A powerful winter storm that dropped more than 60 cm of wind-driven snow in parts of the northeastern United States powered through Atlantic Canada on Saturday. Heavy, blowing snow caused road closures, power outages, and widespread cancellations and delays of flights, ferries and public transit. In the US by Sunday afternoon the total number of flight cancellations within, into, or out of the US was 1,435, while another 1,554 US related flights were delayed.
North of the border, universities, libraries, COVID-19 clinics and businesses, were closed in Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick. Drivers were urged to avoid travel amid blizzard-like conditions, and many roads and highways – including the border between Nova Scotia and New Brunswick – were closed to traffic.
The impact varied greatly dropping heavy snow and howling winds in some areas and heavy rain, significant ice, and even coastal flooding from a storm surge in others.
The worst of the storm had passed Sunday, but the Maritimes and Newfoundland were still dealing with lingering blowing snow Sunday.
The Northeastern US
The sun shone on much of the US East Coast on Sunday, but more than 100,000 customers were without power for a stretch that could last into Monday.
The storm dumped snow from Virginia to Maine, but Massachusetts bore the brunt of the fury, with the neighboring towns of Sharon and Stoughton getting more than 30 inches (76 centimeters) of snow before the storm moved out.
Winds that had gusted to more than 80 mph on Saturday died down on Sunday, and temperatures climbed into the upper teens and 20s as people emerged from their homes to dig out.
More than 100,000 lost power at the height of the storm, mostly in Massachusetts. The outages in Massachusetts had dropped to about 40,000 by Sunday afternoon, mostly on hard hit Cape Cod. No other states reported widespread outages.
Utility Eversource said Sunday it had 1,700 crews working to restore electricity in Massachusetts, and customers will have their power back on “by the end of the day Monday, with most before then.”
“We know how challenging it is for our customers to be without power, especially in this frigid weather,” Eversource Vice President for Electric Operations Bill Ritchie said in a statement.
In and around New York City, snow totals ranged from a few inches in some areas north and west of the city to more than 2 feet (61 centimeters) in Islip on Long Island, according to the National Weather Service. Warren, Rhode Island got more than 2 feet (61 centimeters), and Norwich, Connecticut finished with 22 inches (56 centimeters). Some areas of Maine and New Hampshire also received more than a foot.
Winds gusted as high as 83 mph (134 kph) on Cape Cod. It scoured the ground bare in some spots and piled the snow into huge drifts in others. Coastal towns flooded, with wind and waves battering North Weymouth, south of Boston, flooding streets with a slurry of frigid water, according to video posted on social media. Other videos showed a street underwater on Nantucket and waves crashing against the windows of a building in Plymouth.
A Rhode Island couple got married as planned Saturday during the blizzard, according to broadcast reports. Sally Faulkner and Adam Irujo had been planning a wedding for 14 months, so they went through with the nuptials on the steps of the Providence Public Library in front of a few family and friends.
Forecasters watched closely for new snowfall records, especially in Boston. The Boston area’s modern snowfall record for a winter storm is 27.6 inches (70 centimeters), set in 2003.
The city tied its record for biggest single-day snowfall on Saturday, with 23.6 inches (60 centimeters), the National Weather Service said.
Climate change, particularly the warming ocean, probably influenced the strength of the storm, atmospheric researchers said.
Much warmer ocean waters “are certainly playing a role in the strengthening of the storm system and increased moisture available for the storm,” said University of Oklahoma meteorology professor Jason Furtado. “But it isn’t the only thing.”
The storm had two saving graces: Dry snow less capable of snapping trees and tearing down power lines, and its timing on a weekend, when schools were closed and few people were commuting.
Parts of 10 states were under blizzard warnings at some point: Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York and New Jersey, along with much of the Delmarva Peninsula in Delaware, Maryland and Virginia.
The National Weather Service considers a storm a blizzard if it has snowfall or blowing snow, as well as winds of at least 35 mph (56 kph) that reduce visibility to a quarter-mile or less for at least three hours. In many areas, Saturday’s storm met those criteria.
As for Florida – West Palm Beach hit 37 degrees Fahrenheit (about 3C) the coldest morning of the past 12 years. Up the East Coast in Vero Beach, the record low was tied at 30F (about -1C). Sarasota Sunday morning recorded temperatures of 32F (0 C).
It was cold enough for a falling iguana warning. When it gets cold – below 40F (4C), iguanas go into a sort of suspended animation mode – and then they fall out of trees to the ground. Now iguanas can weigh from 8 lbs (3.6 kg) to a hefty 18lbs (8.2kg) so they can do some serious damage if they fall on you. So Floridians and tourists should keep an eye on any branches above them.
Meanwhile in Europe…
A powerful winter storm swept through northern Europe over the weekend, killing at least four people, destroying houses and cars, closing bridges and causing flooding and halting transport while leaving thousands of households without electricity.
Storm Malik was advancing in the Nordic region on Sunday, bringing strong gusts of wind, and extensive rain and snowfall in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden.
Malik reached the Nordic region and northern Germany late Saturday after moving in from Britain where it caused havoc with material damage and transport chaos, hitting Scotland particularly bad.
In Scotland, a boy and a 60-year-old woman were killed Saturday by falling trees as strong winds battered northern parts of Britain.
Wind gusts of more than 100 mph (160 kph) have been reported in parts of Scotland, causing widespread disruption to transport and power cuts to tens of thousands of homes.
Scottish leader Nicola Sturgeon warned that another storm due to hit the region on Sunday may be “more severe for parts of Scotland” than anticipated.
In Denmark, excessively strong winds with heavy rain caused the temporary closure of several bridges on Saturday including the key Oeresund road and rail bridge connecting Copenhagen and the Swedish city of Malmo.
Danish media reported that a 78-year-old woman died from severe injuries after falling in strong winds. In neighboring Germany, local media reported that a man was killed on Saturday after being hit by a billboard that was loosened by the storm.
Flooding in many parts of Denmark caused substantial material damage. Several traffic crashes caused by falling trees and flying debris were reported to police.
Southern parts of Sweden were badly hit, too, and thousands of households were without electricity by Sunday afternoon. Ferries to the Baltic Sea island of Gotland were canceled because of strong winds.
Severe damage to houses, cars and boats, among other things, were reported in Norway while heavy snowfall throughout Finland caused road crashes and disrupted bus and train traffic in parts of the country.