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Massive Winter Storm Pummels Northeastern U.S.!

By Team Morecast
18.12.2020

After a string of mild winters with little snowfall, winter came back with a vengeance in the Northeastern United States on Wednesday into Thursday, as a potent storm delivered a healthy dose of snow to the region.The multifaceted system brought with it heavy snow, sleet, strong winds, and even minor coastal flooding. Although disruptive, many people were delighted to see the snow just in time for the holidays.

In many cities, snowfall totals from just this storm alone exceeded snowfall totals for all of last winter. Some examples include New York City and Philadelphia. For this storm, New York City received 10 inches (25 cm) while last winter the city only received a measly 4.8 inches (12 cm). Meanwhile in Philadelphia the 5.7 inches (14 cm) that fell with this storm bested last years seasonal total of 0.3 inches (0.7 cm).

Not only were the snowfall totals more than what many areas received last winter, they were more than some locations have ever seen. At the height of the storm, snowfall was coming down at the rate of 3-4 inches (8-10 cm) per hour in an expansive band that stretched from interior portions of Pennsylvania into interior sections of New England. Thunder-snow was even reported. This contributed to staggering amounts of snow that were record breaking. Such places include Binghamton, New York, which received 41 inches (104 cm), smashing the previous record of 35.3 inches (90 cm) set in March 2017, and Williamsport, Pennsylvania, where the 24.7 inches (63cm) that fell during this storm surpassed the record of 24.1inches (61cm) set in January 1964. The top honors for highest snow received anywhere during this storm goes to Vestal, New York, where a whopping 45 inches (114 cm) fell.

The storm has proven to be deadly, as 5 fatalities have been reported thus far. At least one of the deaths is attributed to a massive 66 car pileup on Interstate 80 in Pennsylvania. Similar scenarios played out in various states, including New York, where over 600 car crashes were reported as of Thursday morning. Up to 70,000 scattered power outages occurred as strong winds and heavy snow brought down trees and power lines.

In the wake of the storm, very cold air will remain in place over the next few days, as the the fresh snow on the ground will prevent temperatures from rising too much in the daytime, and allow them to drop much more at night. The will almost certainly guarantee a white Christmas for many locales. The first since 2009.


 

Team Morecast
Weather
26.04.2024
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