For the first time in four years, the United States' East Coast is preparing for a severe snowstorm. On Friday night, a Nor'easter hit the coast in the Tri-State area, and it's predicted to dump a lot of snow. Throughout the weekend, a winter storm warning has already been issued for most of the country, as well as a blizzard alert for the Jersey Shore and Suffolk County.
The catastrophic weather will affect 75 million people from the Southeast up to the coast of New England, with winds as ferocious as the greatest hurricane. Heavy snowfall has already begun to fall in the cities. Similar snowfall forecasts were made for the Philadelphia and New York City regions, with coastal communities likely to suffer higher snowfall and stronger winds. The Jersey Shore and Long Island are likely to get the greatest snow, with 12 to 18 inches possible in some areas and 4 to 8 inches are expected in New York City.
The storm will undergo bombogenesis, a phenomenon in which colder air will combine with warmer sea air, resulting in a rapid drop in atmospheric pressure. A 'bomb cyclone' is formed because of this procedure.
In 2003, the current record of 27.6in (70cm) in 24 hours was set, while forecasters predict that this year's storm will bring up to 2 feet (61 cm) of snow to the Boston area. In certain locations, the storm threatened blizzard conditions, severe winds, and coastal flooding, as well as a stinging chill that could leave many people freezing whilst also electricity would be out.
Due to the storm, airlines had to cancel over 5,000 flights and delay more than 8000 others. Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York all declared a state of emergency, warning of possible power outages and advising residents to remain off the highways. Flood advisories were issued by the National Weather Service for coastal areas, while Amtrak has suspended passenger rail service throughout most of the regions. People raced into food stores, picking shelves clean as they stocked up on basics ahead of the storm. Generators, snowblowers, ice melt, flashlights, shovels, and other necessities were also purchased by customers. With the racks getting empty too soon, a grocery chain has advised people to buy only what they need and save some for the others. Unlike the unpredicted blizzard that struck in 1978, people are getting buckled up to fight the blizzard now.
Governor Glenn Youngkin of Virginia, where a blizzard stranded hundreds of motorists for several hours earlier this month, said officials had already begun preparing resources in anticipation of power outages, and possible coastal flooding. In New York City, about 1,800 snow plows are ready to go, and workers were sprinkling salt on hundreds of kilometres of roads ahead of the storm. Barriers are being placed to avoid the snow entering building premises. The ongoing pandemic situation has indeed made the blizzard preparation and operations a bit hard. Workforce shortages hinder officials' efforts as they prepare for severe winds and blizzard conditions across the Northeast coast.
