March 29, 2024
East Coast storm disrupts Thanksgiving travel
The soggy slog home has begun. A winter storm along the East Coast on Wednesday brought with it a mix of rain, sleet and snow, slowing traffic, grounding planes and forcing many people to change their Thanksgiving plans.

In New York City, four inches of snow is expected. But in the suburbs to the north and west of the city, as much as 10 inches of snow could fall before the evening is over.

By midday, more than 1,000 flights were grounded across the East Coast and some 5,000 flights were delayed. With many people heeding calls to get out of town early, security lines started backing up well before the worst of the weather had descended on the region. On Twitter, it did not take long for frustrated commuters to post enough photos to form a collage of airport misery.

The National Weather Service on Tuesday issued a winter storm watch for an area where more than 20 million people live in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic, leading thousands of families to reconsider their travel plans to avoid being stuck on snarled roadways or stranded at congested airports.

For some people, the potential for inclement weather simply meant little more than getting to Zabar’s earlier than planned. Others, however, have not been so lucky, enduring hours on the phone to change a flight, spending some extra money to take the train rather than the bus, or leaving work early to get on the road.

The main focus for many people planning to travel for Thanksgiving is the so-called rain-snow line. Unlike the Mason-Dixon or the Maginot Line, this border has not been set and cannot be fortified.

The divide between snow and rain falls along the Interstate 95 corridor, and on northern stretches of the roadway, the rain has already turned to snow, making for a rough ride for anyone leaving late in the day.

Joe Pollina, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service, said that as of 10 a.m. in New York City, some of the rain was changing over to sleet and soon would be all snow. But the forecast called for slightly lower accumulations than the worst case scenario outlined 48 hours ago.

David Wallick, like many others, is not taking any chances. He has to travel from Long Island to Westchester County. But instead of driving the whole way as he normally would, he said he was planning to take the ferry in Port Jefferson, N.Y., to Bridgeport, Conn., allowing him to avoid Queens and the Bronx.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which is deploying extra workers on Wednesday, advised people to get on the road as early as possible since the storm would most likely be at its worst in the late afternoon and early evening.

These kinds of storms, which develop off the coast, are often difficult to forecast because a drop in temperatures by even a few degrees more than expected can significantly affect the snow totals.

In New York City, where the authorities issued a winter storm watch, the early morning was rainy. By noon, the temperatures are expected to drop, the rain will turn to snow and the storm will intensify, not easing up until late into the evening.

With temperatures expected to hover around 32 degrees, the snow will probably be wet and heavy.

The utility Consolidated Edison, in an alert to customers, warned that the weight of the snow could cause tree limbs to break and bring down power lines, leading to power failures. The company said it would have extra crews available to repair any damage. (Source: The New York Times)
Story Date: November 27, 2014
Real-Time Traffic
NBC
AQMD AQI
Habitat for Humanity
United Way of the Inland Valleys
Pink Ribbon Thrift