Blinding snow whipped up by powerful winds pummeled the eastern United States into Sunday's early hours, as one of the strongest winter storms in years triggered transport chaos and power outages across a region of some 70 million people.
Dangerous wind chills were expected to fall below zero degrees Fahrenheit (minus 18 degrees Celsius) across the region on Sunday after the storm dumped snow from Virginia to Maine. Philadelphia and New York had plenty of snow, but Massachusetts bore the brunt of the storm, with the town of Sharon getting more than 30 inches (76 centimeters) of snow before the storm moved out.
The wind continued raging as over 100,000 lost power, mostly in Massachusetts, hampering crews’ ability to work on overhead lines. No other states reported widespread outages.
The National Weather Service (NWS) confirmed the storm had intensified into a "bomb cyclone" – characterized by the explosive power of rapid drops in atmospheric pressure.
Winds gusted as high as 83 mph (134 kph) on Cape Cod in Massachusetts. 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.
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.
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.
Cold weather stretched as far south as Florida, where the NWS warned of "scattered to isolated falling iguanas from trees" as plunging temperatures temporarily paralyzed the large lizards.
Residents in towns and cities across the eastern seaboard were urged to avoid all unnecessary travel for a second night of whiteout conditions, with additional snowfall expected to be heaviest across New England. In Long Island, officials said a woman had been found dead in her car by a snowplow operator.
Salt machines and snowplows crawled along the streets of New York City, where Central Park was covered in 7.5 inches of snow and regional train lines were partially shut down.
In Times Square, the famous neon billboards formed glowing halos in the snowy air. But the frigid temperatures didn't stop Robert Burck, a Times Square fixture known as the "Naked Cowboy."
Wearing only his underwear, a cowboy hat and cowboy boots, he strolled through the nearly empty tourist hotspot, strumming his guitar.
"It's fantastic," one undaunted tourist, Gonzalo Vazquez of Spain, told Agence France-Presse (AFP) in Times Square. "It's like skiing, surrounded by lights and awesome LED screens."
In the trendy Cobble Hill neighborhood in Brooklyn, the sidewalks were almost deserted and many businesses were closed. But the few who did brave the elements smiled as they wished each other "Happy snow day!"
New York and the neighboring state of New Jersey plus Virginia, Maryland and Delaware declared emergencies for all or part of the states. New York Governor Kathy Hochul said the storm's perils were not over yet, warning residents Saturday that "the most dangerous phase of the storm is now."
"Please continue to avoid any unnecessary travel while our crews are working to clear the roads," she said.
In Boston, where a snow emergency was declared, Mayor Michelle Wu tweeted a reminder Saturday "to stay off the roads if you can."
Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker said: "This storm is bringing strong winds and lots of snow, with coastal, eastern and southeastern MA communities getting hit particularly hard.
"Through mid-morning tomorrow, you should not be traveling unless you absolutely have to."
Eric Calessandro, a homeowner in the town of Marshfield near Boston said he had just lost power, but was optimistic his 8,000-watt generator would pull him through. He said he "should be able to bear it out for a couple days without power," adding that he had stocked up on food and water in advance.
Boston Public Works said 900 snowplows were hard at work on the city streets. Plow driver Mark Burns, working in Boston's South Shore area, said the snow had gotten heavy: "It was supposed to be light and fluffy, but it's a little wet now."
More than 3,500 flights were canceled for Saturday traveling within, into or out of the United States, according to flight tracker FlightAware, and just over 1,200 flights had already been canceled for Sunday.
The blizzard comes on the heels of a similar winter storm that blanketed a swath of eastern North America – from Georgia to Canada – just two weeks ago, cutting power to thousands of homes and also disrupting thousands of flights.
