have “scraper shoes” to reduce icing on the rails, the Metropolitan Transit Authority said.
All major airlines have issued waivers for travel over the weekend, allowing passengers to rebook onto earlier or later flights to avoid the storms. The flight tracking site FlightAware estimates airlines will cancel at least 2,000 flights Friday and another 3,000 Saturday, which is the slowest travel days of the week. By Sunday afternoon, however, the airlines hope to be back to full schedule.
One major event in Washington was still on: the March for Life, an annual anti-abortion rally that’s usually one of the largest events on the National Mall. It will be held Friday, the anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision.
The U.S. Capitol Police said sledding on Capitol Hill — which only recently became legal after an act of Congress — would be welcome for the first time in decades, as long as conditions are safe.
The Associated Press contributed to this article
Seriously, how can an inch of snow cripple large cities like Atlanta or Washington, DC? If a Chevy or Ford can drive through a foot of snow in NYC, Boston or Philly then why do they not run in Atlanta in 2 inches of snow?
it’s not the vehicles, it’s the inexperience of the people driving them.
Because what Atlanta gets has more wet in it than the dry powder snow there for it tends to be icy and you have less traction on ice than powder snow.
I guess you’ve never been to Boston or NYC in a storm. Heavy wet snow and ice is common. Those places deal with it and stores and offices stay open or open the next day. Boston’s subway had trouble last year, but it was because of poor maintenance an bad affirmative action managers. I know Atlanta is a warmer climate. However they should invest in some sand trucks.
I lived in metro Atlanta for over 30 yrs and witnessed the first big snowfall in the early 80s. it stranded downtown office types over a weekend in their offices,\, The bar and restaurant biz went thru the roof feeding them but little snow removal equip was available. They acquired some and it sat there unused for yrs until the next emergency a few yrs later. Atlanta metro is very hilly , especially on the northside and cars just slid down the major arteries..it was and remains a mess when ice storms arrive. I just stayed at home as I was terrified of other drivers and was lucky to never have an accident.. Youd never have believed it, but one night the temp dropped to -4 F. fortunately on that night, no winter weather occurred
I didn’t know that “youd” was a word. lol
The article read, 1 or 2 inches per hour.
Yes, I know. However, Atlanta was crippled in 2014 with just 2 inches of snow. Washington DC the other day had an inch and it was a crisis.
Seriously, Main Street, read the article. Here, I’ll help you…
“Snowfall as heavy as 1 to 3 inches an hour could continue for 24 hours… ”
“That puts estimates at more than 2 feet for Washington and Baltimore…”
The article never mentions Atlanta.
Seriously, Washington DC got an inch of snow the other day. The city stopped moving. Atlanta had 2 inches of snow in 2014 and people abandoned their cars and slept in stores. That was my point as to how our mid-Atlantic and southern folks fold like an accordion for a little bit of snow.
If the snow depth builds to the 3-4ft that is predicted it will indeed cripple large cities like New York.
Yep, I remember the Winter of ’67; we had 3 feet in Chicago. Lots of people stranded at work…couldn’t get home. I lived near First Avenue & North Ave., in Melrose Park, I think. They had Hough Payloaders piling up the snow in the middle of the streets, big, high piles, like 10 feet. It was like driving around in a maze.
1 to 3 inches PER HOUR
GA is not prepared for major snowstorms. It doesn’t have snowplows, and drivers
don’t know how to drive in snow.
I once visited a friend, in Louisville, KY., during the winter. As soon as the neighbors discovered that I was from Chicago, they all wanted me to join their carpool, because I know how to drive in the snow. Nobody down there knew how to drive in the snow. At that time, the City Of Louisville didn’t own a snow plow. They only had one plow; it was a mud plow.
You can drive through me walking to store no car
It is the operators of the vehicles. They have no experience or sensibility about ice and snow driving. Those of us who do, don’t want to get out there with the people playing “dodge car” who don’t know how to handle it. Additionally, we have no snow tires, tire chains or road clearing equipment. It does, however, seem ridiculous how everything shuts down for frozen precipitation here. Fortunately, it is usually gone in a day or two because the weather changes so rapidly!
I remember when I was in the service. It was in the south. Very hot. The southerners boasted about how tough they were in the heat. Then I saw 2 years ago how Atlanta shut down and folks abandoned their cars and slept in stores in 2 inches of snow. It gets very hot in the northeast and cold and snowy too. Places like Boston and NYC are up and running within hours after huge snow storms.
I used to live in WDC during the previous big snow storms. Since the area has so many temporary transients driving in that kind of weather is not something many of them know how to do. Got sick of the ridiculous weather patterns there so I moved. Good luck to those who live there. Hope u do ok!
Must be Obama’s ‘Global Warming’!!!! H flew too many miles in Air Force One and decimated the world’s climate.
1973. Whidbey Island, Washington. I was stationed in the ATC control tower and lived at Greenbank, 26 miles south of the Naval Air Station. One evening it snowed one and one half inches (1.5″). When I left home at 2300 to relieve the evening watch at 2345, in those mere 26 miles to the base I saw no fewer than 14 outfits off the road, a few way down an embankment, and, I had a log chain so I pulled two (2) of them back up onto the asphalt. Big city people are NEVER taught what we cowboys are taught in Montana and Wyoming. They simply DO NOT HAVE A CLUE and instead of drive slowly they charge as usual and BRAKE themselves into serious trouble. Dumb, very dumb.
Big city folks in Chicago, NYC and Boston know how to drive in snow. Those cities stay open in blizzards.
Global Warming at work.
They mentioned OBLOWME will be hunkered down. Too bad he won’t blow away in the snowstorm… Good riddance!!!
It seems we have had more severe winter storms after Al Gore declared global warming to be settled science. As the snow continues to fall at my house I would like to see some global warming.
its Bushs fault..or is it climate change???? I seem to get them mixed up, perhaps interchanged
Don’t you know, it is BECAUSE of global warming that the ice caps are melting making it colder.
Like putting ice cubes in your drink. At least that’s the only thing that makes sense to me.
Make mine a double!
Oh, wait a minute, It’s Global Warming.
Hey, everyone that has been looking for a “Sign from God”, I think this is going to be a biggie for the East Coast. California already had their “Sign” when God took all the water, started the entire state on fire, and then gave all the water back at once, but all those libbys ignored it! I wonder if the libbys on the East Coast will ignore Him too?! I’ll bet the usurper will accuse God of racism when He turns everything “White”!
yes even if those comments are true big cities are always in some kind of a little snow crisis,you all those non drivers all they do is cut in and out making people think how cool they,re ,until a relative goes to see them and help them out pick out a nice wheel chair,or an artficial leg, even worse see them at their nearest funeral parlor,anyone for snow chikie,,////????
Laughter is the best medicine.