Tag Archives: Snow

Winter Weather overtakes Spring

A pedestrian with a red umbrella waits in the snow during a spring snow storm

By Scott Malone and Valerie Vande Panne

BOSTON (Reuters) – Massachusetts, New Hampshire and upstate New York braced for up to 6 inches (15 cm) of snow on Monday as forecasters warned that winter weather would overtake the area even as spring entered its second week.

Police warned motorists to slow down and some schools opened late in the area as the storm blew in during the morning commute and threatened to linger through the evening rush hour, with temperatures holding around 25 degrees Fahrenheit (-3.9°C).

Some harried travelers said they were ready for the climate to catch up with the calendar.

“It’s freezing. I’m tired. It’s April,” Carolyn Thomson, 45, said as she rushed to her job at a downtown Boston financial firm. “It should be over by now. I’m worried about getting my son to school on time. I’m late for work.”

While National Weather Service forecasters said the snow would continue to accumulate through the day, forecasts called for a return to warmer weather by Wednesday, suggesting the white coating would be short-lived.

Following an unusually mild winter, which followed Boston’s record-setting 9 feet (2.74 m) of snow during the winter of 2014-15, one man who makes his living cleaning up after storms said he liked the late storm.

“It’s New England. I’m very happy. It’s overtime,” Pablo Guerrero, a 44-year-old maintenance worker, said as he shoveled a downtown sidewalk. “Last year it was better.”

(Reporting by Scott Malone; Editing by Bill Trott)

Weekend Weather Promises Big Mix

This weekend weather promises a big mix of severe storms, snow, flooding and tornadoes. With a storm system moving across the Central and Southern Plains, a cold front on the East Coast and freezing weather setting in across numerous locations, you don’t have to go far for something different in your weather conditions.

According to the National Weather Service, The western U.S. will remain mostly dry through the weekend as high pressure remains in places across the region. Severe thunderstorms in the central and southern plains will produce hail, damaging winds and some tornadoes. This system will also produce flash flooding and snow over portions of the upper great lakes and central rockies.

The Weather Channel reports that multiple rounds of strong to locally severe storms are possible from Delaware and southeastern Virginia to the Carolinas, south/central Georgia, northern Florida, southern Alabama, southern Mississippi, and southeast Louisiana, as a cold front slowly pushes southeast.

A few thunderstorms may also develop farther north into Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and New England. The potential impacts of these storms could be damaging wind gusts and large hail, though a few tornadoes are possible.
Flash flooding will remain a threat from the Carolinas and Georgia, southern Alabama, the Florida panhandle, coastal Mississippi and southeast Louisiana.

The National Weather Service also reported that heavy rain and strong storms were expected for the Southeast states and snow with much colder temperatures will be the norm from the upper midwest to the Northeast this weekend.

Several tornadoes were reported in Mississippi and Alabama Thursday evening as a multi-day round of severe weather clobbered the South, and the threat persisted Friday morning into Georgia in reports by The Weather Channel.

One twister touched down in Lowndes County, Mississippi, near New Hope before rising off the ground and touching down again across the state line in Alabama near Ethelsville. Lowndes County Emergency Management Service Director Cindy Lawrence told the Associated Press that at least a dozen homes near New Hope were damaged by the storm, but there were no injuries. Survey crews from the National Weather Service found two EF1 tornadoes hit northern Pickens County in Alabama.

A Mississippi teen was killed earlier in the day Thursday in a wreck on wet roads.

For those of you experiencing any severe weather in your area, please stay tuned to your local weather stations for up to date information.

Light winter weather threatening central United States

Portions of 15 states were under winter weather advisories on Tuesday morning as a winter storm was expected to bring snow, freezing rain and sleet later tonight and into Wednesday.

Precipitation types and totals were expected to vary by location, according to the National Weather Service, but none of the states were expected to see more than moderate amounts.

The service issued a winter storm warning for Kentucky, advising up to 5 inches of snow was possible through Wednesday, and winter storm watches in other portions of that state and southern Illinois. Other parts of those states, as well as the 13 others in the service’s advisory area, were largely forecast to get between 1 and 4 inches of snow, or other winter precipitation.

The National Weather Service issued the winter weather advisories for parts of Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, Indiana, Ohio, Tennessee, North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Kentucky, Illinois and Virginia, asking motorists there to exercise caution.

Precipitation was falling in Nebraska, Iowa and Missouri as of late Tuesday morning, the National Weather Service’s radar showed, and it was expected to move east into Wednesday.

The National Weather Service also said it was “monitoring the possibility” of a more significant winter storm that could affect major cities in the northeast this weekend. Early forecasts indicate the storm may bring 1 to 2 feet of snow and coastal flooding along the I-95 corridor, the service said, a stretch that includes cities like Washington, Philadelphia, New York and Boston. The service had yet to issue any watches or warnings for that storm, as it may not materialize.

Separately, a storm arrived on the Pacific Coast on Tuesday and triggered several other notices.

The National Weather Service issued winter storm warnings in mountainous parts of California, which could receive 6 to 18 inches of snow by the end of the day. The service also issued flood advisories for other portions of California, saying rain may cause small streams to flood.

Winter weather advisories were issued in parts of Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana as a storm was expected to move east into those states later tonight and into tomorrow, but snow totals weren’t expected to be as significant as they were California. Still, the service called for up to 5 inches of snow in Washington’s valleys and 8 inches in its mountains.

New York hit by stretch of lake effect storms, forecasts call for heavy snow

The latest in a stretch of powerful lake effect snowstorms was pummeling upstate New York on Tuesday, with forecasts calling for significant amounts of additional snow in the next two days.

The National Weather Service issued lake effect snow warnings for several counties in western New York, warning that some regions that border Lake Erie and Lake Ontario could see two more feet of snow fall between 10 a.m. Tuesday and 1 p.m. Thursday. Totals were expected to be much lighter further inland, though some communities were expecting about 6 inches of snow.

The latest snow comes on the heels of a lake effect storm that ripped through upstate New York on Monday and dumped 38 inches of snow in Lorraine, a small town about an hour north of Syracuse, according to the National Weather Service. That was the service’s most extreme report of snowfall, though two communities in Erie County reported they received more than foot.

Officials banned all travel in five communities near Buffalo, according to a news release from Governor Andrew Cuomo’s office, as the service called for whiteout conditions this afternoon. Officials also barred unnecessary trips in Erie County and Genesee County, both near lakes.

According to Cuomo’s office, the state Department of Transportation and state Thruway Authority have a combined 793 snow plows, 1,793 employees and more than 188,000 tons of salt available to clear roads. But officials urged motorists to avoid the roads if possible.

While New York was experiencing the most severe storms, it wasn’t the only place impacted by winter weather.

Northern Maine was under a winter storm warning, with the National Weather Service warning that 4 to 8 inches of snow was expected to fall before 10 a.m. Wednesday. Western Michigan was also under a separate winter storm warning with up to 4 inches of snow in Tuesday’s forecast.

The National Weather Service also issued winter weather advisories in parts of Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana and Michigan as lighter snow fell across those states.

Another storm in the Pacific Northwest triggered some winter storm warnings and advisories, and National Weather Service forecasts indicated some parts of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and California could see up to a foot of snow before Thursday evening.

Destructive Winter Storm Reaches New England

A powerful and deadly winter storm that brought heavy snow and widespread flooding to the United States continued to travel east on Tuesday morning, leaving more destruction in its path.

The National Weather Service issued winter weather advisories and winter storm warnings in parts of Pennsylvania, New York and New England as the storm was poised to finally exit the country. But the storm’s fury was still being felt across the nation, particularly in the Great Plains and Ohio and Mississippi valleys, where numerous flood warnings remained in effect.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said 438 river gauges across the nation were in flood stage on Tuesday morning, 53 of which were experiencing “major flooding.” Most of them were clustered in the central United States, though a few were in the southeast. In many locations, floodwaters had already reached or were threatening to surpass historic levels.

Fueled by 10 inches of rainfall in the vicinity, the Illinois River near Tahlequah, Oklahoma, reached an all-time high crest of 30.69 feet on Monday, more than 2.5 feet above the previous record that was set 65 years ago, the NOAA reported. The floodwaters had receded to about 21 feet there on Tuesday morning, though that was still more than three feet above the threshold for what is considered major flooding. The NOAA said parts of Texas, Arkansas and Missouri also saw 10 or more inches of rain, including a storm-high 12.25 inches near Union, Missouri. The storm also packed a powerful punch in Illinois, dumping 9.98 inches of rain near Roxana.

Rising waters prompted the mayor of St. Louis to declare a city emergency. Just south of the city in Arnold, the NOAA reported Meramec River was already experiencing major flooding, and was expected to surpass its all-time high level of 45.3 feet later this week. That water flows into the Mississippi River, and the NOAA projected that the further-south riverside communities of Chester, Illinois, and Cape Girardeau, Missouri, were also expected to tie or break local crest records.

That’s just a sampling of the storm’s flooding, and the 438 river gauges do not necessarily cover the lakes or other water bodies causing floods. In southern Missouri, for example, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reported that waters at Table Rock Lake rose approximately 17 feet between Monday and Tuesday, fueling a massive release of water into flood-prone Lake Taneycomo. The United States Geological Survey reported that waters at Ozark Beach Dam in Forsyth, some 20 miles away from Table Rock Lake, rose three feet between Monday and Tuesday.

The storm brought more than just flooding and heavy rains.

More than three inches of sleet fell in Iowa and Illinois, the NOAA reported. But an inch was enough to snarl traffic at Chicago O’Hare International Airport, one of the world’s busiest.

Flight monitoring website FlightAware.com reported that 1,366 flights to or from the airport were cancelled on Monday, more than half of the airport’s scheduled traffic. Another 303 flights involving Chicago Midway International Airport were also cancelled, according to FlightAware, and lingering effects of the storm caused an additional 236 cancellations at O’Hare on Tuesday.

According to NOAA data, no place came close to receiving the 41 inches of snow the storm dumped on Bonito Lake, located in a mountain range in New Mexico. But the storm did produce more than nine inches of snow in Oklahoma, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Texas.

The storm knocked out power to tens of thousands in Oklahoma, according to utility companies.

While the storm appears seems to have weakened considerably, it’s still packing a punch. According to the National Weather Service, parts of Maine could receive up to a foot of snow.

More Flooding, Tornadoes, Snow Expected to Impact United States

More extreme weather was threatening the United States on Monday morning, as the remnants of the devastating and deadly Winter Storm Goliath continued to move eastward.

The storm system produced the floods and tornadoes that caused at least 43 deaths in recent days, according to Reuters. On Monday, thunderstorms, flooding and winter precipitation was affecting a widespread stretch of the nation, and there were even additional tornado warnings.

The National Weather Service (NWS) issued winter storm warnings in parts of eight states: Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota, Iowa, South Dakota, Missouri and Kansas. Flood warnings or flash flood watches were in effect in parts of 15 states, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported 378 river gauges were in flood stage nationwide.

There were also active tornado watches in central Alabama and the Florida panhandle as heavy rain and storms continued their push through the area. The more serious tornado warnings had been issued in parts of those states, as well as portions of Mississippi, earlier in the morning.

Most of the 34 gauges with “major flooding” indicated were in the Great Plains, where rainfall was particularly heavy. The NWS reported that certain parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Missouri received more than 10 inches of rain between noon Saturday and 8 a.m. Monday.

That’s led to record flooding in some locations.

The NOAA reported the Illinois River near Tahlequah, Oklahoma, was at 29.92 feet, already two feet above its previous record that was set back in 1950. The river was expected to rise to 31 feet.

More rain was expected to fall later in the day, which could spur additional flooding.

The Mississippi River in Chester, Illinois, is expected to see a record crest of 49.9 feet on New Year’s Day. Cape Girardeau, Missouri, is also forecast to hit a record crest of 45.5 feet that day.

In areas with colder temperatures, that precipitation was falling as snow or freezing rain.

The NWS reported that 18 different locations in New Mexico received more than a foot of snow, including a whopping 41 inches near Bonito Lake in the Sierra Blanca mountains. Many roads in the state remained closed Monday and there were “numerous” people still stranded in vehicles.

Governors in Missouri and New Mexico have declared states of emergency.

On Monday, the snow was expected to fall in the northern United States. Some regions of Wisconsin, Minnesota and Michigan could see 10 inches of snow, the NWS said.

Parts of New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New England were under winter weather advisories as the storm was expected to travel there later Monday and into Tuesday.

Winter Storm Echo’s Heavy Snow Shuts Down Flights, Closes Roads

Parts of eight Western states were under winter storm warnings on Tuesday morning as a powerful winter storm continued to travel across the United States.

The National Weather Service issued the warnings in Utah, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota and Nebraska as Winter Storm Echo moved east.

Meteorologists warned the storm would bring more heavy snowfall and high wind gusts, and could spur hazardous travel conditions. It’s already dumped lots of snow in the states it passed.

The National Weather Service reported the storm brought 28.1 inches of snow to Bountiful, Utah, between 6 a.m. Saturday and 7 a.m. Tuesday, and more snow was expected to fall later Tuesday. About 26.3 inches were recorded near Atlanta, Idaho, and 23.3 inches were observed near Corbin, Montana. Double-digit totals were also seen in parts of Colorado and Wyoming.

In some cases, the snowfall totals were record.

The Salt Lake Tribune reported that 6.9 inches of snow fell at the city’s airport Sunday, smashing the previous single-day record of 5.8 inches. The previous mark was set in 1922.

Winter Storm Echo was also snarling travel, including some significant developments.

The snow forced the cancellation of 315 flights to and from Denver International Airport on Tuesday, according to the flight monitoring website FlightAware. Another 212 were delayed.

In Wyoming, the state Department of Transportation shut down a roughly 108-mile eastbound stretch of Interstate 80 between Rock Springs and Rawlins due to “winter conditions.” The road was also closed in both directions between Cheyenne and Laramie, some 50 miles apart.

While the storm was no longer pummeling the West Coast, it certainly made an impact.

The storm’s highest recorded snowfall total was 33 inches in Willamette Pass, Oregon. Echo also deposited 20-plus inches in mountainous California and Nevada, and a foot in Jacob Lake, Arizona. The storm dropped rain on warmer areas, including 8.71 inches in parts of California.

That rain was being blamed for at least two deaths.

In California, CBS San Francisco reported that the parents of two young children died when their car rolled over multiple times and tumbled down an embankment off Interstate 580 on Saturday. Fire officials reportedly said the vehicle might have hydroplaned on slick roads there.

At least 10 dead following Winter Storm Cara, more extreme weather to come

The rain, snow and ice dumped by Winter Storm Cara caused multiple deaths throughout the country, according to media reports, and more extreme weather is forecast for the week ahead.

A USA Today report says at least six people died in ice-storm-related accidents in Oklahoma and Kansas. Flooding in North Texas claimed the lives of at least four more, according to Texas television station WFAA.

The complex and wide-reaching storm dumped more than 20 inches of snow in parts of Nevada, Oregon and California and 14 or more inches in Wyoming, Idaho and Colorado, according to The Weather Channel. An inch or more of ice accumulated on power lines in parts of Oklahoma.

USA Today reported Oklahoma’s governor, Mary Fallin, declared a statewide state of emergency and 100,000 customers did not have power Sunday afternoon. The Weather Channel reported those numbers were down to 58,000 by Monday morning, most of them near Oklahoma City.

Meanwhile, heavy rainfall in Texas helped Dallas break its annual record for precipitation.

USA Today reported Dallas has already received more than 4½ feet of rain this year. The annual total was just shy of 56 inches on Sunday, smashing the 53.54-inch record established in 1991.

WFAA reported “widespread flooding in several areas” of Texas. It said there were 446 car wrecks and 38 water rescue calls between Thanksgiving morning and Sunday evening.

As that storm dissipated, another one was brewing over the Northern Plains.

The National Weather Service has issued winter storm warnings in parts of South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas and Minnesota. Winter weather advisories were also in effect in parts of those states, plus North Dakota and Wisconsin on Monday morning.

CNN is reporting a foot of snow is expected in Minnesota, where the highest totals are forecast.

Winter Storm Cara brings more severe weather to central United States

More power outages and travel delays are being reported as Winter Storm Cara continues to pummel the central United States, and the threat of additional outages and disruption looms as the powerful storm is predicted to generate additional ice and snow throughout the weekend.

Parts of New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas were under ice storm warnings from the National Weather Service on Friday. Flood warnings were in effect in portions of Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Missouri. Numerous other advisories and warnings had been issued.

The Weather Channel predicts that 21 states will be subjected to snow, sleet or freezing rain by the time Cara dissipates. Cara is moving slower than usual because of a pattern in the jet stream.

The storm began dropping snow on the Pacific Northwest on Tuesday. The Weather Channel’s forecasts indicate Cara’s energy could linger over eastern states until the middle of next week, and caution that rainfall in warmer regions ahead of the snow could trigger flash flooding.

On Friday, meteorologists were concerned about an ice storm that was developing in a swath that stretched from eastern New Mexico into northern Texas, central Oklahoma, southeastern Kansas and northwestern Missouri. That’s where the icy precipitation was expected to accumulate the most and last the longest, according to meteorologists at AccuWeather.com.

They warned of a half inch of ice building up on certain exposed surfaces. AccuWeather’s senior vice president of enterprise solutions, Mike Smith, told the organization’s website that the storm could also cause “significant power failures” in certain parts of Oklahoma and Texas.

The Weather Channel reported a quarter of an inch had already built up in Woodward, Oklahoma, on Friday morning, and the entire town of Rockwell City, Iowa, was without power.

The snow has also led to travel delays and accidents throughout the country.

The Minnesota State Patrol had reported 139 crashes as of 9 p.m. Wednesday night, according to WCCO in Minneapolis. At least one of those accidents was fatal and 33 of them caused injuries.

Some motorists became trapped in the snow on roads in southern California, the California Highway Patrol told the Los Angeles Times. Officials in Idaho reported cars slid off roads there.

According to The Weather Channel, the heaviest snowfall was reported in Nevada, where an estimated 25 inches fell near Deeth. More than 20 inches of snow were reported in parts of California and Oregon, and 14 inches were reported Buhl, Idaho and Sinks Canyon, Wyoming.

It wasn’t just the snow that was accumulating, as an NBC News report indicated Dallas-Fort Worth broke its all-time rainfall record with Cara’s precipitation early Friday morning. More than 53 inches of rain have fallen there since the start of the year.

Winter Storm Cara poised to impact Thanksgiving travel

A powerful winter storm is disrupting Thanksgiving travel plans across the United States, bringing ice, snow and rain to those in its path.

Winter Storm Cara pummeled the Pacific Northwest with more than a foot of snow and knocked out power to thousands of people on Tuesday, and the storm appears to be only getting started.

The National Weather Service has issued numerous weather advisories and warnings across the country, ranging from hard freeze and winter storm warnings in Oregon to winter weather and flood watches in Oklahoma. Parts of Wyoming are under a blizzard warning on Wednesday.

There are more concerns of snow, black ice, fog and flooding as the storm continues to move east, according to forecasts from The Weather Channel and AccuWeather.

Those are expected to cause travel delays at airports and on highways from the Rocky Mountains to the Great Lakes into Friday, meteorologist Dave Bowers told accuweather.com.

The latest Weather Channel forecasts call for Cara to dump a foot and a half of snow in parts of the country through Sunday, though most areas are projected to receive less than five inches.

AccuWeather meteorologists also warn of the potential impact of other forms of precipitation.

While they don’t expect freezing rain will be a major issue for most of the country, there is the chance for enough accumulation to bring down power lines and trees in the Great Plains.

They also noted that some areas could experience flash flooding as rain is expected to fall across the Great Plains on Thursday and Friday. The storm is expected to continue east Saturday.

The Weather Channel also warned of the potential for flooding and flash flooding throughout the weekend, as conditions are ripe for torrential rainfall in the south central United States.

The Associated Press reported on Tuesday that parts of Washington had already been without power for nearly a week after a deadly windstorm knocked out the electrical grid in Spokane. Cara’s winds then knocked out power to more than 40,000 Washington residents, KIRO reported.