Major nor’easter brewing on heels of white Christmas storm
The Northeast woke up to a white Christmas dusting, but an even bigger punch from the storm that killed 14 people this week was still brewing – a nor’easter threatening to drop nearly 2 feet of snow. The storm, which began in the nation’s midsection, was creeping up the East Coast after dumping snow on the Midwest and Plains.
While light snow fell on parts of the Northeast Christmas morning, the brunt of the storm was expected by evening.
“The early morning snow we had was a nice tease to brighten the landscape for those who enjoy the holiday,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Walter Drag. “It’s going to be a memorable Christmas Day storm. It’s going to be very, very rough in the snow areas.”
The heaviest snow was expected in Albany, N.Y., western and central Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire, with up to 20 inches expected by sunrise Thursday. Around a foot of snow was expected in Vermont, Maine and parts of Pennsylvania.
“It’s nice for the kids. I can take it either way as long as we don’t get too much snow,” said Ron Rieseberg, owner of Rainbow Cabins and Motel in Catskill, N.Y. “Six or 8 inches would be nice but 2 feet’s a little too much.”
For Albany, which had just a light coating Wednesday morning and heavier snow in the afternoon, it was the first snowy Dec. 25 since 1985.
“Everybody’s ready for it,” said Jamie Georgelos, a manager at Alpin Haus ski shop in Amsterdam, about 30 miles northwest of Albany. “I think a lot of people have been missing the snow for the past few years, and they’re really glad it’s finally here.”
The bad weather also arrived in Massachusetts, Connecticut and New Jersey.
By mid-afternoon, road conditions had deteriorated significantly on several major Massachusetts highways as snow and rain fell.
“We’ve got a mess out here,” said Trooper James Ryan at the Westfield barracks in western Massachusetts. “Cars are sliding all over the place.”
Snow was expected to fall in parts of Massachusetts and New Hampshire at the rate of 3 inches an hour for few hours, bringing near whiteout conditions, Drag said.
“If you’re safe inside and not on the roads … then it’s going to be a winter wonderland,” Drag said. “If you’re out traveling about, you’re not going to be happy.”
To the west, Pittsburgh had about an inch, and areas just south of the city, had 6 inches. Snow also fell on northern Ohio and Indiana, where Indianapolis had a record snowfall of 7.6 inches.
“It’s the most snow ever on the ground on Christmas Day,” said meteorologist John Ogren, noting the previous record of 6 inches in 1909.
To the south, Baltimore saw a mix of steady rain and sleet replaced by midmorning with cottonball-sized flakes of swirling snow that turned to thick slush as it hit the ground.
Slush forced officials at Baltimore-Washington International Airport to temporarily close the two major runways. Six inches fell on parts of western Maryland.
The storm brought snow Monday to Texas and Oklahoma, which got more than a foot in some areas. Oklahoma City had its first white Christmastime in 27 years.
“I think it makes Christmas better,” said 17-year-old Stevie Williams. “It makes it feel more like Christmas.”
The storm brought 15 inches of snow to parts of Kansas by Tuesday morning and parts of southwest Missouri in the Ozarks had 14 inches.
The system moved east Tuesday night, from the Midwest into Pennsylvania, New York and New England. It re-formed Wednesday off the East Coast as a nor’easter.
Most of the deaths stemmed from traffic accidents.
Since Monday, six people were killed in Missouri, four in Oklahoma, three in Kansas and one in New Mexico.
In Fitchburg, Mass., workers began sanding the roads in anticipation of 15 inches of snow. Despite working on the holiday, they were upbeat.
“It’s public safety, so it doesn’t bother me that way, we keep things safe out there for the people,” said dispatcher Bob Lafountain. “The family might even bring me down a plate of food.”
—
On the Net:
National Weather Service: http:/
win.nws.noaa.gov