U.S. Northeast Hammered By Pre-Winter Storm
Posted October 29, 2008 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Residents in parts of Ontario may be doing their best to cope with the inevitable – and early – arrival of winter, but whatever you’re going through on Wednesday, take some solace in the fact things could be a lot worse – you might be living in the northeastern part of the U.S., where a storm hit with a vengeance.
Some 40,000 customers in upstate New York woke up in the morning without power, and one look outside their windows told them why.
A blanket of heavy wet snow clung to everything, and its weight brought down tree limbs and power lines, forcing many to brave the first big storm of the year in the dark and without heat.
At least 33 centimetres fell in the worst hit areas of northern New York while those unlucky enough to live near the Catskill Mountains found themselves coping with almost 40cm.
High winds aggravated the problem, creating whiteouts and hazardous driving conditions over a wide area.
Things were equally grim in New Jersey, where about 41,000 homes and businesses were also feeling powerless. Many won’t have the juice back on until Wednesday night or later, as crews struggle with the conditions and downed trees in the way of repairs. Some 35cm fell there.
Part of Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountain region received more than a foot of snow (top left), although things were finally starting to improve later in the day.
Schools were closed in some places in northern West Virginia after the area received 15cm.
And there were similar scenes in North Carolina, which was dealing with icy roads and about 7cm of flakes.
But Vermont is bracing for more, as the disturbance that caused the havoc worked its way eastward. Forecasters are calling for 7-22cm of snow to hit the state, and more could be coming after that.
So be grateful we’re in the aptly named Golden Horseshoe. Because it appears to have brought us the luck to avoid the worst – and the first – storm of the season to come.
And just in case you’re wondering, winter doesn’t actually arrive until December 21st, roughly two months from now.
