Winter in de V.S. (2009/2010)

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DENVER (AP) -- An early blast of winter walloped some western states with deep snow and slowly pushed into Nebraska and Kansas Thursday, bringing blizzard conditions to the eastern plains and causing treacherous roads, closed schools and hundreds of canceled flights.

The fall storm spread 3 feet of snow and left much higher drifts across parts of northern Utah, Wyoming and Colorado, before its leading edge hit neighboring states just to the east.

Wind-driven snow built to blizzard conditions over much of eastern Colorado. The weather service warned most area roads would be impassible Thursday night because of blowing snow and near-zero visibility.

The heaviest October snowfall in the Denver area in a decade forced the closure of hundreds of schools and businesses. Roads across the region remained snowpacked and icy.

"Big storms like these, they seem to come around every 10 to 12 years," said Kyle Fredin, a National Weather Service meteorologist.

Denver-based Frontier Airlines said it canceled 44 flights in and out of Denver International Airport. Other flights were delayed by up to four hours. United Airlines, the airport's dominant carrier with about 400 flights per day, canceled half its flights Thursday to prevent delays and cancelations from spilling over into Friday, spokesman Charlie Hobart said. Both airlines planned to operate full schedules Friday.

Airport spokesman Chuck Cannon said crews were using 174 pieces of snow-removal equipment to keep runways and taxiways clear as they dealt with severe wind gusts. Cannon said two departure and two arrival runways were open. The airport received at least 16 inches of snow with 5-foot snow drifts east of Denver, the weather service said.

The Colorado Department of Transportation closed a 140-mile stretch of Interstate 70 from near Denver to Burlington and 55 miles of Interstate 76 from Lochbuie to Fort Morgan. Plows struggled to keep up with the blowing snow, said CDOT spokesman Bob Wilson.

No serious accidents were reported, likely because shuttered businesses meant fewer cars on the road, Wilson said.

In Wyoming, road closures included a 40-mile stretch of Interstate 80 from Cheyenne to Laramie; a 35-mile span of Interstate I-25 from Wellington to Cheyenne; and a 200-mile stretch of I-80 west of Big Springs to Laramie, Wyo. Snow drifts were running up to 4 feet in Cheyenne and up to 6 feet 30 miles north of the city.

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Another premature blast of winter is right around the corner for the Northeast with frigid winds for many and even some snow for a few.

Cold air will arrive tonight into Friday, in the wake of chilly rain and even sleet and snow running across Upstate New York and northern New England.

A storm will strengthen off the Northeast coast Thursday night into Friday.

The brunt of the potent storm will slam Down East Maine and Atlantic Canada.

On the front side of the storm, winds over eastern New England could be strong enough to cause tree damage and power outages.

Gusty winds blowing on the storm's back side Thursday over the Great Lakes will spread through the mid-Atlantic by Friday. Gusts could top 50 mph in some areas; strong enough to cause sporadic power outages once again.

AccuWeather.com RealFeel® temperatures will drop into the teens and 20s throughout the Northeast Thursday night.

Winter attire is recommended for those venturing out, even in Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, D.C.

Enough cold air will arrive that snow also falls across parts of the Northeast Thursday night into Friday.

A coating to an inch of snow Thursday night could create slippery roads in the mountains of northern Pennsylvania, New York and central New England.

Only a few wet snowflakes will make an appearance in the northern and western suburbs of New York City.

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Soon after people in the Northeast deal with heavy rain, delays and flooding problems from a storm Wednesday into Thursday, the track of a second and colder storm this weekend could bring snowfall to a heavily populated area in the mid-Atlantic.

It may be time to locate your snow brush and snow shovel if you live in the corridor from Roanoke to Philadelphia

Forecast problems still remain with a second storm forecast to bring heavy snow to the Houston, Texas, area Friday.

For now, the most likely area to receive several inches of snow lies from southwestern Virginia to southern New Jersey.

Computer models have trended farther south and east over the past 24 hours, and this trend will have to be watched for any more shifts in that direction or the reverse.

A difference in storm track by as little as 100 miles could mean no snow at all and the band of heavy snow falling somewhere else.

One thing to keep in mind is just because heavy rain falls with the first storm Wednesday into Thursday that does not mean the second storm this weekend will do the same.

Additionally, in the wake of the rainstorm and the potential snowstorm, lake-effect snow can bring bands of heavy snowfall to the lee of lakes Erie and Ontario later Thursday into Friday and again Saturday night into Sunday.

More storms and cold outbreaks will follow as the "December to remember" is just getting underway.

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Frigid air driven by 40- to 60-mph wind gusts will spread snow and falling temperatures farther to the east over the Midwest into tonight, leading to deteriorating travel conditions, including a freeze-up on roads and sidewalks.

While travel conditions improve over the southern Plains, conditions are getting worse farther northeast over the Upper Midwest as cold air is being pulled in by strong winds.

Temperatures are falling below freezing in Chicagoland as a burst of snow rolls through. Roads may quickly turn slushy and snow covered in some areas where rain washed away the previous snow or places where the snow was cleared.

These same conditions will roll into Detroit, Indianapolis and Cleveland into this evening.

Winds gusts up to 60 mph will continue to shift eastward through the Ohio Valley into tonight and can lead to power outages, downed trees and minor property damage.

Some arriving flights at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport are being delayed by several hours due to high winds and blowing snow.

Drifts of up to 4 feet are piling up on the storm's back side as powerful winds push powdery snow around. The blowing snow is leading to low visibility at times, even after snow stops falling from the clouds.

Cities subject to the blowing and drifting snow include Omaha, Des Moines and La Crosse, Wis.

Officials are currently advising motorists not to travel on interstates 29, 35 and 80 through Iowa. A similar statement could be made to travelers across neighboring states and Michigan.

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Crippling Lake-Effect Snow Event Underway

In the wake of the fierce coast-to-coast storm, blustery winds have greatly activated the lake-effect snow machine across the Great Lakes. Towns and cities will become crippled by the snow, which will persist through at least Friday and will need to be measured with a yardstick.

The Northeast Regional Radar shows the beginning stages of this extremely significant lake-effect snow

Between 1 to 3 feet of snow will bury places to the lee of lakes Superior, Erie and Ontario, as well as Georgian Bay through at least Friday. It is not out of the question that the snow will amount to 4 feet.

Snowfall rates may reach a couple of inches per hour within the most intense bands throughout the Great Lakes. Road crews will likely have trouble keeping streets and highways clear.

Blustery winds will not only make measuring the snow difficult, but will add to the severity of the situation.

Localized whiteouts will result as the winds severely whip the snow around. Drifting snow may make some roads impassible.

Motorists should prepare for treacherous travel and potential road closures on the New York State Thruway (I-90) through southwestern New York, I-81 in upstate New York, I-196 and I-94 in southeastern Michigan.

An end to this intense lake-effect snow event will finally come Friday night into Saturday as the snow tapers off from west to east.

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In het centrum van de Verenigde Staten zijn woensdagnacht en donderdagochtend zestien mensen om het leven gekomen bij ongevallen die het gevolg waren van hevige sneeuwstormen. Dat melden verschillende media. Er wordt de komende dagen overigens nog meer sneeuw verwacht.

Slachtoffers
De meeste slachtoffers vielen bij verkeersongevallen. In delen van het Midwesten viel tot één meter sneeuw, waardoor de meeste scholen, universiteiten en openbare gebouwen gesloten moesten worden. Verschillende luchthavens moesten eveneens de deuren sluiten, en er worden ontzettend lange files waargenomen.

Krachtige sneeuwstorm
Dergelijke stormen zijn tijdens deze periode van het jaar niet ongewoon in dat deel van de VS. Een meteorologe van de National Weather Service, Penny Zabel, zei aan The New York Times dat het een bijzonder krachtige sneeuwstorm betreft.

Overstromingen
In het zuiden van het land zorgde de storm eveneens voor regen en overstromingen. (belga/vbd)

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