The biggest snowstorm of the season belted the north-eastern United States yesterday, sinking New York City in its second-deepest snow on record, shutting airports, snarling traffic and bringing joy to ski resorts.
As much as 63 centimetres of snow fell in New York's Central Park, only two inches shy of the city's worst blizzard on December 26, 1947, which killed 77 people, according to the National Weather Service and city archives.
"Make no mistake about it, this is a very dangerous, big storm," New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg told a news conference. "This could be one for the record books."
Whiteout conditions delayed flights and trains and shut airports from Boston to New Jersey and Washington DC, the Federal Aviation Administration and Amtrak rail service said, as the storm churned up the northeast coast from Virginia to Maine. Flakes of snow were reported as far south as Tennessee.
"The snow is beautiful," said Gary Aichholz, manager of Magic Mountain, a ski resort in Londonderry, Vermont, which like other ski mountains across New England had suffered from unseasonably warm weather and scarce snowfall.
"I think this will get people back in the spirit of winter and skiing," he said.
As much as 54.1 centimetres had fallen in Columbia, Maryland and 48.3 centimetres in Birdsboro, Pennsylvania, according to Accuweather.
Some 70,000 homes were without power in the Washington area and another 70,000 were without power in the Baltimore area. The numbers had not been fully tabulated in other areas but at least 10,000 homes were without power in New Jersey and another 3,200 in Long Island, according to media reports.
The National Weather Service posted blizzard warnings and forecast wind gusts of up to 50 mph (80 kph) with sustained winds of 25-30 mph in many Northeast regions.
"It is quite a storm," said Brian Ciemnecki, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service's New York bureau. "And it's still going on. In some areas we're seeing snow fall at a rate of 25 cm in two hours."
Major roads and highways were mostly open and passable but still covered with snow. "The driving conditions are very difficult out there. There are a lot of spinouts, minor crashes," said Tom Ryan of the Massachusetts State Police.
Rhode Island Governor Don Carcieri declared a state of emergency to keep roads free for emergency vehicles as residents shovelled out cars and cleared paths from their homes and driveways with snow blowers.
"We had such a warm January, above normal," said T.J. Saotome, a 40-year-old from Bristol, Rhode Island, "but you know what? I've lived in New England long enough to know there would be a payback."
Several international airports were closed, including New York's John F. Kennedy and LaGuardia Airport, and New Jersey's Newark International. Other airports including Boston's Logan reported delays and dozens of cancelled flights.
It was the first time LaGuardia Airport in New York had closed in five years.