The crane crash also caused a gas leak, forcing authorities to shut off supply [Jason Szenes/EPA]
February 6, 2016 - NEW YORK, UNITED STATES - A crane has collapsed in New York City's Lower Manhattan, killing at
least one person and injuring three others, US authorities say.
Friday morning's incident also caused a gas leak, Mayor Bill de Blasio said, forcing the authorities to shut off supply in buildings around the Tribeca neighbourhood.
The crane's boom landed across an intersection and stretched much of a block after the accident around 8.25am, about 10 blocks north of the World Trade Center.
De Blasio originally said the victim was sitting in a parked car when the crane collapsed, but police later said he was on the footpath.
Firemen survey the damage of a fallen crane in Worth Street, Lower Manhattan, New York City [Jason Szenes/EPA]
Members of the New York City Fire Department survey the damage of a fallen crane on 40 Worth Street [Jason Szenes/EPA]
The large crane smashed the roofs of nearby buildings with debris littering the street.
De Blasio said the crane was being lowered as a precaution because of wind when the accident happened.
The crew had been directing people away from the area as the crane was being moved.
"It was right outside my window," Robert Harold, a witness who works at the Legal Aid Society, told the Associated Press news agency.
WATCH: Crane collapses in New York, kills 1.
"It was a crashing sound. You could feel the vibration in the building."
Harold said at least one person was trapped in a car, and he saw onlookers trying to get the person out.
He said he also saw a person lying motionless on the street.
The crane bore the name of Bay Crane company.
An employee at the company, who said he was a manager but did not give his name, told AP that an investigation was under way. He declined further comment. - AP.
March 5, 2015 - NEW YORK, UNITED STATES
- A passenger airplane skidded off a snowy runway at LaGuardia Airport
in New York City on Thursday morning, and federal authorities have
suspended flights for hours to come over inclement weather.
The
plane, an inbound flight operated by Delta, “skidded off” the runway at
the Queens, NY airport at around 11 a.m. local time, the city’s fire
department confirmed on Twitter shortly after.
Personnel and
passengers were evacuated off of the plane, according to the New York
Port Authority, and no injuries have yet to be reported.
As snow
and ice continues to cause problems at the major air hub, however, the
Federal Aviation Administration told CBS News on Thursday morning that
it has authorized a ground stop at LGA — one of the busiest airports in
the United States — as flights across the northeast are grounded.
According
to the Associated Press, Delta said 125 passengers and five crew
members were onboard the aircraft when the incident occurred. "Delta flight 1086 from Atlanta to New York-LaGuardia exited Runway 13 Thursday morning during landing,” the airline said in a statement. “Customers
deplaned via aircraft slides and have moved to the terminal on buses.
Our priority is ensuring our customers and crew members are safe. Delta
will work with all authorities and stakeholders to look into what
happened in this incident."
Photos taken by eyewitnesses at
the airport show that the plane skidded into a fence after landing on
runway 13, and a local NBC News affiliate reported that only three
inches of snow had fallen in New York at the time of the landing.
Flights at LGA have since been suspended until 7 p.m. local time. - RT.
Thomas Mangrum bundled up in his Statue of Liberty costume as he held a sign advertising Liberty Tax Service on Thursday in Brooklyn.
"It's been brutal out here," Mr. Mangrum said. Credit Sam Hodgson for The New York Times
February 27, 2015 - NEW YORK, UNITED STATES - It will end. Allegedly.
It will get warmer. One day. Someday.
Won’t it?
We have reached the 69th day of winter. It seems like the 6,669th. Pretty much the same nonsense is reprised day after day. Miserable, punishing, obnoxious, teeth-rattling, bone-numbing weather. Unmitigated, merciless, are-you-kidding-me cold.
New Yorkers cannot recall the last time they walked with their eyes trained forward, rather than watching for ice patches waiting to send them flying, which leaves them vulnerable to ice sliding off buildings from above. And in the evenings the snowplows screech past, drowning out the television in the middle of a Letterman cold joke.
WATCH: Winter doesn't want to end.
Throughout the parks, on the edges of sidewalks, ice just sits with defiant, assertive permanency. It will not melt, just keeps getting icier and more discolored. The whole city feels like a giant ice cube. People lean into the wind, pull hard to get doors open, to get out of this weather already, as the whistling wind pushes back.
As it limps away, February will not be missed. With the average temperature for the month lingering around 24 degrees, some 11 degrees shy of normal by the National Weather Service’s calculation, this insult of a month looks as though it will clock in as the coldest recorded February in New York City since 1934. That is 81 years of weather. That is all the way back to the Depression, when there were so many more dire things to worry about than whether 7-Eleven had salt or whose turn it was to walk the dog.
That year, February averaged 19.9 degrees and included the lowest daily reading ever registered for New York: On Feb. 9 the mercury sank to a ridiculous 15 degrees below zero.
“It was like the most sick month you can think of,” said Jay Engle, a meteorologist with the Weather Service who was well aware that this February had been particularly ill. Aside from 1934, he said the only other chillier February on record than the present one was in 1885, when the temperature averaged 22.7 degrees and when people did not yet have hand warmers.
Sure, the entire East Coast has been beaten up. Sure, Boston was slammed. But it’s still give-me-a-break cold in New York.
Shawn Nicholls, 34, who works in book publishing in the financial district, spoke for much of the populace when he declared understatedly, “I’m getting tired of it.”
The numbing weather has extinguished his night life. A resident of Kensington, Brooklyn, Mr. Nicholls customarily is found in restaurants on weekends. “But this winter I’m giving the delivery guys a workout,” he said.
It has been so cold that it is cold in places where it is not usually cold. Like subway platforms. It has been so cold people feel as if they are under house arrest on their days off. It has been so cold that you need so much time to pile on the layers of clothing and then time to remove the layers when you get there that you need to factor in extra hours for all the body enclosure work. It has been so cold that children want to be home-schooled.
It is warmer in a meat locker.
Every day, another war against hat hair, the pathetically flattened nest that makes you look really weird when you give your PowerPoint presentation before the boss.
There is positive news. It appears that alternate-side-of-the-street parking regulations have been abolished. And, of course, some people actually relish the cold. It pumps them up. Makes them feel alive.
The North Pole still has room for them.
So, while huddled cross-legged before the space heater, everyone has a story to tell, something dusted with snow or icicles or sinful cold.
The woman in Midtown Manhattan who was wearing four hats, topped by a sombrero, presumably willing to accept an onset of hat hair.
The toddler walking mitten in mitten with her mother, inquiring, “Mommy, why isn’t the heat working outside?”
The couple on their way to a restaurant for dinner.
He: “Why are we going out in this weather?”
She: “Because there’s no food in the house, smart guy. It’s too cold to shop.”
He: “So why isn’t it too cold to go out to eat?”
A seagull walking along a pier next to a frozen portion of the East River this week. Credit Sam Hodgson for The New York Times
She: “Don’t start.”
The cold brings about peculiar decisions. Ariadna Urbina, 21, of Corona, Queens, is a student who has been hunting for work. Her preference had been an art gallery, but she found it impossible to put on nice clothes and then add the multiple layers necessary to combat the cold. So the other day she was on her way to apply to be a waitress.
“People ask you to dress professionally, but you can’t dress professionally,” she said. “I’m sick of it.”
Stories happen in emergency rooms, one place where winter shows its malevolence.
Dr. John Marshall, the head of emergency medicine at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, said his hospital was averaging 336 patients a day this winter, 20 more than last winter. On Jan. 19, he saw something unlike anything he had seen before. In a single hour, 30 people showed up after having slipped on ice, most of them with wrist and arm fractures, with some ankles thrown in.
“We had a whole family of seven come in with carbon monoxide poisoning,” Dr. Marshall said. They are all right.
Add to it flu patients, pneumonia patients, people with psychiatric issues linked to the cold. Sledding accidents. Heart attacks from shoveling snow.
An alcoholic who is a “frequent flier” at the emergency room, ranking as one of its top three visitors, was brought in a few weeks ago nearly frozen to death, his body temperature down to 82 degrees. The hospital thawed him out. He has since returned several more times. He might lose a toe.
“I don’t know that I’ve seen any snowball lacerations this year, but we get them,” Dr. Marshall said. “And I haven’t seen any icicle stabbings.”
As for himself, Dr. Marshall is unfazed by the weather. He is from Michigan. “I’ve always liked a good winter,” he said. “It’s my favorite season. I only wish there was a bit more snow.”
Has he made any concessions to the cold? “I’ve worn a scarf a couple of times,” he said.
Want an awful winter job? Talk to Ralph Valdez. He shivers on sidewalks for hours at a time, hawking tickets for bus tours of Manhattan.
Mr. Valdez, 36, has been at this for a decade. This crushing winter has really done a number on him. Since Christmas, he has called in sick, he believes, something like seven times. Last winter, which was hardly balmy, he called in sick three times.
“I have a torn rotator cuff, and it really, really starts to hurt when it gets cold,” he said, standing in downtown Manhattan. He wore a scarf and jacket over a hooded sweatshirt, and also remembered thermal underwear.
“If you’re going to be outside, you got to go for the thermals,” he pointed out, unnecessarily.
Bogdan Lekan, 50, a pediatrician, tossed salt chunks on the ice in front of his office door on 67th Avenue in Queens. Stethoscope dangling around his neck, he kicked at the crumbling ice with his leather shoes, which instantly became soaked.
“If this happens through April — wow,” he said. “I have a 3-year-old in the house who is anxious to go out.”
Now a new month beckons. March, often a roller-coaster month, is not always charitable with its weather either. But it represents a dash of hope. The forecast for Monday in New York City is for the temperature to crawl into the 40s. It has to get warmer someday. - NY Times.
Incoming: This forecast from the Weather Channel predicts a maximum of five inches of snow in New York City, with parts of New England facing a potential eight inches
January 23, 2015 - UNITED STATES - A
fast-moving coastal storm is forecast to blast several major cities in
the Northeast with a mix of snow, sleet and rain on Saturday all along
the busy I-95 corridor.
The
biggest snowfall amounts are expected in southern New England, but
forecasters warned that temperatures hovering near freezing could make
for slippery driving conditions across the region.
The approaching storm is also likely to plummet in pressure, leading to strong winds which will drive the snow and sleet.
If the drop in pressure equals of exceeds 24milibars within 24 hours the storm will then meet the technical definition for a weather bomb - in a process known as bombogenesis.
First flakes: This picture, from Leesburg, Virginia, shows the first traces of snowfall
Snowfall: Gaithersburg, Maryland (above), had also started to see frosty downpours
'It's kind of the first one, so it's a good thing it's happening this weekend,' National Weather Service meteorologist Bill Simpson in Taunton, Massachusetts, said Friday.
'If this happened during a weekday, it could be really slow and messy.'
According to the Weather Channel, sleet and snow will begin to hit Washington, D.C., and southern Pennsylvania on Friday night.
By Saturday morning, a mixture of sleet and snow is expected to be falling in all major cities from D.C. as high as Portland, Maine - including New York City.
As the day warms up slightly, some places could see snow in the morning, sleet in the daytime, then snow in the evening again.
The fiercest snow is predicted for Rhode Island, Maine and the Massachusetts coast around Boston.
A winter storm warning was issued Friday for a large portion of central Pennsylvania ahead of the storm.
It begins: Friday night is set to bring widespread up to the Mason Dixon line, after which sleet and snow will fall
Colder: Snow on Saturday is set to be more widespread, with a long sweep of inland areas in the firing line
Forecasters said the area from Gettysburg to Johnstown, stretching from West Virginia through Maryland to just south of State College and Williamsport, could get 5 to 8 inches of snow between Friday night and Saturday afternoon.
Some predictions also say New York City, Porland and parts of Connecticut could face eight inches.
The Maryland State Highway Administration warned motorists that travel may become hazardous. The agency said it would have salt, snowplows and chain saws at the ready in case of fallen trees.
By Sunday, forecasters say the storm is likely to have headed out into the Atlantic once more.
After a relatively tame start to the winter, Connecticut has plenty of salt and snow-treatment chemicals stockpiled around the state and a fleet of 632 plow trucks ready to go, Department of Transportation spokesman Kevin Nursick said.
He said crews have been pre-treating some highways and bridges, but there already is some salt leftover from recent, smaller storms.
'We don't need to go full tilt,' he said.
Storm's brewin': This satellite image shows the system swirling over the Atlantic around midday Thursday. it is expected to sweep over the north-east bringing snow. A second system bound for New England is developing in the Gulf of Mexico
The storm is expected to begin as snow across much of the region, with areas east of I-95 receiving mostly rain.
Forecasters say accumulation amounts will depend on how quickly the rain line moves west. The weather service said the Philadelphia area could receive as much as a quarter-inch of ice Saturday morning before the rain arrives.
Meteorologist Peter Wichrowski in Upton, New York, said snow likely would start to fall in New York City in the early morning hours of Saturday, with a mix of rain and maybe a little sleet along the coastal areas. He said snowfall totals were expected to be around 1 to 2 inches across eastern Long Island.
Baltimore and Washington were expected to get only rain as temperatures hover just above freezing. - Daily Mail.
January 13, 2015 - NEW YORK, UNITED STATES - A fire has broken out at New York’s Penn Station, with 100 firefighters working on extinguishing the flames.
Some trains have been delayed, but no one has been reported injured so far.It’s a 3-alarm blaze, the NYC Fire Department reported, tweeting on the situation.
A commuter tries to keep warm in temperatures approaching zero degrees Fahrenheit during the morning rush hour in Chicago.
(Photo: Scott Olson, Getty Images)
January 5, 2015 - UNITED STATES
- A fast-moving clipper system sweeping across the northern Plains to
the Northeast through Tuesday will leave behind a swath of snow and
travel delays. A quick burst of snow will target a dozen or more major
cities as the storm moves swiftly eastward.
Quick-Hitting Snow to Reach More Than 80 Million From Chicago to NYC
Sioux
Falls, South Dakota; Omaha, Nebraska; Minneapolis; Des Moines, Iowa;
Louisville, Kentucky; Milwaukee; Chicago; Indianapolis; Detroit;
Cincinnati; Cleveland and Pittsburgh will be under the threat for snow
spanning Monday night into Tuesday.
People in this
swath can expect a quick burst of snow with this system that will lower
visibility to dangerous levels. Road conditions will likely go from
clear to snow covered in a short amount of time.
According to AccuWeather.com Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski, "The snow will be accompanied by a rapid drop in temperature in some cases, which may cause roads to quickly transition from wet and slushy to icy and snow-covered."
Interstates 29, 35, 80 and 90 are just some of the roadways that could face slow travel and poor road conditions. Motorists are urged to slow down or even pull off for a time if faced with white-out conditions. Delays at some of the major hubs can be expected as well.
The fast-moving nature of the system will be one factor in reducing snowfall amounts, keeping most locations in the 1- to 3-inch range. However, the influence of cold air and a band of heavier snow will bring more to some places.
"Some locations in a narrow band along and to the north of the track of the clipper could receive as much as 6 inches of fluffy snow," said Meteorologist Brian Edwards.
A few locations may even come out higher than 6 inches, although it will be very localized.
"The heaviest snow looks to fall from Mason City, Iowa, on Monday to Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland and Ft. Wayne, Indiana, Monday night," continued Edwards.
The morning commute on Tuesday will likely be a snowy one for the Northeast as this system continues to bolt eastward, impacting Pittsburgh, Scranton and Allentown, Pennsylvania.
Several inches are possible across Pennsylvania to southern New England. Interstate 95 will be at risk for delays from Boston to the northern suburbs of Philadelphia during Tuesday.
"New York City, Hartford [Connecticut] and Boston could also pick up enough snow to cause travel problems," said Edwards.
A general 1 to 3 inches will fall across New York, southern New England, northern New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania. However, higher amounts will fall across northwestern Pennsylvania to the Laurel Highlands.
Enough snow could fall to coat the ground as far south as Washington, D.C., to Dover, Delaware, and Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Frigid temperatures will already be in place when the storm sweeps through, but a shot of reinforcing cold will follow.
High temperatures will be in the teens and single digits Tuesday across the Plains and Midwest, but another shot of brutally cold air will keep highs from reaching above zero for many on Wednesday. - AccuWeather.
...Heavy rain possible over parts of the Cascades...
...Snow possible over parts of the Middle Mississippi Valley to the Ohio Valley and the Northern Rockies/High Plains...
...Temperatures will be 15 to 25 degrees below average from the Northern Plains to the Upper Great Lakes/Western Ohio Valley...
Strong
onshore flow over the Pacific Northwest will slowly wane on Monday. In
the meantime, light to moderate rain will develop along the Pacific
Northwest and into parts of the Northern Intermountain Region through
Monday evening. Moderate snow will develop over parts of
Northern/Central Rockies on Monday. Cold high pressure over the Middle
Mississippi Valley will move eastward to the Ohio Valley and modify by
Monday evening. A second cold high pressure area over West-Central
Canada will move into parts of the Northern High Plains on Tuesday.
Circulation around the high pressure will aid in producing upslope flow
that will produce snow over the Northern High Plains to parts of the
Central Plains on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, a clipper system will
develop over the Central Plains on Monday afternoon and move eastward to
off the Mid-Atlantic Coast by Tuesday evening. The system will produce
light to moderate snow over parts of the Central Plains/Middle
Mississippi Valley on Monday afternoon/evening that will move eastward
into the Ohio Valley/Northern Mid-Atlantic by Tuesday morning.
Upper-level energy moving over the Great Lakes along with cold air will
aid in producing lake effect/lake enhanced snow downwind from the Great
Lakes through Tuesday evening. Elsewhere, a lingering front over
Southern Florida will aid in producing light rain over the area through
Tuesday. - Weather Prediction Center.
Minnesotans Warned Frostbite In Minutes...
Minnesotans
awoke Monday to dangerous subzero temperatures, wind chill values that
could cause frostbite in minutes, and a coming winter storm.
An arctic front moved into the state over the weekend, bringing with it extreme cold and bone-chilling winds. The National Weather Service issued a wind chill warning for the northern half of the state, and a wind chill advisory for the southern half. It expired at noon.
At 6 a.m., temperatures in the Twin Cities hovered around 10 below, while the mercury in northern Minnesota read 16 below in Bemidji and 28 below in International Falls.
WATCH: Dangerous Cold, Snow As Arctic Air Hovers Over Minnesota
Monday’s deep freeze was accompanied by light winds, creating wind chill factors of 25 below in the metro and 45 below in extreme northern Minnesota. Factors that cold can cause frostbite to exposed skin in 10 to 15 minutes.
Snow is also on the way.
Forecaster Kylie Bearse says 6 to perhaps 10 inches of snow could fall in the southwestern corner of the state, where a winter storm warning is in effect until midnight. The storm system will move in from the southwest during the afternoon, and by 6 p.m. the clouds will move over the metro. Residents in the Twin Cities, however, should only see a dusting to an inch of snow.
The highs Monday will struggle to make it out of the subzero depths, and no community is expected to reach 5 degrees.
The arctic air stick around through Wednesday, when the high is forecasted to be a bone-chilling 4 below. That’ll be followed by a mild warm-up, and by Sunday temperatures will reach near 20 degrees. - CBS Minnesota.
Duluth Ski Resorts Close Because Too Cold...
Severe
cold throughout the state is having an impact, starting with a Duluth
area ski resort closing Sunday because of “extremely low temperatures
and intense windchill factors.”
Windchill readings ranging from 20 to 35 below zero “will continue today and tonight” for the Twin Cities area, and much of central and southeastern Minnesota, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).
Coming Monday, the NWS adds, light snowfall is forecast generally along and south of the Interstate 94 corridor into the Twin Cities. “Moderate to heavy snow” is anticipated across far southern Minnesota, the Weather Service added.
Sunday’s daytime high in the Twin Cities will hover just above or below the Big Goose Egg, according to the NWS. Wind speeds of up to 15 miles per hour will push the windchill factor below minus-30.
Tuesday should see a high a few degrees above zero in the metro, but the lows are forecast to remain negative territory through Friday. Also, windchills could plunge Tuesday and Wednesday night to a range between 30 and 40 below, the NWS said.
Spirit Mountain’s operators pointed to “guest and employee safety” for their decision to close the slopes and its Adventure Park on Sunday “due to the incoming extremely low temperatures and intense windchill factors. As of 10 a.m. Sunday, the temperature was minus-8, with a windchill of minus-28, the Weather Service reported.
For updates on operations later in the week, visit www.spiritmt.com.
Also shuttered amid the shivering Sunday in Duluth was the Bayfront Family Center, where various wintertime recreational activities are offered.
Temperatures were in the lower single digits just above or below zero throughout the Twin Cities area as 2 p.m. Sunday arrived, with windchills ranging from 16 to 22 below zero under sunny skies.
Elsewhere in the state, below zero readings were the norm everywhere except a few cities in southeastern Minnesota. Thief River Falls in northwestern Minnesota led the way at 2 p.m. with 17 below and minus-34 windchill. Flag Island, in north-central Minnesota, reported minus-15, with a windchill of 41 below.
At the balmier end of the spectrum, Winona and Madison east boasted a 5-degree positive reading by midafternoon Sunday. - Star Tribune.
Wind Chills 50 Below...
In
addition to some snow and heavy rain, bitterly cold temperatures have
begun moving into parts of the U.S. and will be staying put for at least
part of this week.
Snow is possible across a 2,000-mile stretch
of the U.S. and meteorologist Megan Glaros of CBS station WBBM says that
millions of people will deal with brutally cold weather – with wind
chills as low as 50 degrees below zero for part of the northern Plains.
WATCH: Weather forecast - Millions face snow, bitter cold.
Here are some questions and answers about the weather: Q: WHAT’S THE FORECAST?
A: The Midwest will see the tail end of a storm that could leave as
many as 6 inches of snow in Chicago by early Tuesday. The National
Weather Service has issued a wind chill advisory until noon Monday for
the Chicago area, due to wind chills of 15 to 30 below overnight, CBS
Chicago reported.
After that, Arctic temperatures like those seen
in North Dakota and Minnesota will rush in. Parts of those states were
expecting wind chills of between 25-50 degrees below zero through Monday
morning.
It’ll be a similar story in New York, where rain showers
will give way to cold air. By Thursday, “New York City will be lucky if
it hits 20″ for a high and could see lows near 10 degrees, according to
Michael Musher with the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction
Center.
In Boston, strong wind is ushering in the cold – and gusts
will top out between 40-50 mph this afternoon resulting in some
isolated pockets of tree/powerline damage in the region, WBZ-TV
meterologist Danielle Niles reports.
Atlanta will see temperatures dip to about 15 degrees Monday and Tuesday.
In
the West, a stream of Pacific moisture will drop as much as 6 inches of
rain in the Seattle area and could mean substantial snowfall in the
Cascades. But in San Francisco – a region that desperately needs rain –
skies will be sunny. Q: WHAT’S CAUSING THE TEMPERATURE DROP?
A: The jet stream is dipping, meaning cold air from Canada and other
northern areas is plummeting into the eastern two-thirds of the United
States. Q: IS IT A POLAR VORTEX?
A: The phrase took on a life of its own last year, and it was blamed
for everything from ice storms to the inability of the New York Giants
to score touchdowns. But the National Weather Service is skittish about
going anywhere near it this time around.
But the answer is yes and
no. Yes, because as Musher noted, the cold air is coming from near the
North Pole. But also no, because the low-pressure system isn’t going to
sink into the U.S. this year, just the temperatures that precede it.
Meteorologists say it’s simply winter. Q: HOW CAN PEOPLE PREPARE?
A: Bundle up. For much of the country, this is the first true taste of
winter weather. Musher suggests dressing properly and remembering that
below-freezing temperatures can cause hypothermia.
But there don’t
seem to be any huge winter storms poised to strike, meaning travel in
most places won’t be more difficult than it usually is this time of
year. Q: WHAT’S NEXT?
A: Temperatures are expected to be lower than normal for several days.
They could rise a bit by the end of the week. But remember: It’s only
January. - CBS St. Louis.
Postal Service asks for help...
U.S. Postal Service
With
more snow expected to blanket the region during the next couple days,
one seasonal tool is expected to make its return at homes and businesses
– the shovel. To help letter carriers deliver mail for the holidays,
the Postal Service is asking customers to clear snow and ice from
sidewalks, stairs and mailboxes.
“Snow and ice make delivery dangerous and slow,” said A/Milwaukee Postmaster A.R. “Bob” Odell. “Maintaining a clear path to the mail box – including steps, porches, walkways and street approach – will help letter carriers maintain consistent delivery service and help them get those cards and packages delivered in time for the holidays.”
Customers receiving door delivery should make sure their sidewalks, steps and porches are clear. Customers receiving curbside delivery should remove snow piles left by snow plows to keep access to their mailboxes clear for letter carriers.
Delivery service may be delayed or curtailed whenever streets or walkways present hazardous conditions for letter carriers or when snow is plowed against mailboxes. “The Postal Service curtails delivery only after careful consideration, and only as a last resort,” says Odell. “Any curtailed mail is attempted the next delivery day.”
Blue collection boxes also need to be kept clear for our customers to deposit their mail and for the Postal Service to collect the mail for delivery. Residents and businesses with collection boxes near their property are asked to keep them clear of snow and ice. “We want our letter carriers to be safe,” adds Odell. “We can only do this with the help of our customers.”
The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations. - FOX 6 Now.
March 12, 2014 - NEW YORK, UNITED STATES- A measles outbreak in Manhattan and the Bronx has spread to Brooklyn and grown by three more cases to a total of 19 confirmed patients with the highly contagious virus, officials said Tuesday.
The new cases are all adults, for a total of 10 adults and nine children, the Health Department said.
The previous cases were in Inwood and Washington Heights in Manhattan, and in High Bridge, Morrisania and the Central Bronx, health officials say. The Health Department said Tuesday that cases had also been confirmed in Brooklyn.
The Health Department refused to say where in Brooklyn the cases were confirmed, but stressed that the outbreak is concentrated in northern Manhattan.
Authorities are working to identify the source of the outbreak, and are urging vaccinations for those who haven't had them. The first case was reported in February.
Four of the affected children were too young to have been vaccinated; three who had been vaccinated were 13 to 15 months old and two others had not been vaccinated by parental choice, the Health Department said. The affected adults range in age from 22 to 63 years.
Measles is a viral infection characterized by a generalized rash and high fever, accompanied by cough, red eyes and runny nose, lasting five to six days. The illness typically begins with a rash on the face and then moves down the body, and may include the palms of the hands and soles of the feet.
People who contract the measles virus can spread the infection for four days before developing a rash, and for four days after that. Measles can spread easily through the air to unprotected individuals, and the Health Department is urging all New Yorkers to make sure they and their families are vaccinated.
The Health Department said it is working with city hospitals to prevent additional exposure to the virus in emergency departments. It's also asking pediatric facilities to vaccinate any children who haven't already been vaccinated. Children should normally get a second dose of the vaccine between the ages of 4 and 6, but the Health Department says those who live in the affected communities should get their second dose immediately, regardless of whether they fall within that age range.
As many as one in three people with measles develop complications, which can be serious and may include pneumonia, miscarriage, brain inflammation, hospitalization and death. Infants, people who have a weakened immune system and non-immune pregnant women are at highest risk of severe illness and complications. - NBC New York.
February 19, 2014 - NEW YORK, UNITED STATES - Another quick-moving winter storm dumped a mix of
rain and light, fluffy snow on the tri-state area Tuesday, securing this
month's place as New York City's second-snowiest February on record.
More than 28 inches of snow has fallen in Central Park this month, which is second only to February of 2010, which had 36.9. The February total has now also surpassed the yearly winter average of 27 inches.
This winter has been the seventh snowiest on record in New York City, with 57.1 inches of accumulation in Central Park. The city's all-winter record for snowfall is 75 inches, set during the 1995-96 winter.
In New Jersey on Tuesday, children in one district were let out of school early after concerns about heavy snow on the rooftops of school buildings. Sparta Superintendent Dennis Tobin said the roofs were being inspected on all five buildings and children would not return until they had been deemed safe.
Meteorologists say warmer temperatures are on the way this week, though, giving the winter-weary region a reprieve from shoveling and shivering.
Temperatures Tuesday afternoon rose to around 40, which felt like a near-meteoric rise compared with the teeth-chattering wind chills that tri-state residents awoke to Monday.
And then the area will begin a week-long thaw. Highs in the 40s are expected from Tuesday through Sunday and could top 50 degrees Friday. The warmer temperatures will rapidly melt snow, which could cause localized flooding in some spots. It'll turn cold again next week.
The break from snow couldn't have come at a better time for New Jersey, which is suffering from a road salt shortage. State DOT spokesman Joe Dee told NBC 4 New York that the state has just enough for one more storm, and not a large one.
A barge is leaving from Newark to pick up a small supply from Maine, he said. It can only carry 9,500 tons though. New Jersey typically goes through more than 20,000 per storm. - NBC New York.
November 12, 2013 - UNITED STATES - With the start of astronomical winter still a little over a month away, it will feel a lot more like December than November across a large part of the Northeast into midweek.
A bitter cold air mass that has been building across Canada has become dislodged from the Arctic, and the bulk of this air is sweeping across the northeastern United States.
The coldest temperatures will be on Tuesday and Wednesday as the winterlike chill spills into the Northeast behind an arctic cold front.
High temperatures from Washington, D.C., northward to Philadelphia, New York City and Boston will fail to get out of the 40s, and areas farther inland will not even make it out of the 30s. On Tuesday night, the first below-freezing temperatures are likely from Washington, D.C., to New York City.
In addition to the cold temperatures, I-95 cities from Boston and New York City to Philadelphia saw the first snowflakes of the season on Tuesday. Some snow even mixed in as far south as Baltimore, while snow also reached the coast. A trace of snow fell in Atlantic City, N.J.
Gusty northwest winds will accompany this cold air mass and make it feel even colder, especially on Tuesday. AccuWeather RealFeel® temperatures will not get above 30 degrees from the Appalachians to northern New England.
To put this air mass into perspective, consider the normal high temperature for New York City on Tuesday is 55 degrees F. AccuWeather is forecasting an afternoon high in the low 40s, similar to the average for Dec. 21 (the first day of winter).
Similarly in Philadelphia, the average high temperature on Tuesday is 58 degrees F. AccuWeather is forecasting an afternoon high of only 42 degrees F, which is the average high temperature on Dec. 24.
This winter chill will not be sticking around for very long, as temperatures will warm back toward more seasonable levels for the start of the weekend. - AccuWeather.
A fierce arctic blast swept from the Midwest to Maine early Tuesday, lashing a long arm of the U.S. with freezing temperatures and blanketing some cities in snow and sleet, meteorologists said.
The strong cold front sent temperatures plunging across the East Coast and Gulf Coast as the forecast showed January-low lows in the single digits and teens in the Great Plains and the Upper Midwest and into the 20s from Texas to the mid-Atlantic states, the National Weather Service said.
Even the Southeast is expected to see unseasonable low temperatures that could hit the teens and low 20s.
In all, temperatures across nearly a third of the country were expected to be 10 to 20 degrees below normal temperatures for this time of year.
Pablo Avila clears snow from a table in Millennium Park in Chicago,
Ill., on Monday. The snowfall was the first of the season for the city. Scott Olson / Getty Images
“If you haven’t gotten your winter coat out down here it’s time to do so,” said Tom Niziol, a winter weather expert at the Weather Channel, directing his remarks to southerners.
Following the cold front is a light band of clouds and rain that could turn to snow in some portions of the region.
Parts of the Great Lakes, Ohio Valley, the Appalachians, upstate New York and northern New England could see some light snowfall early Tuesday, according to Weather Channel meteorologists.
A weather advisory was issued for parts of the Ohio River Valley.
However, Weather Channel meteorologist Chis Dolce sent a message to kids: "No snow day" was likely on Tuesday.
WATCH: A strong cold front started the winter season a bit sooner than expected for some states, including Michigan. The Weather Channel's Mike Seidel reports.
He added: "While this time of year is notorious for major Great Lakes snowstorms, that's not what we're forecasting with this moisture-starved Arctic cold front."
A dusting of snow was possible in New Jersey and some of New York’s northern suburbs into Tuesday morning, and could add to the frustration of the morning commute, NBCNewYork reported.
Light snow could stick to grassy areas and the tops of cars but was not forecast to accumulate on the roads and highways.
The worst of the weather system could come during the morning rush hours on Tuesday in Chicago and New York, severely reducing the visibility for some commuters. - NBC.
May 29, 2013 - UNITED STATES - A warm front lifting northward across the Northeast on Wednesday will
act as a gateway to warm and humid weather, but not before a few rounds
of powerful thunderstorms roll through the region. The worst of the weather will be found in places such as Buffalo,
Rochester, Syracuse, Albany, Scranton, New York City, Hartford,
Providence, Worcester and Boston, to name a few.
Severe Storms From New York City To Boston.
Hail as large as quarters or even golf balls and damaging thunderstorm
wind gusts to 60 or 70 mph are the biggest threats, but an isolated
tornado is not out of the question. Hail the size of quarters can cause
minor damage to vehicles and it could cause injury to exposed people or
animals. Golf ball-sized hail is capable of more significant damage. It
can crack windshields, dent vehicles, damage crops or gardens and cause
severe injury to people or animals caught outside. Wind gusts of 60 to
70 mph can snap off large tree branches, uproot trees and blow down
power poles. Spotty power outages are also possible. As warm southerly
winds push into stubborn northeasterly winds lingering across parts of
New York state and New England, a twisting motion of the lower
atmosphere will exist, leading to the potential for isolated tornadoes.
Though tornadoes are fairly rare in the Northeast, this is not expected to be a major tornado outbreak by any stretch of the imagination, especially compared to the tornado risk in the central Plains. If you will be out and about this afternoon and evening, keep an eye to the sky, keep an eye on radar on your smart phone and pay attention to weather bulletins. Once thunderstorms develop, they will strengthen quickly, and severe weather could follow soon after. Be sure to understand the difference between a watch and a warning. A watch means that an area is being monitored for dangerous weather. A warning means that dangerous weather is imminent. Keep in mind that lightning is one of Mother Nature's most dangerous killers. If you can hear thunder, you are close enough to the storm to be struck by lightning, even if the sun is still shining. - AccuWeather.
More Severe Weather To Hit Many Parts Of US After Tornadoes, Thunderstorms.
Severe weather is set to batter many parts of the United States on Wednesday, forecasters warned, including parts of the Plains torn by twisters last week. Violent storms brought heavy rain to the Chicago area Tuesday, and large tornadoes touched Kansas, Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. One person fell victim to the bizarre weather after a fatal lightning strike in Florida. New York City and western Long Island could be hit by heavy rain and high winds on Wednesday, the Weather Channel reported. In the Plains, a severe thunderstorm and tornado outbreak is expected stretching across a wide swath from South Dakota to central Texas. The threat of twisters was highest from south-central and southeast Nebraska to western Oklahoma.
WATCH: United States Storm Watch.
“The ingredients are coming together for a severe thunderstorm and tornado outbreak in the Plains Wednesday,” said Weather Channel meteorologist Kevin Roth. Many parts of the Chicago metropolitan area were lashed by torrential rain, frequent lightning and high winds late Tuesday, NBCChicago.com reported. On the west coast of Florida, a woman was killed by lightning strike while visiting Belleair Beach, police said. Phyllis Kalinowski, 50, from Brandon, Fla., was sightseeing with her friend Dawn Ryskoskis, 45, at 6 p.m. when she was caught in the storm and died of injuries consistent with a lightning strike, according to a statement from the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office. In Chicago, a White Sox vs. Cubs game was canceled because of the rain and tornado warnings were issued for Grundy County and Will County in Illinois. There were also fears of flash flooding. At least one home was destroyed and other buildings were damaged by a tornado in Nemaha County, north Kansas, late Tuesday, according to the Associated Press, while in Ottawa County a large tornado was reported around 5:30 p.m. local time in the area of Culver and Bennington, about 15 miles north of Salina, according to the Weather Channel.
The dark funnel of one of Kansas’ Tuesday evening tornadoes was captured in a video by the Salina Journal newspaper. A tornado warning was issued for Erie County, Ohio, shortly before 8 p.m. Tuesday after a funnel cloud was sighted, weather.com said. The Erie County emergency management agency said one and possibly two tornadoes were reported, and one went through the Union City area. In northwestern Pennsylvania, a tornado touched down and damaged some buildings and at least one mobile home, but no injuries were immediately reported, weather.com said. Damaging winds and hail were among the severe weather threats to Upstate New York and New England on Wednesday, Roth said, while some storms were also possible in the upper Mississippi Valley ahead of the outbreak. The storms could be seen in clusters “from Detroit early in the day then over to Western New York, Pennsylvania, Albany NY, maybe New York City and parts of western Long Island along the warm front by the end of the day,” Weather Channel meteorologist Mark Thibodeau reported. Wednesday’s storms in the Plains were expected to move slowly, Thibodeau said, hitting the Southern Plains and northern half of the Mississippi Valley on Thursday. Roth said Thursday’s severe weather threat extends from Minnesota and Wisconsin southwest to central and eastern Oklahoma and west Arkansas with the tornado threat highest in eastern Kansas and central and eastern Oklahoma.
There was also a risk of flooding in areas close to the Mississippi
River following Tuesday's heavy rains, according to Weather Channel
meteorologist Bill Karins. - NBC News.
At Least 4 Tornadoes Strike Northeast Kansas "We Had No Warning".
A thunderstorm moved over a farm near White Cloud, Kansas on Tuesday. Orlin Wagner.
The Storm Prediction Center says a severe weather outbreak is
possible on Wednesday in Kansas and Oklahoma as more storms take aim at
the area. The new threat comes a day after powerful storms dropped tornadoes and hail on parts of northern Kansas. Forecasters say west-central Oklahoma and west-central Kansas are at a moderate risk of severe weather Wednesday afternoon and evening. The National Weather Service says the storms could bring baseball-sized hail, wind gusts of up to 70 mph and tornadoes. The moderate risk area includes Moore, Okla., where 24 people were killed May 20 in a massive EF5 tornado. No injuries were reported from Tuesday's outbreak that began in late afternoon with at least two tornadoes in northeastern Kansas' Nemaha County and another that developed later farther west in Ottawa County. Nemaha County authorities reported at least one home destroyed and another with lesser damage in the small town of Corning. Several sheds and outbuildings also were hit. In Ottawa County, a large tornado was reported around 5:30 p.m. in the area of Culver and Bennington, about 15 miles north of Salina. Trained spotters for the National Weather Service said the tornado was nearly stationary, and a tornado warning remained in effect for more than an hour.
WATCH: Kansas Tornado.
Sharon Watson, spokeswoman for the Kansas Division of Emergency
Management, said two homes and several other buildings in rural areas
near Bennington were destroyed. There were no reports of injuries.
Tuesday's storms came as meteorologists put most of north-central and
northeastern Kansas under a tornado watch that also covered all of
northern Missouri, meaning conditions were favorable for tornado
development. On Monday night, at least four tornadoes hit different
counties in northeast Kansas, with no fatalities or serious injuries but
considerable damage in the Marshall County town of Marysville. Bill
Schwindamann, Marshall County's emergency management director, said a
tornado that touched down about 9:50 p.m. just west of Marysville
destroyed a John Deere dealership and a lumber yard and truss company
and flattened or damaged 20 to 25 homes.
Some livestock were missing and power lines were down Tuesday morning around Marysville, which is about 150 miles northwest of Kansas City near the Nebraska border. The National Weather Service warned the county about the upcoming storm and emergency management workers were scrambling to warn residents when it hit, Schwindamann said. "They gave us a heads up, and we started setting sirens off and getting spotters out and stuff, but it was pretty much on us by then," he said. Tornadoes also touched down in Smith and Clay counties Monday night, Watson said. Professional storm chasers in a specially rigged "tornado intercept vehicle" dubbed TIV2 captured video from inside a strong wedge tornado around 7:15 p.m. Monday northeast of the town of Smith Center. Brandon Ivey and Sean Casey, who appear in the Discovery Channel series "Storm Chasers," captured the footage in eastern Smith County before the tornado ripped instruments from the top of the vehicle. The two said one of TIV2's doors and the top hatch were blown open by the storm but the vehicle stayed on the ground. Preliminary reports indicated two homes were destroyed northwest of Smith Center but no injuries were reported. The Clay County tornado touched down briefly just west of Edgar but did no substantial damage. Another tornado in Jewell County caused significant damage to one home near Esbon but no injuries, said meteorologist Ryan Pfannkuch in the National Weather Service office in Hastings, Neb. - Kansas City Star.
High Winds Level Homes After Reported Tornado Sightings In Michigan.
Tornado in Lapeer County, Michigan.
Severe thunderstorms pushed across Michigan's Lower Peninsula on Tuesday night, leading to several funnel cloud sightings, including a tornado that landed near Goodrich High School southeast of Flint, the National Weather Service said. No injuries were immediately reported. The weather service didn't directly link damage to Tuesday night's tornado sightings in southern Genesee County but said high winds in the same severe thunderstorm system heavily damaged several homes. It said winds toppled numerous trees and power lines. A funnel cloud was sighted about 10 p.m. near Goodrich, touching down near the high school, the weather service said. A half-hour earlier, it said, winds knocked down a home about 5 miles south of Swartz Creek, roughly 15 miles to the west of Goodrich.
Genesee County's emergency center referred a request for information to Sheriff Robert Pickell, who was out surveying damage Tuesday night. A message was left for him. The storm also caused damage in the northern part of the county, MLive.com reported. "It was crazy," said James Roberts of Mount Morris Township, which is about 15 miles northwest of where the tornado touched down in Goodrich. He said he and his family were watching the storm on the porch when winds started gusting. He quickly shuffled everyone to the home's basement. "We had no warning," Roberts said, adding that they never heard a siren go off. Roberts said his home sustained minimal damage, but others further east were hit more heavily. - FOX News.
Rare Tornado South Of Erie, Pennsylvania.
A supercell thunderstorm produced a tornado southeast of Erie, Pa., on May 28, 2013, around 8 p.m. EDT. Jessica Metzler captured the tornado, which touched down west of Waterford, Pa., on video. The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning at 7:55 p.m. EDT. Before the tornado formed, severe storms moving east at 25 mph damaged structures and downed power lines 8 miles northwest of Edinboro, Pa., at 7:53 p.m. EDT. The storm system that produced numerous tornadoes across Kansas, Nebraska and Oklahoma on Tuesday evening was the same one that triggered the severe storms across northwestern Pennsylvania. Severe weather will continue to impact areas of the Plains and Northeast on Wednesday. WATCH: Tornado in Erie.
March 08, 2013 - UNITED STATES - New England residents hunkered down Friday as a late-season storm dumped up to a foot of snow in some areas – with more to come. The storm also brought high winds that were battering Nantucket, Martha’s Vineyard, and Long Island, the Weather Channel reported. A winter storm warning remained in effect for the region through 1 p.m., with snowfall expected to lessen through the afternoon. “We are watching a conveyor belt of wave after wave of snow coming in
over the Atlantic,” Alan Dunham, meteorologist with the National Weather
Service, told the Associated Press. “The morning commute will
definitely be a challenge.”
Snow blankets New England streets.
'Wave After Wave of Snow' to Pummel New England.
The Massachusetts town of Mansfield reported 14 inches on Friday and
Rockland had a foot, according to the National Weather Service. A
seaside house on Plum Island, about 40 miles north of Boston, was
listing at a 45-degree angle after being battered by waves, WHDH
reported. The accumulation of wet snow on trees and power linescombined with gusty winds could lead to some isolated power outages, NBC Connecticut cautioned. Hundreds of schools closed or delayed openings. The
weather meant a change of footwear for Lisa Parisella of Beverly,
Mass., where there were six inches on the ground on Friday morning. “I
was thinking, March, ready to take out the sandals, and I’m taking out
the boots again,” she said. The storm has authorities along the
Massachusetts coast worried as wind-lashed seas threatened flood-prone
areas still recovering from last month’s blizzard. The town of Scituate,
Mass. advised residents to leave low-lying zones during high tides on
Thursday.
A house collapsed on Plum Island, Mass. shortly before 9 a.m. Friday morning. NBC News.
“I think that’s going to be very dangerous,” Scituate Police Chief
Brian Stewart told the AP. “We’re recommending that peoples in areas
that have experienced coastal flooding to evacuate three hours before
high tide.” Thirty-mph gusts and beach erosion are the biggest
concern in Sandwich, Mass., where residents boarded up their homes
against the approaching storm. “We had serious flooding this
morning,” Brian Gallant, director of the town’s emergency management,
told NBC affiliate WHDH on Thursday. “We had a couple of roads that were
under water. The boardwalk again is under water.” Waves as high as 23-feet with 3-foot storm surges were expected Friday, WHDH reported. Commuters
slid into work on wet, sloshy snow in New York and New Jersey, with
flurries expected to continue through noon before changing to rain, NBC New York reported. A
winter storm warning was in effect through noon in New York City and
through parts of northeastern New Jersey, with 1 to 2 inches of
accumulation expected in the city, the Weather Channel reported. A half a
foot or or more could fall over northeast New Jersey and into the lower
Hudson Valley, the National Weather Service reported. Fifty-eight flights had been canceled for New York’s LaGuardia
airport and 54 at Logan in Boston as of 9:30 a.m. Friday morning,
according to Flight Aware. The storm swept through the Midwest and
up from the Mid-Atlantic earlier in the week, taking its toll in
several states. A Virginia man died after his car slid off an icy road,
and two North Carolina boaters remained missing offshore. - NBC News.
Huge Waves Sweep New England Coastline As Late Winter Storm Batters The East Coast.
Wild one: Ocean waves crash over a seawall and into houses along the coast in Scituate, Massachusetts on Thursday, March 7.
A late winter storm that has confounded forecasters now threatens to dump a foot of snow on areas of Massachusetts and up to five inches of snow in New York City before finally moving out to sea. The wet windy storm is predicted to bring 'wave after wave of snow' to the area on Friday, promising a gruelling and potentially dangerous morning commute, especially into Boston, which could get 10 inches of snow. Interior Massachusetts could get as many as 12 inches. The weather front has caught forecasters off guard this week - appearing as if it were going to batter Washington D.C. before turning on Sandy-affected areas of New Jersey and the East Coast instead. It has already brought high waves and coastal flooding from Delaware to Massachusetts, forcing sea water into roads and homes, leaving thousands without power. 'We are watching a conveyor belt of wave after wave of snow coming in over the Atlantic,' Alan Dunham, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. 'The morning commute will definitely be a challenge.' Homes and businesses could suffer yet more power outages thanks to the combination of wet snow accumulating on trees and power lines and strong winds, NBC Connecticut reported. 'The large winter storm slowly moving away from the Northeast coast will continue to bring a plethora of hazards to the Northeast' until early tomorrow, the National Weather Service said. 'Strong winds, high waves and coastal flooding will impact the coast from New Jersey to Maine, while heavy snow is forecast across inland locations.' Through Friday night, the storm will shift out to sea, leaving breezy behind on Saturday morning. - Daily Mail.
Winter Storm Dumps Over 20 Inches Of Snow On Virginia.
The heaviest snows are now over
for the very wet Winter Storm Saturn, which dumped 6+" of snow on
fourteen states this week, from North Dakota to Virginia. The deepest
snows fell in the Appalachian Mountains of western Virginia and eastern
West Virginia, where a number of locations received over twenty inches.
The top snow-getter was Franklin, West Virginia, with 24". At least
three more states will join the 6+" snow club on Thursday, as Boston, MA, Providence, RI, and New London, CT are all expected to get 4 - 8" of snow. A mere 0.2" of snow fell at Washington D.C.'s Reagan Airport,
despite predictions early in the morning that the city would receive 8 -
10" of snow. The storm, dubbed "Snowquester" by the Washington Post, is
now being called "Noquester" after the forecast bust. Western suburbs of D.C. just twenty miles from the city got up to 6" of snow, though, with 3.3" recorded at Dulles Airport.
MODIS satellite image of Winter
Storm Saturn/Snowquester at 2:55 pm EST March 6, 2013, from NASA's Aqua
satellite. Image credit: NASA.
According to NOAA's latest storm summary, here are the top snowfall amounts for the fourteen states that received 6+" of snow: ...IOWA... NEW HAMPTON 8.6 ...ILLINOIS... LA GRANGE PARK 11.0 ...INDIANA... NORTH WEBSTER 11.0 ...MARYLAND... FROSTBURG 12.5 ...MICHIGAN... SAWYER 9.5 ...MINNESOTA... BIGFORK 13.2 ...MONTANA... ROCKY BOY 24.0 ...NORTH CAROLINA... BRYSON CITY 6.0 ...NORTH DAKOTA... LANGDON 15.0 ...OHIO... BELLEFONTAINE 9.0 ...PENNSYLVANIA... NEW KENSINGTON 12.0 ...VIRGINIA... FISHERSVILLE 20.3 ...WISCONSIN... INDEPENDENCE 9.0 ...WEST VIRGINIA... FRANKLIN 24.0
Coastal flooding on Wednesday, March 6, 2013, in Norfolk, Virginia, thanks to Winter Storm Saturn. Image credit: Martin Cornick.
Coastal flooding in Delaware floods Highway 1; flooding in Massachusetts a concern
The storm brought high winds and a storm surge of 2 - 4' to the shores of Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, and New York, causing moderate flooding to many of the beaches battered by Hurricane Sandy in October. The top wind gust was 64 mph at Tuckerton, NJ. The streets of Sea Bright and Highlands in New Jersey flooded during high tide Wednesday, and a 4.1' storm surge hit the Delaware coast near Lewes, driving water levels to 2.8' above the high tide mark.
Coastal flooding prediction made
at 5 am EDT Thursday March 7, 2013 for the Friday morning high tide
cycle. Sandwich Harbor and Nantucket Island are boost predicted to
receive major coastal flooding, with storm surges of up to 3.8' and
waves offshore of up to 29'. NWS Boston.
The storm surge, topped by high, battering waves, caused severe erosion and broke through a barrier dune north of the Indian River Inlet Bridge, inundating the coastal highway, Route 1, between Dewey Beach and Bethany Beach. As the storm moves eastwards, it will bring moderate flooding during the Thursday evening and Friday morning high tide cycles along large portions of the Eastern Massachusetts coast. Sandwich Harbor and Nantucket Island are both predicted to receive major coastal flooding on Friday morning, with storm surges of up to 3.8' and waves offshore of up to 29'. Winds gusts of 68 mph were observed at Hyannis and Harwichport on Massachusetts' Cape Cod this Thursday morning. - Wunderground.
Illinois Banquet Hall Roof Collapses Under Weight of Snow.
The biggest winter storm to hit the Chicago area in two years may have proved too much for a northwest suburban banquet hall. A portion of the roof of Cafe La Cave in Des Plaines caved in just before 1 p.m. Tuesday. Snow poured into one wing of the building as the roof gave way overnight, leaving a gaping hole at the banquet hall's southwest corner. Des Plaines Fire Department officials said no one was in the building at the time, and no injuries were reported. The building department is scheduled to inspect the structure Wednesday. The banquet hall, located not far from O'Hare International Airport, is a family owned business that hosts weddings as well as a big Easter brunch. Cafe La Cave owner Kim Sutter said the roof collapsed over their Baby Grand Ballroom. Owenr Gus Sutter said a graduation dinner celebration for Worsham College for 300 people was planned for Wednesday night. "Thank God there wasn't an event going on," Gus Sutter said. "[The roof] is just a thing. A thing that can be replaced." - NBC News.
WATCH: Illinois Banquet Hall Roof Collapses Under Weight of Snow.
