Jan. 4 (UPI) — A powerful winter storm is blasting the Northeast with hurricane-force winds after delivering a mix of sleet, snow and freezing rain to the Southeast.
About 1/10-inch of snow fell on Tallahassee, Fla. on Wednesday — the first measurable snowfall there since 1989. Nearly a quarter-inch of ice was measured in Lake City, Fla.
Ellabell, Ga., saw 6 inches of snow. South Carolina saw its third heaviest snowfall in one day on record in Charleston, where 5.3 inches of snow was measured Wednesday.
By Thursday morning, the winter storm was pummeling Massachusetts and delivering blizzard-like conditions to Cape Cod.
The storm momentarily left 95 percent of Provincetown residents without power at the tip of Cape Cod — but by later Thursday, workers had restored power to all but 524 residents.
Gusts of 75 mph were recorded in Wellfleet, and a gust of 76 mph was recorded in Nantucket. Hurricane-force winds are those equal to or stronger than 74 mph.
Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker spoke on Thursday morning to warn residents of the dangerous conditions to come.
“The snow is expected to fall extremely quickly once the system starts to move … I promise you … across most of Massachusetts it’s going to look pretty rough out there,” Baker said. “You don’t hear the weather people use the word blizzard or whiteout that often, and they are using that term quite often.”
As the storm moves north, a blizzard warning was announced for coastal New Jersey and southern Delaware and a winter storm warning for Philadelphia and the surrounding counties in Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey.
The National Weather Service defines a blizzard warning as a storm that gives off a large amount snow or blowing snow, with winds over 35 mph and low visibility.
Thirteen states from South Carolina to Maine are under a winter storm warning as a massive bombogenesis area of rapidly declining low pressure will cause a “bomb cyclone.”
A bomb cyclone can blast the air with icy temperatures as it draws colder air from the north.
On Thursday, Philadelphia can expect 3 to 6 inches of snow, while 4 to 8 inches are forecast for New York City and over a foot of snow is expected in Boston.
Schools were closed in New York City, Boston and Buffalo, N.Y., on Thursday and more than 3,300 flights were canceled with John F. Kennedy International Airport suspending flights around 11 a.m.
More than 70 percent of Newark’s flights and 90 percent of New York’s LaGuardia flights were also canceled.
This week, 12 people have died in cold-related deaths nationwide.
