Storm gone, but cold will stick around through weekend

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Storm gone, but cold will stick around through weekend

2018-01-06 11:50 Last Updated At：13:17

Frigid temperatures, some that felt as cold as minus 30 degrees, moved across the East Coast on Friday as the region dug out from a massive winter storm that brought more than a foot of snow, hurricane-force winds and coastal flooding a day earlier.

Forecasters predicted strong winds and record-breaking cold air to hang around through the weekend.

Jess Flarity, a 32-year-old visiting a friend in Concord, New Hampshire, said the deep chill reminded him of his time in Alaska.

"I've been in minus 60 before so minus 20 doesn't frighten me," he said as he waited for a bus back to Boston Friday. "But I did have to prepare, bring some extra cold weather gear — gloves, boots and those kinds of things."

In Portland, Maine, Jeanne Paterak said the cold snap revived her worries about the impact of climate change. "We are seeing some historic temperatures and everyone will be vulnerable," she said as she stocked up on milk, vegetables and juice at a supermarket Friday morning.

The arctic blast could make temperatures feel as low as minus 15 degrees to minus 25 from Philadelphia to Boston and make residents of states like Maryland and Virginia shiver from temperatures ranging from 10 degrees to 15 degrees. The wind chill could make it feel like minus 35 degrees in the Berkshire hills of western Massachusetts, the National Weather Service said.

Thursday's storm packed wind gusts of more than 70 mph (113 kph) and dumped as much as 18 inches (46 centimeters) of snow in some places.

It caused school and business closings, airline and rail service cancellations or reductions and thousands of utilities outages, many of them restored quickly. Some ferry services also had to be shut down.

Flights resumed at airports along the East Coast after hundreds were canceled Thursday.

Massachusetts officials said the storm caused more than 1 million gallons of untreated sewage to spill into Nantucket Harbor after a huge sewer main break. In Gloucester, north of Boston, an estimated 50 cars were destroyed in a school parking lot after a storm surge submerged the lot under a few feet of salt water.

In New Jersey, gusty winds carried flames from a vacant building across the street to two other buildings Friday morning. The flames also spread to two structures adjacent to the vacant building, damaging a total of five in Newark. Two firefighters suffered minor injuries.

In the South, the winter weather forced portable toilets to be put in place outside Mississippi's Capitol after pipes burst and it caused iguanas to become sluggish and topple from trees in South Florida. Residents of southeast Georgia were treated to a rare half foot of snow (15 centimeters).

In New England, powerful winds brought coastal flooding that reached historic levels in some communities.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration confirmed Friday that water levels in Boston broke the record set during a massive blizzard in 1978.

The flooding sent large trash containers floating down Boston streets, forced the shutdown of a subway station as water cascaded down the steps and prompted rescues of people trapped in cars and homes by rapidly rising waters in several Massachusetts communities.

In Scituate, south of Boston, residents were spending Friday trying to dry out their basements before more frigid temperatures arrived.

Longtime resident Dianne Davis said her home was completely surrounded by ocean water that eventually filled her basement.

"I've never been afraid, but when the water was coming up over my front steps, that's when I said ... 'OK this is getting serious.'" said Davis.

At least 10 people died in weather-related accidents, including a 13-year-old girl who was sickened by carbon monoxide in an apartment building in Perth Amboy, New Jersey.

In Massachusetts, a worker suffered cardiac arrest and died Friday while clearing snow at a Massachusetts Water Resources Authority facility. Two people died of cardiac arrest during the storm Thursday on New York's Long Island, officials said. And in Maine, authorities on Friday said they're still searching for a clammer who disappeared during the blizzard.

Sunday morning was expected to bring the coldest temperatures from Portland, Maine, to Washington, D.C. More seasonable weather is expected to return early next week with temperatures in the high 30s and near 40s.

Winter blast of snow, ice and bitter cold grips the US from the Midwest to the East Coast

2025-01-06 14:15 Last Updated At：14:20

A major winter blast of snow, ice, wind and plunging temperatures in the U.S. stirred dangerous travel conditions from central and southern states all the way to the East Coast early Monday, prompting schools and government offices in several states to close.

Snow and ice blanketed major roads across Kansas, western Nebraska and parts of Indiana, where the state’s National Guard was activated to help stranded motorists. At least 8 inches (20 centimeters) of snow was expected, along with gusting winds up to 45 mph (72 kph).

The National Weather Service issued winter storm warnings from Kansas and Missouri all the way to New Jersey.

“For locations in this region that receive the highest snow totals, it may be the heaviest snowfall in at least a decade,” the weather service said.

Gary Wright wore a parka as he and his husband chipped away at thick ice coating his SUV in a slippery apartment parking lot in Missouri. Wright said he will work remotely Monday, but wanted to scrape off his vehicle as an excuse to spend a little time in the snow. He also is seeking boots for their two older dogs that “won’t budge at all” when their paws hit the cold ground.

The polar vortex of ultra-cold air usually spins around the North Pole. People in the U.S., Europe and Asia experience its intense cold when the vortex escapes and plunges southward.

Studies show a fast-warming Arctic is partly to blame for the increasing frequency of the polar vortex extending its icy grip.

School closings are expected to be widespread Monday. Districts in Indiana, Virginia and Kentucky began announcing cancellations and delays on Sunday afternoon. Kentucky’s Jefferson County Public Schools canceled classes, extracurricular activities and athletics for its nearly 100,000 students.

Classes also have been cancelled in Maryland, where Gov. Wes Moore declared a state of emergency Sunday and announced the state government would be closed Monday.

“Keeping Marylanders safe is our top priority. Please stay off the roads during this storm. Prepare your home and family and charge your communications devices in case you lose power,” Moore said in a statement.

Over the weekend, at least 600 motorists were stranded in Missouri, authorities said. Hundreds of car accidents were reported in Virginia, Indiana, Kansas and Kentucky, where a state trooper was treated for non-life-threatening injuries after his patrol car was hit.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, who declared a state emergency, said government buildings would be closed Monday.

“We see far too many wrecks out there for people that do not have to be on the roads, so I want to ask: Stay inside,” Beshear said.

Virginia State Police reported at least 135 crashes as the storm entered the state Sunday. In Charleston, West Virginia, where several inches (centimeters) of snow had fallen by Sunday night, authorities urged motorists to stay home.

In Indiana, snow fully covered portions of Interstate 64, Interstate 69 and U.S. Route 41, prompting Indiana State Police to plead with motorists to stay off the roads as plows worked to keep up.

“It’s snowing so hard, the snow plows go through and then within a half hour the roadways are completely covered again,” Sgt. Todd Ringle said.

Roughly 10 inches (25 centimeters) of snow fell in Kansas, with eventual totals predicted to top 14 inches (36 centimeters) for parts of that state and northern Missouri.

In Kentucky, Louisville recorded 7.7 inches (19.5 centimeters) of snow on Sunday, a new record for the date that shattered the previous mark of 3 inches (7.6 centimeters) set in 1910.

The storm was forecast to move into the Ohio Valley and reach the Mid-Atlantic states on Monday, with a hard freeze expected as far south as Florida. Winds downed trees around the Deep South on Sunday.

The storms caused havoc for the nation’s passenger railways with more than 20 cancellations Sunday and about 40 planned Monday.

“If local authorities are telling people not to travel, it’s counterintuitive to try to run a full slate of services when people are being told to stay home,” Amtrak spokesperson Marc Magliari said.

Nearly 200 flights in and out of St. Louis Lambert International Airport were canceled, according to tracking platform FlightAware.

Starting Monday, the eastern two-thirds of the U.S. will experience dangerous, bone-chilling cold and wind chills, forecasters said. Temperatures could be 12 to 25 degrees (7 to 14 degrees Celsius) below normal.

In Chicago, temperatures hovered Sunday in the teens (minus 7 to 10 Celsius) and dropped to 11 below (minus 11.7 Celsius) in International Falls, Minnesota, on the Canadian border.

The Northeastern states are more likely to experience several days of cold after a mostly mild start to winter, said National Weather Service meteorologist Jon Palmer in Gray, Maine.

The cold air likely will grip the eastern U.S. as far south as Georgia with parts of the East Coast experiencing single-digit lows, Palmer said.

Read more of the AP’s climate coverage at http://www.apnews.com/climate-and-environment

Witte reported from Annapolis, Maryland, and Whittle from Portland, Maine. Associated Press journalists Julie Walker in New York, Sophia Tareen in Chicago, Kimberly Chandler in Montgomery, Alabama, and Summer Ballentine in Columbia, Missouri, contributed.