A nor'easter brought across heavy snow and fierce winds along the East Coast. Many areas had to endure near-whiteout conditions with the number of travel options limited. There were blizzard warnings for millions of people in some coastal areas. The warnings related to heavy snowfall and strong winds. It could attain speeds of up to 70 mph in certain areas. Poor visibility would be unsafe for driving. It could be dangerous to undertake travel in such circumstances.
Keeping safety aspects in mind, some governments in the Northeast issued ban orders for vehicular travel for parts of the day.
Many are urging people not to venture outdoors. People on the East Coast have to be ready to face coastal flooding and the possibility of power outages from uprooted utility lines. Snowfall in Boston could break a record. It could get more than 2 feet of snow and that would break a record of February 17, 2003, when it was 23.6 inches. Recently, winter storm Izzy hit the East Coast and left at least 130,000 people without power.
Blizzard warnings in coastal areas of the East Coast
The governors of New York and New Jersey declared states of emergency. It is possible that nearly a foot of snow would fall from Virginia to New England. Winter weather alerts covered millions of people from the Mid-Atlantic to New England.
The National Weather Service NWS predicted a difficult travel scenario due to whiteout conditions. These would be because of the heavy snow along with strong winds. Visibility could drop to less than a quarter of a mile. People have to be prepared for scattered power outages from high-speed winds. Electricity has become an integral part of today's lifestyle.
Innumerable gadgets depend on electricity, and when power lines go down, the world literally stops. In such cases, renewable energy can make a big difference. The frequency of climatic disorders is on the rise, and the authorities could make provisions for an alternate energy source. The NWS feels this had the makings of a "historic major winter storm for eastern New England." CNN cautions about coastal flooding and high tides.
As to flights within, into, or out of the U.S., there was the cancellation of over 3,500 flights. The blizzard-like conditions forced Amtrak to cancel train service on some routes.
Much of the East Coast covered with snow
According to KVIA, several areas on the East Coast received record snowfall. Officials across the region advised residents to remain in place as the nor'easter moved through the country's northeastern tip. There was a winter weather alert apart from blizzard warnings. The NWS defines a blizzard as a situation where there is blowing or falling snow accompanied by winds of at least 35 miles per hour. There should also be a quarter-mile or less visibility for at least three hours.
The fact remains that people have to avoid going out of doors.
Those intending to fly out of the East Coast stuck
KVIA mentions about large-scale cancellation of flights within, into, or out of the U.S. Major airlines offered waivers to those passengers impacted by the storm. The airlines included Delta and United. Others like American Airlines and Southwest also announced options for passengers whose travel plans did not materialize due to the severe weather conditions. Many records of the snowfall tumbled. New York's Central Park recorded 7.3 inches and beat the previous record of 4.7 inches set in 1904. Similarly, for Philadelphia. Its 5.8 inches of snow Saturday broke the previous record of 5 inches, also set in 1904.
