The Inland Northeast was transformed into a winter wonderland Thursday through Friday as a cross-country storm brought snow to the region, but later in the week the storm didn’t just refresh the spirits of those dreaming of a white Christmas.
Freezing rain, sleet and snow first began spreading inland across the mid-Atlantic from Wednesday night into Thursday morning, with the worst winter weather concentrated in the mountains of Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland and central Pennsylvania. By Thursday afternoon, the cold weather shifted to snow as the storm pushed northeast toward New England.
“I’m from North Carolina and we don’t have that in our house,” Bills Chavis, a construction worker near Syracuse, New York, told AccuWeather on Thursday. “When this [snow] Start falling and it just won’t stop. “
The snowfall in the Northeast is an extension of the same system that produced deadly thunderstorms and tornadoes in the south and blizzards in the northern Plains.
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A truck spun its tires Thursday while trying to drive up a New York hill in icy conditions. (accurate weather) |
The road troubles started ahead of the commute on Thursday morning, as cold precipitation caused problems for motorists on back roads and major highways in the interior of the Northeast.
The icy conditions have seen a slew of accidents in Pennsylvania, including a crash Thursday morning on the Pennsylvania Turnpike that closed the road for several hours.
The crash on Interstate 80 also caused lengthy delays for people trying to cross the Keystone state, and Elijah Perez was one of many truck drivers stranded near Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Perez told AccuWeather that while it was his second time driving a truck in winter, Thursday was his first encounter with severe winter weather.
Syracuse is another trouble spot. The city experienced a mix of sleet and ice before the snow reached half a foot. AccuWeather National Correspondent Jillian Angeline was at the scene of several crashes near Syracuse and witnessed trucks icing up and making it up a small hill.
The heaviest snow fell from northeastern Pennsylvania to northern New England, with about a foot of snow at high elevations in New York, Vermont and western Massachusetts.
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With more than 50,000 power outages reported Friday morning from Virginia to New York, some who chose to stay home amid heavy snow, freezing rain and sleet still had to deal with the storm’s icy aftermath, PowerOutage.us reported.
The storm brought rain primarily to the Interstate 95 corridor as millions of people in the interior Northeast faced cold weather. However, some suburbs north and west of Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. briefly saw some snow and ice on Thursday before the cold mixture was washed away by rain.
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The snowstorm later in the week has been a boon for ski resorts across the Northeast, especially in northern New England, where the snowfall has been heaviest.
Whiteface Mountain ski resort in New York’s Adirondack Mountains made the latest news Friday morning as skiers scrambled to hit the slopes. “We’re not asking you to call in sick today, but today will be a sick day if you ask us,” the resort posted on its website. “Snow has been falling non-stop since early this morning and the mountains are covered in fresh powder.”
Snowstorms have also increased the chances of a white Christmas in the interior Northeast this year. To have a white Christmas, there must be at least 1 inch of snow on the ground or at least 1 inch of new snow on Christmas Day.
The chances of a white Christmas could increase next week as AccuWeather meteorologists monitor the potential for a major, far-reaching winter storm in the eastern U.S. Winds in parts of New England meanwhile are preparing for the Christmas weekend. travel before.
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