Snowstorm buries parts of US northeast, 548 flights cancelled
Source: Agencies |
December 28, 2012, Friday
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A powerful winter storm that has dumped 30 centimeters of snow on parts of the US forced the cancellation of 548 flights yesterday and threatened more havoc as it hit the New England states with fierce winds.
The heaviest snow was falling on Pennsylvania, New York and New England, and winter storm warnings continued over a majority of the US northeast, the National Weather Service said.
The massive storm system touched off tornadoes in the south and produced snow in Texas before barreling down on the densely populated northeast.
The service forecast 30.5 to 46 centimeters of snow for northern New England after the storm moved northeast out of the lower Great Lakes, where it left 30.5 centimeters of snow on parts of Michigan.
The storm front was accompanied by freezing rain and sleet, creating hazards on the highways and at airports.
A Southwest Airlines jet skidded off the runway at Long Island MacArthur Airport, about 80 kilometers east of New York City, as it taxied for takeoff, Suffolk County police said.
No injuries were reported, police said. The Tampa-bound flight No. 4695 had 134 people aboard, police said.
"It's been undetermined at this time if weather was a factor," a police spokeswoman said.
Strong winds
Snow was due to fall in northern New York, Vermont and New Hampshire at up to 5 centimeters an hour, with winds gusting to 48kph, the weather agency said.
So far, 548 US airline flights scheduled for yesterday had been cancelled, according to FlightAware.com, a website that tracks flights.
American Airlines had the most cancelled at 55. A total of about 1,500 US flights were canceled on Wednesday.
New York state activated its Emergency Operations Center late on Wednesday to deal with the first major storm of the season.
Governor Andrew Cuomo warned the heads of seven utilities they would be held accountable for their performances. Utilities near New York City were criticized for lingering outages after Superstorm Sandy hit the region in October.
New York state has seen little snow during autumn and winter. Buffalo, New York, was 58 centimeters below normal for the season before the storm, said Bill Hibbert, a National Weather Service meteorologist.
"We're short and even this big snow isn't going to make it up for us," he said.
The storm dumped record snow in north Texas and Arkansas before it swept through the south on Christmas Day and then veered north.
At least five people were killed in road accidents related to the bad weather, police said.
The heaviest snow was falling on Pennsylvania, New York and New England, and winter storm warnings continued over a majority of the US northeast, the National Weather Service said.
The massive storm system touched off tornadoes in the south and produced snow in Texas before barreling down on the densely populated northeast.
The service forecast 30.5 to 46 centimeters of snow for northern New England after the storm moved northeast out of the lower Great Lakes, where it left 30.5 centimeters of snow on parts of Michigan.
The storm front was accompanied by freezing rain and sleet, creating hazards on the highways and at airports.
A Southwest Airlines jet skidded off the runway at Long Island MacArthur Airport, about 80 kilometers east of New York City, as it taxied for takeoff, Suffolk County police said.
No injuries were reported, police said. The Tampa-bound flight No. 4695 had 134 people aboard, police said.
"It's been undetermined at this time if weather was a factor," a police spokeswoman said.
Strong winds
Snow was due to fall in northern New York, Vermont and New Hampshire at up to 5 centimeters an hour, with winds gusting to 48kph, the weather agency said.
So far, 548 US airline flights scheduled for yesterday had been cancelled, according to FlightAware.com, a website that tracks flights.
American Airlines had the most cancelled at 55. A total of about 1,500 US flights were canceled on Wednesday.
New York state activated its Emergency Operations Center late on Wednesday to deal with the first major storm of the season.
Governor Andrew Cuomo warned the heads of seven utilities they would be held accountable for their performances. Utilities near New York City were criticized for lingering outages after Superstorm Sandy hit the region in October.
New York state has seen little snow during autumn and winter. Buffalo, New York, was 58 centimeters below normal for the season before the storm, said Bill Hibbert, a National Weather Service meteorologist.
"We're short and even this big snow isn't going to make it up for us," he said.
The storm dumped record snow in north Texas and Arkansas before it swept through the south on Christmas Day and then veered north.
At least five people were killed in road accidents related to the bad weather, police said.
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