Christopher Rader/AP
BOSTON — Thousands of hardy souls across New England spent Sunday digging out after a major weekend storm dumped more than two feet of snow in some areas, caused multiple road accidents, downed power lines and left hundreds of thousands across the Northeast in the dark. I spent some time. Maybe for a few days.
Heavy snow from the storm spread across the region, including most of upstate and northern New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. In many areas, snow totals reached 8 to 12 inches (20 to 30 centimeters), with some of the highest snow totals exceeding 30 inches (76 centimeters) in south-central Vermont, said National Weather Service meteorologist Zack Taylor. .
“Overall, this was a very severe winter storm, and in some areas it was the heaviest snowfall we had all winter in a single storm,” Taylor said.
Sleet, freezing rain and heavy snow downed trees and power lines and delayed or canceled hundreds of flights.
In New York City, flooding disrupted subway service, closed part of Cross Island Parkway and trapped drivers on flooded roads through Central Park, where 9 centimeters of water fell. It rained more than that. On Fifth Avenue, a massive tree fell on several cars, causing the road to be closed.
In Lodi, New Jersey, flooding from the Saddle River flooded nearby roads.
Central Maine Power, the state's largest utility, said crews began repairing damage and downed power lines Sunday, but expected it to take several days in areas hardest hit by the storm. By late Sunday, about 170,000 customers were without power in Maine.
“Damage to trees, poles and power lines was significant overnight Saturday and our assessors are assessing the damage today so we can begin restoring power to our customers as quickly and safely as possible,” said Jon Breed of Central Maine. strength.
Christopher Rader/AP
Another 54,000 customers were without power in New Hampshire. In New York, more than 57,000 customers were without power as of late Sunday, down from more than 90,000 in the morning.
Areas north of New York City were among the hardest hit, according to online maps from National Grid and the outage tracking website PowerOutage.us.
Hundreds of flights were delayed or canceled at local airports due to sleet, freezing rain and heavy snow that toppled trees and power lines.
Police across the Northeast reported hundreds of crashes as cars spun and drivers struggled on icy roads, while heavy rain and flooding also occurred in Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Philadelphia and Boston.
City officials in Portland, Maine, are opening a warming facility at the East End Community School for residents who are without power and need a warm place to visit, charge electronics or sleep overnight from Sunday evening through Monday morning. The center has been opened.
The New Hampshire Department of Safety announced Sunday that it has activated an emergency operations center to help communities clean up from the storm, including those that experienced severe power outages.
Across Southern California, heavy rain and quarter-sized hail fell in areas near Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Fire Department said it rescued a 35-year-old woman who was swept away by the storm-swollen Los Angeles River. She was taken to the hospital with minor injuries and hypothermia, the department said. A severe thunderstorm warning was in effect until Sunday afternoon, with the National Weather Service predicting lightning and wind gusts approaching 60 mph (97 kph) in mountainous areas.
The California storm was moving south from the Sierra Nevada. Areas around Lake Tahoe had accumulated about a foot (30 cm) of new snow by Sunday morning, and up to 18 inches (45 cm) had accumulated at Mammoth Mountain. A day earlier, the resort had been forced to close several ski lifts after wind gusts of 147 kilometers per hour were recorded.
❄️Pingling snow in the mountains and ☔️Isolated valley/foothill showers remain in the forecast today, but here's a look at the observed 48-hour snowfall and accumulated rainfall (so far). #CAwx pic.twitter.com/rRgVhIoWGL
— NWS Sacramento (@NWSSacramento) March 24, 2024
Fans of cold weather, including skiers, have enjoyed the snow from coast to coast.
The more snow New England gets, the better it is for ski resorts to operate in the late season, said Kevin Bell, vice president of marketing for Loon Mountain in New Hampshire's White Mountains.
Taylor said another severe winter storm is brewing in the West and will continue through Monday across the Rockies, Plains and upper Midwest. The National Weather Service warned that heavy snow and blizzard conditions would persist through Tuesday for the Northern Plains and Midwest.
This system could bring 8 to 12 inches of snow to parts of Wisconsin, Minnesota, most of the Dakotas and even western Nebraska and Kansas, with more snow expected to fall in parts of the eastern Dakotas and central Minnesota. It is expected. , Taylor said.
“A very strong area of low pressure has developed across Kansas tonight and will rapidly rise towards the upper Midwest late Monday into early Tuesday,” he said.
A winter weather advisory has been issued through Sunday night for parts of northern Arizona, the Grand Canyon and Flagstaff up to the New Mexico border, with up to 15 centimeters of snow possible in the upper levels and wind gusts up to 40 mph (64 mph). . kph).
The National Weather Service said showers were expected to fall in areas around 5,000 to 6,000 feet (1.5 to 1.8 kilometers) above sea level through Sunday night.
Unsettled weather was forecast for the Flagstaff, Arizona area on Monday and Tuesday, with additional rain and snow showers possible, with another storm system likely to move into northern Arizona next weekend.