Monster blizzard starts dumping snow on eastern, southern US

BEN NUCKOLS, Associated Press
SETH BORENSTEIN, Associated Press


WASHINGTON (AP) — A massive blizzard began dumping snow on the southern and eastern United States on Friday, with mass flight cancelations, six states declaring states of emergency and more than two feet (60 centimeters) predicted for Washington alone. At least seven people died in storm-related crashes.

The National Weather Service said the winter storm could rank near the top 10 to ever hit the region. NWS meteorologist Paul Kocin compared it to "Snowmageddon," the first of two storms that "wiped out" Washington in 2010, but he said the weekend timing could help limit deaths and damage.

"It does have the potential to be an extremely dangerous storm that can affect more than 50 million people," said Louis Uccellini, director of the weather service. The snowfall, expected to continue from late Friday into Sunday, could easily cause more than $1 billion in damage and paralyze the eastern third of the nation, he said.

So far, the snowstorm was looking just like the forecasts promised, NWS forecaster Daniel Petersen said Friday afternoon. Washington could get one of its top three storms in history, he said.

Uccellini said all the elements have come together to create a blizzard with brutally high winds, dangerous inland flooding, white-out conditions and even the possibility of thunder snow, when lightning strikes through a snowstorm.

Snowfall as heavy as 1 to 3 inches (2.5 to 7.6 centimeters) an hour could continue for 24 hours or more, Kocin said. In addition to Washington, 18 to 24 inches of snow was predicted for Philadelphia and 8 to 10 inches for New York.

A state of emergency was declared in Tennessee, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, the District of Columbia and parts of other states. Blizzard warnings or watches were in effect along the storm's path, from Arkansas through Tennessee and Kentucky to the mid-Atlantic states and as far north as New York.

As far south as Atlanta, people were urged to go home and stay there.

Schools and government offices were closed, thousands of flights were canceled and millions of people stocked up on supplies. College basketball games and concerts in the region were postponed.

Flight tracking service FlightAware said airlines canceled more than 6,000 flights Friday and Saturday. By Sunday afternoon, airlines hope to be back to full schedule.

Washington's subway system said it will shut down entirely late Friday night and remain closed through Sunday. About 1,000 track workers will be deployed to keep New York City's subway system moving and 79 trains will have "scraper shoes" to reduce the icing on the rails.

The federal government closed offices at noon Friday. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said President Barack Obama would hunker down at the White House.

The U.S. Capitol Police said sledding on Capitol Hill, which only recently became legal after an act of Congress, would be welcome for the first time in decades.

In Washington, Baltimore, and Delaware, archdioceses reminded people that dangerous travel conditions are a legitimate excuse for missing Sunday Mass.

At a supermarket in Baltimore, Sharon Brewington recalled that in the massive snowstorm of 2010, she and her daughter were stuck at home with nothing but noodles and water.

"I'm not going to make that mistake again," she said.

-- (c) Associated Press 2016-01-23

These people are never prepared. The Mayor of Washington D.C. was sorry for not being prepared for just one inch of snow..... They never learn.

Well, I'll feel sorry for them as I watch it on the news, and see the pictures online. lol

A blizzard in January. Imagine that! Whoever heard of such a thing. Stop the presses! Put up a topic on TVF!

I'm not feeling their pain....??

In Washington, Baltimore, and Delaware, archdioceses reminded people that dangerous travel conditions are a legitimate excuse for missing Sunday Mass

​And anyone with a brain should realize that the hypocrisy, corruptness and greed of all religions is a great excuse to skip religion all together.

In Washington, Baltimore, and Delaware, archdioceses reminded people that dangerous travel conditions are a legitimate excuse for missing Sunday Mass

​And anyone with a brain should realize that the hypocrisy, corruptness and greed of all religions is a great excuse to skip religion all together.

Ameni !

In Washington, Baltimore, and Delaware, archdioceses reminded people that dangerous travel conditions are a legitimate excuse for missing Sunday Mass

​And anyone with a brain should realize that the hypocrisy, corruptness and greed of all religions is a great excuse to skip religion all together.

Ameni !

Allahu Akbar!

I survived the blizzard of 1966!

These things can be FUN when you're a kid.

Blizzard of '78 wuz like the clouds switched open and let out three feet of snow in one drop. It wuz that sudden. Cars bumber to bumber on the highways had to be abandoned and left covered over.

Little known is another Washington huge blizzard ended on the afternoon before the January 20, 1961 inauguration of President John F. Kennedy. The armed forces of the Military District of Washington were put to the shovel from dusk to the dawn of Inauguration Day to clear Pennsylvania Avenue and other boulevards so the event could proceed and parade participants could access the route.

Snow in the countryside or at a ski resort is terrific, otherwise don't miss any of it in anything resembling a city. A blizzard doesn't simply mean a lot of snow coming down and blowing around. A blizzard is a combination of a big snowfall accompanied by sustained high winds that decrease or obstruct visibility and movement of any kind.

In the final analysis a tsunami is far less likely than a blizzard.

Edited January 23, 201610 yr by Publicus

So much for global warming.

i am in Washington, DC right now!!!

For a very, very small fee of 10,000 baht, i will send you snow!!!*

or, for 3 easy payments of 4,000 baht each, an ebook describing the insanity

or, for 1 easy payments of 80,000 baht, i'll tell you in person

don't miss out on an historical event!!!!!!

*ice cubes can be used as a substitute

So much for global warming.

It's called winter which is a season and a season does not support crackpot views.