Deadly winter storm pummels Mid-Atlantic, disrupting flights and schools in several states
WASHINGTON — A major winter storm that turned deadly in the Midwest over the weekend pummeled the Mid-Atlantic region Monday, prompting travel hazards, shutting down schools, and closing federal offices in the nation's capital.
Tens of millions were under winter storm advisories and tens of thousands of homes and businesses were without power late Monday as the storm stretched from Kansas to Virginia and Washington D.C.
Kevin Witt, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service Baltimore/Washington office, told USA TODAY Monday night that the bulk of the snowstorm in the D.C. area had ended but that another inch or two may accumulate into the night. In the latest available data, Witt said 5.5 inches of snow had accumulated within the past 24 hours at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport as of 4 p.m.
“This is one of the bigger storms,” Witt said. “We haven't had one like this in a couple years.”
Temperatures in the D.C. area aren't expected to climb above freezing until at least Friday, Witt noted, but the accumulated snow could melt from sunshine and refreeze as the week progresses, which may make the roads slippery even after the snow has stopped.
The brutal snowstorm was enough to shutter federal office buildings but did not keep Congress from gathering to certify Donald Trump's election as president.
In neighboring Virginia, state emergency management officials said crews were working around the clock to clear roads.
"There is 'snow' place like home during wintry weather," the department said in a social media post. "Having fewer cars on the road will help to keep everyone safe and allow crews to safely perform their jobs."
Developments:
? Over the last 30 hours, troopers from seven different Indiana State Police districts recorded 210 vehicle crashes, 111 road slide-offs, 145 motorist assists, and 88 traffic hazards.
? The Kansas Highway Patrol said two people died Sunday in a crash blamed on the weather in Sedgwick County. And in Mound City, Missouri, a pedestrian was struck and killed Saturday by a sliding truck, the Missouri State Highway Patrol said.
? Pennsylvania State Police are investigating a fatal crash involving a Transportation Department plow truck Saturday in Greenfield Township over the weekend.
? The Cleveland, Ohio, weather service office reported as much as 15 inches of snow on the ground in Ashtabula County. Scores of Ohio school districts shuttered schools Monday, including the 46,000-student Columbus district and the 35,000-student Cincinnati district. Nineteen counties declared snow emergencies.
? The National Weather Service said 7.8 inches of snow fell in Indianapolis from Sunday to Monday — the highest storm total in the Indiana capital city in at least three years.
? Eight cities from Kansas to West Virginia set daily snowfall records Sunday, including Kansas City, Missouri, which set its fourth-highest daily snowfall total with 11 inches, AccuWeather reported. Meteorologists also said Cincinnati had a record daily snowfall for Monday with a total of 4.2 inches — breaking the previous record of 3.5 inches set in 1981.
Brutal winter storm: In Midwest, East Coast over 60M face treacherous conditions
5 feet of snow falls in central New York state
The ferocious winter storm has brought historic snowfall amounts to the Midwest, breaking daily snowfall records in Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio and West Virginia. In central New York, preliminary 24-hour snow totals topped a staggering 5 feet.
Some of the big hits include Oneida County, New York, 67 inches; Saint George, Kansas, 18 inches; and Thompson Pass, Arkansas with 17 inches. You can see how much snow has already fallen – and what's expected over the coming days ? in some areas here.
Hundreds gather for snowball fight in DC
While residential streets in Washington's Columbia Heights neighborhood were largely empty Monday, hundreds of people gathered in Meridian Hill Park for a snowball fight. The crowd of all ages formed a large circle and ? during several rounds that started after a count to three ? pelted each other with clumps of snow. Some used sleds as shields while others tried to unload as many snowballs as possible.
Matt Florence, 34, joined the fray for about an hour before taking refuge at a nearby park bench. The consultant had the day off from work and heard about the event on social media.
“We don’t get this every year, so it’s a pretty special moment,” he said, speaking of the heavy snow. “You get to bring people together around something like this. It’s a good time.”
Why are New York and Boston avoiding the storm?
Folks may be wondering: Why isn't this winter storm roaring up the coast, also battering New York City and Boston with heavy snow and wind? Blame large-scale weather patterns for this storm track, which National Weather Service meteorologist Zack Taylor calls "not totally unusual."
The current pattern is what meteorologists call "zonal," meaning weather systems move generally west-to-east across the country. That's what's happening with this storm, which dumped snow and ice in a nearly perfect 1,100-mile west-to-east swath from the central Plains to the Ohio Valley to the Mid-Atlantic on Sunday and Monday. Read more here.
? Doyle Rice
This mega storm is sparing major cities like Boston, NYC. Here's why
Intensity of snow and 'highway chaos'
Governors in several states, including Arkansas, Kentucky, West Virginia and Virginia, declared states of emergency over the weekend as the storm headed east. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy declared a state of emergency for seven counties, while Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly declared a state of disaster.
“When it is snowing that fast a rate, despite the best efforts of road crews, it is difficult to keep up with the accumulation and keep roads clear of snow," AccuWeather chief meteorologist Jonathan Porter said. "We've seen similar situations in the past catch people off guard who aren't prepared for the impacts, leading to ‘highway chaos’ including multiple-vehicle pileups and traffic jams, which have resulted in major interstates being shut down for hours."
Storm to threaten South in coming days
As snowfall began to wind down in the Mid-Atlantic Monday evening, forecasters warned about another winter storm that is expected to batter the South later this week.
Snow, sleet, and freezing rain is forecast for the southern Plains to the Mid-South, along with unusually chilly temperatures. The weather service said light snow will begin in Texas on Wednesday before advancing into a larger storm on Thursday.
While the weather service said it is unclear how much snow will fall, the wintry mix could create hazardous driving conditions late Wednesday through Friday.
AccuWeather meteorologists warned the looming storm could wreak havoc in some major southern cities. In Dallas, AccuWeather said the storm could bring more than a year’s worth of snow, noting the Texas city's average annual snowfall is 1.6 inches.
"The upcoming storm is forecast to bring at least two to three times that amount in hours from Wednesday night to Thursday night," said AccuWeather meteorologist Emma Belscher.
For some in DC, a rare chance to hit the hills
Since schools shuttered for the day, Jen Kane contacted parents in her son's third-grade class and coordinated a day of sledding at a park in northern D.C.
Her sons, William Kane, 9, and Jack Kane, 5, for hours took turns riding down a small hill with their friends as their parents watched and cheered them on. “Did you see me?” William yelled to his mom after a particularly fast run to the bottom of the hill. “I want you to push me down this time!”
The Kanes, who hail from Minnesota, are used to the snow, though they said it’s unusual to see so much in Washington. “This is a lot for us,” said Jen Kane, who has lived in the nation's capital for 20 years. “We’ve had a few dustings and I remember going sledding last year, but it wasn't like this.”
For others who rarely see snow, Monday was magical.
Abi Ogundare brought her niece and nephew visiting from Southern California to a park in Washington so they could see snow for the first time in their lives. Near the entrance of Meridian Hill Park, the brother and sister marveled at the site of flurries and the layer of pristine white snow blanketing the field.
They then patiently built a snowman as nearby families made snow angels and rode in sleds. “I looked outside this morning and was like ‘Oh, I have to bring them to the park’” said Ogundare, 27. “You don’t get snow like this in California.”
Storm 'a big one' in Washington
In the Adams Morgan neighborhood of Washington, north of downtown and the White House, residents emerged early with shovels and sleds in hand.
Grace Lowe, 30, took her dog Luna for a walk and stopped several times to take pictures of the black labrador, her tail wagging as she jumped about in fresh piles of snow.
“I knew we were expecting a lot today, but this is so much already,” said Lowe, who has lived in the capital for five years. “This is a big one!”
What are the road conditions and road closures?
Snow was accumulating as far south as Virginia and Kentucky and as far north as central Pennsylvania, Ohio and New Jersey. Philadelphia and Pittsburgh can expect several inches. A coating of snow is even possible in New York City, with higher totals in the southern and western suburbs.
Snow-packed roads led to widespread traffic closures and disruptions across multiple states from the central U.S. to the Mid-Atlantic region. The closures shut down roads in major cities such as Washington and Baltimore as well as heavily traveled highways, including I-29 in Missouri and I-65 in Indiana.
Forecasters warned drivers from Missouri to Washington to stay off the roads because of snow and ice.
Power outages reported from Midwest to the Mid-Atlantic
By late Monday, the number of power outages began to decrease. More than 205,000 homes and businesses were without power in Missouri, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, West Virginia, and Virginia, according to a USA TODAY outage tracker.
Over 33,000 outages were reported in Kentucky alone, down from the more than 65,000 outages earlier Monday. Kentucky Power said in a social media post that the company was monitoring and assessing the storm impacts.
"Our crews are working hard to switch customers to different power sources where they can," the post said. "Hundreds of line techs, assessors and safety personnel are ready to tackle the restoration work ahead. We WILL get everyone's power on as soon as we can!"
In Virginia, Dominion Energy spokesperson Aaron Ruby said the company has "deployed hundreds of crews and bucket trucks across Western, Central, Southside and Northern Virginia and we’re prepared to bring on additional crews as needed."
More than 2 feet of snow in parts of Pennsylvania
Residents of Erie County, Pennsylvania's northernmost county, would need at least a ruler to measure the depth of the lake-effect snow that Wednesday through Sunday. Some residents in east and south Erie County would need a yardstick.
Unofficial measurements from National Weather Service in Cleveland partners show about a foot to more than 2? feet fell since the lake-effect snow warning went into effect New Year's Eve.
Pennsylvania State Police are investigating a fatal crash involving a Transportation Department plow truck Saturday in Greenfield Township. According to state police, a 74-year-old man from Ripley, New York, was driving a 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee north on Route 89 as two PennDOT plow trucks were clearing the southbound lane. The lead plow truck hit a snow drift, and snow obscured the visibility of the second plow driver, state police reported Monday.
The second plow driver applied the brakes and the truck and the Jeep collided, according to troopers.
The 19-year-old male driver of the second plow truck was not injured, and a passenger in the Jeep had minor injuries, according to state police.
? Tim Hahn, Erie Times-News
Snowfall record in Kentucky
In Kentucky, several crashes snarled traffic on the city's highways and hundreds of calls for assistance were made to Louisville Emergency Services. State Police said Trooper Landon Key "is doing good" after a vehicle rear-ended his cruiser Sunday while he was working at a collision on Interstate 65 in Hart County, 70 miles south of Louisville.
More than 7 inches of snowfall was recorded at the Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport as the system moved through Sunday, setting a new one-day record for the date. The National Weather Service in Louisville predicted an additional 1-3 inches of snowfall could come Monday morning. Gov. Andy Beshear said crews were working to clear roads for utility crews and urged residents to "please stay safe at home."
Meteorologists said the system is expected to taper off by Monday afternoon, but bitter cold temperatures were expected to last until the weekend.
? Marina Johnson, Leo Bertucci, and Keisha Rowe, Louisville Courier Journal
Hundreds of flights canceled, delayed
Over 11,000 U.S. flights had been delayed or canceled by late Monday, according to the FlightAware tracker.
In Washington D.C, Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport reported over 600 cancellations of flights scheduled to either arrive or depart from the domestic hub. Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport had nearly 300 cancellations.
A temporary ground stop was in place at Chicago O’Hare International Airport early Monday before departures continued, though they were delayed by an average of 48 minutes, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
Amtrak canceled dozens of Monday trains, adding that the "adjustments have been made with no alternative transportation being offered."
School closures abound amid powerful winter storm
Hundreds of schools from Illinois to Washington, D.C., were forced to close on Monday, delaying for many the first day of school after winter break. In Washington, public schools were shuttered Monday as snow began piling up and temperatures dropped below freezing levels. School closures also delayed students' return to the classroom in Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey.
Cincinnati Public Schools are closed Monday as snow is expected to continue into the beginning of the school week. In Springfield, Missouri, the school district canceled school Monday because of inclement weather and icy roads. In Kentucky, some Louisville-area schools canceled classes as the storm moved into the area, bringing a mix of snow, sleet, and freezing rain and hazardous road conditions.
Kentucky State University also announced it would be closed Tuesday due to the weather. The school is located in the state capital of Frankfort, about 55 miles east of Louisville.
Contributing: Thao Nguyen and Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA TODAY; Indianapolis Star; Cincinnati Enquirer
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Winter storm brings heavy snow and travel headaches across East Coast