Winter storm in Northeast US closes schools and cuts power

The start of a winter storm with heavy snow caused hundreds of schools to close, canceled flights and tens of thousands of power outages in parts of the northeastern United States on Tuesday.

The storm’s track included parts of New England, upstate New York, northeastern Pennsylvania, and northern New Jersey. Snow totals by the end of Wednesday were expected to range from a few inches to a few feet depending on the area.

“It’s shaping up to be a unique winter storm for our little state, as there will be big differences in the amount of snow depending on where you are,” said Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont, who has ordered all state office buildings closed. of the executive power. “Some towns may receive significant snowfall totals, while others may receive a fraction of that amount or maybe even just rain.”

The storm in the northeast came as California continued to face severe weather. Crews rushed to repair a levee break in a storm-swollen river on California’s central coast as another atmospheric river arrived this week with the potential to batter the state’s flooded farmland and farming communities.

More than 400 flights to, from or within the US were canceled Tuesday, with airports in the Boston area and New York City seeing the most canceled flights, according to flight tracking website FlightAware.

The National Weather Service said 2 inches of snow per hour or more was falling in New York at higher elevations, from the eastern Catskills to the mid-Hudson Valley, central Taconics and the Berkshires.

Heavy, wet snow broke tree limbs and downed power lines in the New York capital region, with power outages affecting homes and businesses in the Albany area.

The snowfall totals will be among the highest this season, said meteorologist Andrew Orrison of the weather service’s office in College Park, Maryland.

[Con información de The Associated Press]

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