Record snowfalls slammed the Midwest on Sunday before heading towards the East Coast, bringing a wintry mix of sleet and snow on Monday morning across the coast.
From Indiana to Maine, 69 million Americans remain under winter storm warnings or advisories and infrastructure felt the effects of the storm, with thousands of flights cancelled, thousands without power, and school closures leaving parents scrambling.
In Chicago, the winter storm deemed “Linus” by The Weather Channel is the fifth worst storm to ever hit the city; on Sunday, 16.2 inches fell on Sunday, a daily snowfall record. In Detroit, 13.7 inches fell, the heaviest daily snowfall the Motor City has seen in forty years. In the Midwest alone, at least 2,000 flights were cancelled and the Chicago Public Schools were closed for Monday.
Inbound flights to the Northeast saw many cancellations around the country, as New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Maine felt the brunt of the storm, which brought snow north of Manhattan and sleet and rain south of it.
By 5 p.m. ET the storm is expected to be isolated to northern New England, but temperatures are expected to drop into the teens tonight, risking flash freezing and icy conditions in the path of the storm.
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said city department were ready “to make sure the city that’s on the move stays on the move” as the heart of the storm hits. More than 350 snow removal vehicles were working early Monday morning as light, lake effect snow continued to fall, city officials said.
Across Massachusetts, where parts of the state are only starting to recover from getting crushed just days ago, roughly a foot of snow is expected. Boston is likely to see 6-10 inches of snow and only needs 10 inches to break the snowiest seven days on record.
New York City is expected to see snow, sleet and freezing rain toward the end of the Super Bowl and into the Monday, setting the stage for potentially dangerous commutes in the morning. “Drive slower, be careful. If you don’t need to be on the road tomorrow, don’t,” New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a news conference Sunday afternoon.
Maine is likely to see another 18 inches of snow, on top of the two feet of snow that buried the city during winter storm Juno seven days ago.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said Sunday that state agencies are prepared to respond should the forecast get worst. “I encourage all New Yorkers to plan ahead for delays and remain safe throughout the storm,” Cuomo said.
The blizzard that was expected to cause crippling damage throughout the East Coast last week instead parked itself in the eastern sections of New England, including southeastern Massachusetts, and all the way up to coastal Maine. In the New York region, residents were spared compared to their northern counterparts, leading to finger-pointing and blame on the politicians who enforced cancellations and closures.
Jane Timm
Anna Brand