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Subscribe to RSSAs tornadoes ripped through the South, more than a foot of snow was dumped over parts of the Midwest, making for a post-Christmas travel nightmare. NBC's Mike Seidel reports.
A wicked winter storm was sweeping east across the United States Wednesday, creating a post-holiday travel nightmare with more than a foot of snow in some places and thousands of flights canceled or delayed.
"Blizzard warnings stretch for 730 continuous miles due to Winter Storm Euclid," The Weather Channel’s Tom Niziol reported.
The white-out came a day after a Christmas storm unleashed heavy snow, deadly winds and even some tornadoes on the nation’s midsection, killing at least three people.
As millions of Americans braced for snow, rain, ice or more twisters, nearly 2,000 flights had been canceled and 10,000 were delayed, many at Dallas/Fort Worth, Philadelphia International, and Cleveland's Hopkins International, according to the travel website FllightStats.com. American Airlines had to cancel 500 flights, while Delta scrapped 200.
Read more at The Weather Channel
The forecast called for heavy snow from Indiana to New York and by mid-afternoon it was piling up: The National Weather Service reported 14.5 inches in Marion, Ill.; 11.8 inches in Bloomfield, Ind.; 9 inches in Brookville, Ohio; 7 inches in Bardwell, Ky.; and Frostburg, Md. Up to 3 inches of rain had fallen in North and South Carolina.
The National Weather Service said Wednesday night that spotters had reported up to a foot of snow in some Pennsylvania counties. Forecasters predicted 10 to 12 inches of snow in western and central Massachusetts.
The system was expected to taper off into a mix of rain and snow closer to the coast, where little or no accumulation was expected in such cities as Philadelphia, Boston and New York.
The storm left freezing temperatures in its aftermath, and forecasters also said parts of the Southeast from Virginia to Florida would see severe thunderstorms.
After the storm socked little Albion, Ill., with 18 inches of snow, city worker Renee Galen’s SUV got stuck and she got to her office the only way she could.
On one of the busiest travel days of the year, bad weather has forced airlines to cancel or delay flights. NBC's Katy Tur reports.
"One of the city guys came by with a snowplow and I flagged him down and rode to work with him," Galen told NBC News.
"I had to get to work because today was the last day to file for city elections. Believe it or not, I’ve had three people come in to file."
In Indianapolis, seven inches of snow fell in three hours Wednesday morning, bringing post-Christmas shopping to a halt, the Indianapolis Star reported.
Stephen Canter, 44, ventured out before 8 a.m., and the roads were thick with snow when he headed back 30 minutes later.
"By the time I got home, the street was covered," he told the newspaper. "I don't remember snow like this since Valentine's Day of 2007."
Indiana State Police received 100 calls of crashes or cars sliding off roads before noon and warned motorists that if they got into trouble it could take a while to get them help, NBC affiliate WTHR.com reported.
Cars and several 18-wheelers were stuck in the ice along 1-70, and the snow fell faster than crews could clear the roads.
"The biggest problem is the blowing. We got some high winds and the roads are really beginning to drift bad," Ron Sharp with Wayne County Emergency Management told the station.
Parts of New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania are also forecast to get hit with more than a foot of snow, and New England could get up to a foot.
The blizzard warning in Ohio prompted United Airlines to cancel at least 60 percent of their flights at Cleveland Hopkins Airport beginning at noon on Wednesday, according to NBC affiliate WKYC.com. About 1,000 people spent the night on cots at Dallas/Fort Worth after their Tuesday night and Wednesday morning flights were scrapped.
Hundreds of flights delayed, canceled as holiday storms travel across country
With Rochester, N.Y., slated to get up to a foot of snow, hordes of worried residents descended on the hardware stores.
“Un-freaking-believable! We’ve sold 225 shovels since 9 o’clock this morning,” said Tom Green, owner of Mayer Paint and Hardware. “Rock salt – I couldn’t tell you how many thousands of pounds I’ve sold today. People are very concerned.”
Green noted that snowstorms are hardly rare in Rochester.
“But this is the first big one,” he said. “And it’s happening at Christmas.”
The weather system, which started over the weekend, wreaked havoc on Christmas. It knocked out power to tens of thousands of people and was blamed for at least five deaths.
In Enola, Ark., two toddlers were killed when a car lost control on an ice-slicked highway and spun into oncoming traffic, state police said.
Wind-toppled trees killed a pickup truck driver near Houston, Texas, and a 53-year-old man in north Louisiana. NBC affiliate KJRH reported that a 28-year-old woman was killed in a crash on a snowy highway near Fairview, Okla.
Christmas Day tornadoes –- the preliminary count was at least 21, according to the Weather Channel -- battered Southern states. And Little Rock, Ark., didn’t just have a rare white Christmas –- it had its snowiest day ever, with nine inches on the ground.
The storms contributed to a 21-vehicle pile-up Tuesday that shut down a major highway in Oklahoma City, as well as tens of thousands of power outages. Emergency service provider MedStar told NBCDFW.com it responded to 71 crashes in the Fort Worth area between 5 p.m. and 9:50 p.m. Tuesday evening.
As it tracked east, authorities were taking the storm seriously.
In Indianapolis, Mayor Greg Ballard ordered "non-essential" workers to stay home and off roads. Cleveland asked businesses to send workers home by 1:30 p.m., NBC affiliate WKYC.com reported. Homeowners in coastal Long Island, ravaged by Superstorm Sandy in October, were told to take precautions to prevent flooding with seas expected to peak at 15 feet, NBCNewYork.com reported.
By the time it leaves the New England coast Friday, the storm will have left snow from coast to coast –- and there could be another wallop coming soon.
Weather Channel meteorologist Guy Walton said a weather pattern with the potential to become Winter Storm Freyr is poised to enter the West Coast on Wednesday and move through the Rockies on Thursday. It could then head for the lower Mississippi Valley, then the Southeast and hit the Northeast on Sunday.
The Weather Channel's Jim Cantore and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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That isn't the Christmas dream. That is a Christmas nightmare and a horror. : (
War in the Middle East, famine, nuclear-armed North Korea ....... and now snow! When will it end?
As always, my family is grateful to have food, heat, and shelter.
Think how far we have deviated from the real meaning of >>Christ-mass<< little by little we have fallen into this slippery slope pool of beliefs that seem impossible for to recover from it,....deceived.
sensationalise much?
gm Tramp
The screen name pretty much says it all.
GM Bill
Noticed that ...
I can't believe, at my age, that I'm getting 8 inches tonight!!! Well, I guess maybe 60 IS the new 40!
Happy New Year to all!
"A wicked winter storm was sweeping..." I was going to say only a person who is from Boston will say the word "Wicked" to describe how bad the weather is or going to be. Then I read who wrote this.
You realize you owe me a new monitor, Appel... :D Or at least a couple wipes to get my drink off the screen...
Glad I made you laugh, Cat! Beats the hell out of arguing politics for a day anyway! The snow's really hitting us now. We're about 60 miles southeast of Erie, PA. I can't see my car out the office window. I've already staked claim to a corner of the conference room floor 'cause we aren't getting home tonight. They have closed the bridges in all directions. All we need is some chocolate, a bottle of Patron and some pillows ... we'll be good to go!
Natural disasters appear to be occurring more and more often. But so many people are still caught unprepared. Hopefully, everyone is staying warm!
www.e-signal.org
This is what we were warned about. Now will you listen?
What's worse than a foot of snow? Three to five feet of snow, which has already fallen in Northern California. One day it was falling with winds of 40-50 mph with gusts up to 75. I was listening to my house trying to withstand that wind. I call them demolition winds. But my house did stay upright. Must be a combination of a metal roof and a second floor built into the sloped hill. May the storm be weaker than anticipated for you East Coast. Stay warm and dream of the tropics.
how dare the weather produce snow at christmas time.. where is al gore he promised me warmer weather !
You're pretty close to me (I'm in Erie, PA). We're getting quite a bit of now and wind up here. It started about 12:30 - 1:00 and has been going since then. I've got almost a foot of snow on and around my car now. Going to make for a fun morning trying to get to my pediatrics rotation, hehe :)
"...only a person who is from Boston will say the word "Wicked" to describe..."
I believe the correct term is 'wicked pissa'.
"...only a person who is from Boston will say the word "Wicked" to describe..."
That would be 'wicked pissa'.
It's winter. It snows in the winter. What's the big deal? Am I missing something?
And yes, I know what snow is as I live in the frozen (and SNOWY) tundra of northern Wisconsin.
Denver bill 2…1.1 and mike-2598123..1.14
Nice posts, I had a laugh. When I looked at the calendar it was clear, it’s December 27th, a month when snow usually falls all over our part of the world. So holiday travelers, be prepared, you may be trapped in the car or on the tarmac some distance away from your destination by “wild weather”, ice and snow drifts. Gee, I love this country, would not live anywhere else.
I can't believe the Weather Channel has taken it upon themselves to *name* snowstorms. Good grief.
What a lot of frenzy over naught more than a few inches of snow! (Give Jim Cantore his Ritalin dose.)
Obvs if ppl have been visting rellies, I don't get why it's such a big deal to not be able to leave due to a canceled flight, either. Just go back over there & spend another night if you were dumb enough to go to the airport w/o checking on flight status 1st. Extended Xmas cheer.
Evidently some places need to toughen up. Any amt of snowfall in single digits wouldn't even close schls (if they were open) in Western NY.
Anyone panicking in Rochester is a wussie. It's on Lake Ontario, gets plenty of snowstorms every winter, & is 2nd to Syracuse for annual snowfall accumulation in NY. The Buffalo/Niagara Falls region is not the Snowfall Capital of the Planet, contrary to popular misconception.
A little sloppy going for a few hrs won't kill you if you have to drive & engage your brain b4 doing so. I was gobsmacked to see that the Thruway Authority had set up lots of those big electronic signs warning *adjust speed for weather conditions*!
No @!$%#, Sherlock....ppl actually need to be told to slow the @!$%# down, repeatedly?
I reckon *here's your sign* has just come to life.
They should reserve female names for hurricanes, because they are so unpredictable. That would leave men's names for blizzards ..... because you never know how many inches you'll get or how long it will last.
Haha, denver bill 2, that's great....:)
That isn't the Christmas dream. That is the Christmas nightmare and horror, and winter is just beginning. It's terrible. Folks aren't even finished with Cyclone Sandy damage.
I'd complain more if the weather had a conscience and cared.
No matter what s#@!# happens and it will always be Christmas in Whoville! Apprecieate and make the best of what you got. The folks in NY you guys are in my prayers.
"Oh, the Whomanity!"...
Wow people acting like we've never had snow before. I've lived in NJ my entire life and it's just part of life. We get snow multiple times every single year. I don't know why this comes as a shock to people, we are in the Northeast afterall.
Why do people wait till the last minute to buy a shovel?? Its even cheaper to buy them before the snow fall..can use a shovel all year long... plenty of uses.
I brought my snow blower in July. Have plenty of shovels too.
MikeDP
"Wow people acting like we've never had snow before"
This is the group that bought Al's movie a inconvenient truth, were he promised 200 degree summers and 100 degree winters.. Oh the humanity !!!!
Climate change will only bring more trouble. Live simply
Guns are too complicated for you.
gm cheetah
Ban snow!
GM Takenada
You really need to turn off that left turn signal.
Maybe scootertramp's town will be next and he will finally get it. The rules, they are a changin....
ya mean like the 6-12 inches on the ground already? believe me we "get it", we also call it ....
W-I-N-T-E-R ..W-E-A-T-H-E-R......
on another note....The ground moisture in the fields and increased water levels for improved navigation in the river is also appreciated... not dreaded nor sensationalised.... inconvenient perhaps. a huge whoa is me, big deal, B.S. hype, it isn't.
63 and sunny here.
Stopping at my favorite comment and moving on. I grew up in SoCal, had to move to OR and want to go back. The financial investment is totally worth the SoCal location, climate and so much more! Must find a way to get back. Sigh.
Climate change will bring more what? Snow in winter? Wow, that would be cause for alarm... to those with ADD who can't remember past one season.
NC has rain now, but we are hoping there are no tornadoes. Stay safe everyone.
Light dusting of snow in R.I.! That was Enough!
Snow and ice mixed in MD. this morning.
This morning? Out here on the Mountain Side, it's pouring even harder at 2 P. M....
Already had 4 inches in my part of Indy, and the full force hasn't yet hit here. Being from WA, I am not used to this! An alleged "mandatory no drive" from government officials, my only concern is a power outage. If that happens, my wife and I are fortunate to have a place to take the dogs and cats that are on a completely different grid..."mandatory no drive" be damned.
Good snow tires and four wheel drive for the win!
Stay warm, folks!
Keastral,
I was working in Washington in January, when the Seattle-stopping blizzard hit, and I feel your pain. I had a 15 mile commute from Tukwila to Bellevue, and I had to put the truck in 4WD for almost half a block.
Very important hint for your 4WD: Traction is nice. However, when you apply the brakes, you've got the same 4 tires on the ground everyone else has.
Hiya Denver,
I remember hearing about that one from my son...he works as a tow truck driver in the U district. One of the "side jobs" I had for a few years was as a lift operator at Snoqualamie Pass, so driving in snow and ice is something I can do....just not sure about everyone ELSE on the road, lol!
Oh, to be back on Camano Island right now.... :)
Snow in Indy ?..bummer i bet the poor people on I-465 had to slow all the way doen to 98 mph
Whether it be news, sports or weather, this country starts on the East coast and ends somewhere around Missouri. I live in the Sierra Nevada's (West side of the country for those of you who didn't pass geography) and we have received over 4 feet of snow since last Saturday. Guess what, it's winter time and life goes on. We dig our vehicles out, go to work and go home. We lose power, we build a fire and heat the house and cook on it.
I myself do not work at the ski resort near where I live, but they have had record attendance the last few days. That means all of those flat landers that do not know how to drive in snow are successfully making it up to the mountains with very few accidents and no fatalities. I guess that is why the news organizations don't report on us, we are smart enough to know how to handle lifes little molehills without making them into mountains.
Since 8:00 pm (Pacific Time) last night we have gotten over a foot of snow, why is that not in the story?
You live in the Sierra Navada's near a ski resort...that's why! Here in the flat-lands with no fireplace....a bit worrisome...
Stay warm, Tired!
Well, Tired, I'm going to go out on a limb here and say the national news figures you get your weather info from the local stations - here on the East Coast I've been hearing about all the snow and severe weather on the West Coast for days, including this morning's report. I had to go to what I call the 'local-yokel' station to get anything specific about what's heading my way - the national news just reported 'the storm from the West is headed our way, bringing snow in some places, rain and snow mix in others, and some will just get rain.' Real informative, that was.
A Gore's Snow Cone maker is on the Fritz again. "Praise The LORD from the Earth. Fire and Hail, SNOW and Vapor, Stormy Wind fulfilling HIS Word." Psalm 148:7-8 Mother nature? No! FATHER GOD-YAHWEH! Glory Be To HIM and HIS Word Forever!
wow .....thanks for the idea, i need to invent and patent ...stronger straight jackets.......going to get rich on this site alone.
To bad so soon after Sandy.. However snow is nothing new for the east correct?
i know, lets name this storm as well !!....we could call it ...wich.....put em together and ya got a......
.
.
.
( i know folks, i know....groan)
Ah, geez, Scooter, I was having a nice morning until now... GROAN!
bless me father for i sinned..i have commited a .......groaner......
GM -god
GM Scooter.
Your penance shall be to commit a moaner....
...without getting a boner.
WITHOUT???.... man that penalty's kinda limp iant it?
BTW....hope your son had a great Birthday yesterday, so did ya all go out to hooters, applebees, or what? ... im guess ya just chilled around the crib, what with him getting up there in years and all.
No, he's dead. Even alive he hated to travel during the holidays. I wound up spending the day smoking hash and drinking bloody mary's.
That's life... what are ya gonna do?
Same old same old. Glad to hear everyone is OK in Alabama. Now that's news
Damn global warming!!!
Wait a minute!! With "clean energy", why is the weather getting WORSE?? I thought Noblaba had the answers with Solyndra and "cash for clunkers"! Those were supposed to save us from storms like these!!!
And what of the trees that gave their all, to wrap up little Jimmy's PS3, or Jenny's new tablet, purchased at Walmart, by mom or dad who drove their in the family GMC suv, burning up that gasoline (sorry E85), while idling in the parking lot, waiting to get in for those "great bargins" in this "economic recovery"?
Merry Xmas everyone...
...Just saying...
Sincerely,
A dis-satisfied customer and voter...
You should try the real world with everyone else for awhile. Just for awhile then you can hop right back.
Already here skip. Just proving fact that Noblaba does NOT have all the right answers, just like W didn't...
And all of the "greeners", won't stop global warming...So get ready for more storms skip.
Now go drink your kool aid and have a christmas cookie...
Just saying...
Sincerely,
A dis-satisfied customer and voter...
Wow, so this is Obama's fault too, nascar? Can I blame him if I stub my toe tomorrow?...
Why not skip? Almost 5 years later, and every world problem seems to get blamed STILL on W!!!
Just saying...
Sincerely,
A dis-satisfied customer and voter...
If its warm it is caused by global warming and if it is cold, it is also caused by global warming and itf it is just right it is also caused by global warming!
a p ...it's called global change, and if you're dumb enough to believe that 6,000,000,000 people and all the generated pollution isn't part of the equation, then call it what you want. :)
If it's JUST WRONG is it still global warming?
Yes, Joseph they couldn't call it global warming and cover every base when they were wrong. Everyone on the planet was a big factor too in the flat earth, center of the universe, spontaneous generation, etc...
Conventional wisdom is pretty much wrong every time. We have bad weather from time to time. Deal with it already.
Come on god!! Show me what you got!!!!
So when the ice age ended 1000's of years ago and there wasn't 6,000,000,000 people on the planet, what was the excuse then?
cant decide....are you looking for something to whine about?.....or just a perv?.....
Bre up some hot cocoa build a fire (only if you have a fireplace) bundle up the old lady and the kids if you can find any and get out and enjoy it. No reason to fret it is what it is.
end of December and im running low on weather comments already? wonder why...don't think its a clever ruse to keep the sheeple from noticing anything else do ya?....naw the press and media would never engage in that kind of activity, now would they.
Keep an eye on that closet door. All kinds of evil lurks within.
Quote;
Unquote
( sound vaguely familiar?)
Oh come on scooter lighten up it's a joke man. The 21st is behind us.
ka-zinga clark.
My heart goes out to those affected by these storms of late. Only an inch or 2 of snow in Colorado and it did make for a lovely white Christmas. My new years resolution this year is to try and volunteer more and help where I can to make a small difference at least. :)
Wonder if the body count will be high enough for an Obama photo op and for Obama to bloviate his usual promises...
well there went 30 seconds of my life shot in the ass.
Thanks for being a thick dick, your insights are better than a fresh dog pile.
Daytona 500, just 60 short days away...Come on spring!!
BTW: RIP Charles Durning, you will be missed...
Everyone have a Happy, Healthy New Year!!!
Just saying...
Sincerely,
A dis-satisfied customer and voter...
on no the dreaded stutter post....quick think up a joke...
The banker saw his old friend Tom, an eighty-year old rancher, in town.
Tom had lost his wife a year or so before and rumor had it that he was marrying a 'mail order' bride.
Being a good friend, the banker asked Tom if the rumor was true.
Tom assured him that it was. The banker then asked Tom the age of his new bride to be.
Tom proudly said, 'She'll be twenty-one in November.'
Now the banker, being the wise man that he was, could see that the sexual appetite of a young woman could not be satisfied by an eighty-year- old man.
Wanting his old friend's remaining years to be happy the banker tactfully suggested that Tom should consider getting a hired hand to help him out on the ranch, knowing nature would take its own course.
Tom thought this was a good idea and said he would look for one that afternoon.
About four months later, the banker ran into Tom in town again.
'How's the new wife?', asked the banker.
Tom proudly said, 'Good - she's pregnant.'
The banker, happy that his sage advice had worked out, continued, 'And how's the hired hand?'
Without hesitating, Tom said, 'She's pregnant too.'
Don't ever underestimate old guys.
Thanks Scooter;
Being 66 I may still be smiling this time tomorrow!
Not for every one. We live right in the middle of this snow were getting now trisate region of WV , PA, MD. I love it, my family loves it, and we had a great Christmas and now playing in the fun snow now.
YOu know back in the day , families lived close to each other. Holiday traveling was no issue what so ever. Nothing was more fun than to spend a few days bunkered down in Christmas snow with your relatives. Now in todays world. Everyone is spread out all over the land, and traveling is a big deal. SOOO..... My point is you cant have both worlds and be happy. Either live close to family, or sacrifice close family and put up with the head aches of traveling long distances.
Tracy, please correct your grammar. The headline should read "head" east, not "heads" east.
ekkk ...run its the cops......badge number 2016727?..... man there sure is getting to be allot of them these days, but i guess in this economy ya gotta do something with those degrees, besides of course applying for all those new ....."do you want fries with that"...jobs......
We got 3-4 inches where I live in MO, as the storm was on it's way to the East. Lots of snow can give you a few days off work and stay in your warm home and read, cook, talk, etc. Fun.
Fools, stay home!
I thought we had it bad in the Northwest. It rained though the Holiday. I would like some snow!!