A ground stop temporarily halted planes at New York’s LaGuardia Airport as a winter storm threatened to wreak havoc in the Northeast and could dump up to three inches of heavy, wet snow on the Big Apple.
Flight cancellations, delays, school closings, and power outages were already affecting upstate New York, northern New Jersey, and northeastern Pennsylvania.
LaGuardia Airport issued a ground stop Tuesday morning that is causing ongoing delays. Flights have resumed, but have average delays of about two hours.
Meanwhile, on the west coast, California is being hit yet again by another storm. San Francisco International Airport was experiencing delays averaging 1 hour 20 minutes citing ‘weather/wind’.
‘Double hit! Storm-weary Californians face another strong atmospheric riverine event and the Northeast braces for a powerful Nor’easter,’ the National Weather Service tweeted. ‘Widespread threats of significant flooding in California. From dangerous to impossible to travel in the northeast due to snow and coastal flooding.’
Snow is already piling up in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, as a winter storm threatened to wreak havoc in the Northeast and could dump up to three inches of heavy, wet snow on the Big Apple.
New England and parts of New York brace for a winter storm that will last through Wednesday
A ground stop temporarily halted planes at New York’s LaGuardia Airport Tuesday morning.
Flights have resumed at LaGuardia, but delays average two hours. Passengers should budget for additional travel time and confirm their flight with the airline before heading to the airport.
By the time the multi-day northeast storm arrives through Wednesday, snow totals are expected to range from a few inches to a few feet, depending on the area.
The National Weather Service said two inches of snow per hour or more was falling in New York at the highest elevations, from the eastern Catskills to the mid-Hudson Valley, central Taconics and the Berkshires.
The Albany, New York airport, which began clearing snow late Monday, was open but canceled 16 morning departures early Tuesday.
Bradley International Airport in Connecticut was also open and clearing snow; about 15 percent of its flights were cancelled.
More than 26 million Americans were under winter storm warnings, watches, or advisories. More than 40 million face high wind watches or warnings.
The powerful winter storm downed a tree on top of a home in Pittsfield, Massachusetts on Tuesday.
NWS said expected snow totals from the storm, which is expected to end Wednesday, range from 1 foot to 18 inches at higher elevations in Massachusetts, to 4 to 6 inches in Boston.
The National Weather Service said that in New York, two inches of snow per hour or more was falling at higher elevations, from the eastern Catskills to the mid-Hudson Valley, central Taconics and the Berkshires.
Heavy, wet snow snapped tree limbs and downed power lines in the New York capital region. More than 30,000 homes and businesses in the Albany area were without power
NWS said expected snow totals from the storm, which is expected to end Wednesday, range from 1 foot to 18 inches at higher elevations in Massachusetts, to 4 to 6 inches in Boston.
Meanwhile, California is being hit yet again. San Francisco International Airport was experiencing delays averaging 1 hour 20 minutes citing ‘weather/wind’
Snow was falling at a rate of up to three inches per hour in some areas.
“We advise those who live in these areas not to travel at this time,” the New York State Police tweeted.
“It’s shaping up to be a unique winter storm for our small state as there will be big differences in the amount of snowfall depending on where you are,” said Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont, who has ordered all office buildings closed. states of the executive branch.
“Some cities may receive significant snowfall totals, while others may receive a fraction of that amount or maybe even just rain.”
Roads in upstate New York were already treacherous Tuesday morning as the storm moved in.
“This could be deadly,” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul warned at a briefing in Albany. ‘Let me repeat: this is going to be a dangerous storm. Please stay off the roads for your own safety’
Heavy, wet snow snapped tree limbs and downed power lines in the New York capital region. More than 30,000 homes and businesses in the Albany area were without power.
The snowfall totals will be among the highest this season, said meteorologist Andrew Orrison of the weather service’s office in College Park, Maryland.
“It’s been below average snowfall in the Northeast this year, so this Northeast is going to have a big impact,” he said.
The rain was turning to snow in parts of New England and the winds were picking up.
In New Hampshire, it was election day for municipal officials, but more than 70 communities postponed voting because of the storm.
“We know the driving conditions are going to be treacherous,” said AAA New England’s Patrick Moody.
The weather service said expected snow totals from the storm, which is expected to end Wednesday, range from 1 foot to 18 inches at the highest elevations in Massachusetts, to 4 to 6 inches in Boston.
Higher elevations in southwestern New Hampshire could receive up to 2 feet of snow, and Augusta, Maine could see 8 inches per foot.
The storm in the northeast came as California continued to face severe weather. Crews rushed to repair a breached levee on a storm-swollen river on California’s central coast as another atmospheric river arrived this week with the potential to batter the state’s flooded farmland and farming communities.