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Incident

Major winter storm wallops Northeast

12 January 2011 22:07 (UTC +04:00)

Baku â€“ APA. The second major snow storm of the winter blanketed the Northeast and canceled thousands of flights Wednesday, battering parts of New England with nearly two feet of snow, APA reports quoting â€œReutersâ€.
The National Weather Service reported snow on the ground in 49 of the 50 states -- only Florida was spared -- and much of the South was still battling icy conditions that made roads dangerous and led to several traffic deaths.
Thunder and lightning struck Boston and the New England states. Between 12 and 14 inches fell in the Boston area, and Accuweather.com meteorologists reported 22 inches of snow on the ground in Ridgefield, Connecticut.
"A snow storm will continue to bury New England today with fierce blizzard conditions toward the coast, creating nightmares for travelers and residents," Accuweather senior meteorologist Kristina Pydynowski said.
Financial markets operated normally, though volume on the New York Stock Exchange was slightly below average. Some Wall Street workers stayed in hotels overnight as a precaution.
New York City’s Central Park received 9 inches of snow, less than half the amount that fell in a post-Christmas blizzard that paralyzed the city and dented the popularity of Mayor Michael Bloomberg because of a substandard cleanup.
Bloomberg declared a weather emergency late on Tuesday, but after observing overnight snowfalls, city officials determined that students could get to class and schools remained open. The declaration of a school "snow day" is a benchmark indicating the severity of a storm.
"Bloomberg really irked me last time with how long it took to get the snow cleaned up," said Jerry Lekovic, 46, outside a Manhattan coffee shop. "But I got to give it to him, it seems like he’s got his act together now and he deserves recognition for that."
The previous storm -- the sixth largest in city history -- overwhelmed the city by dumping 20 inches over 17 hours on December 26 and 27.
"As soon as I woke up this morning, my entire neighborhood was plowed," said Sherry McManus, 31. "During the last snow storm, it took a good two to three days before I could even get my car out."
Airlines canceled 1,700 flights at the New York area’s three major airports alone. Delta said it canceled 18 percent of its flights nationwide.
Snowfall ended in New York by the morning rush hour, but Boston and other areas north of New York were still getting hit.
Snowfall of more than an inch per hour makes it difficult for plows to keep pace, and two to three inches per hour were seen in western Massachusetts, Connecticut, southern New Hampshire and Vermont, the National Weather Service said in a winter storm warning that was in effect until 8 p.m./ 0100 GMT
Passenger railroad Amtrak temporarily suspended service between New York City and Boston after a fallen tree damaged the overhead power system.
In Philadelphia, about six inches of snow fell, enough to close school and strand 120 passengers at Philadelphia International Airport overnight. They were given blankets, pillows, snacks and water, airport spokeswoman Victoria Lupica said.