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[h=4]Bracing for blizzard, millions hunker down across Northeast[/h]"Historic" winter storm set to batter 7 states, impacting 40 million
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More than 35 million people along the Philadelphia-to-Boston corridor rushed to get home and settle in Monday as a fearsome storm swirled in with the potential to drop 1 to 3 feet of snow, which could paralyze the Northeast for days. (Jan. 26) AP
A worker clears snow from sidewalks in Boston, Massachusetts on Jan. 26. snowstorm that could bring up to 36 inches is expected to hit the region in the next 24 hours.(Photo: CJ GUNTHER, EPA)
Ahead of a massive snowstorm that threatens to wreak havoc along much of the Northeast corridor, millions were bracing early Tuesday for several days of misery, with road travel banned in four states and two key metropolitan areas, thousands of canceled flights and the threat of blizzard conditions and knee-deep snow paralyzing the region.
Statewide road travel bans were already in effect for New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island by midnight Tueseday, ahead of what Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker said was "clearly going to be a really big deal."
But while much of the region was at a government-ordered cautionary standstill, weather forecasters were downgrading the storm's potential devastating impact early Tuesday morning. Initial estimates of up to three feet of snow hammering parts of the region were revised to 10 to 25 inches, and much of the pre-storm hype fueled by the media vaporizing as well. Long Island, N.Y., was the hardest hit area so far, with 17 inches accumulating by 4:30 a.m.
Still, blizzard storm warnings remain in effect until early Wednesday morning, and near hurricane-force winds of up to 64 mph iwere expected to cause white-out conditions, widespread power outages and coastal flooding in some areas, along with bone-chilling temperatures, icy roads and frayed nerves of parents with kids home and hunkered down from schools shuttered until Thursday.
Nearly 8,000 flights from coast-to-coast were had already been canceled until Thursday by the blizzard, dubbed Winter Storm Juno by The Weather Channel and Blizzard '15 by several media outlets. Boston's Logan International Airport did not expect flights to resume until late Wednesday.
Amtrak service was suspended between New York and Boston for Tuesday, while other regional routes were to operate on reduced schedules. Coastal residents braced for flooding from hurricane-force winds. Strong winds had ConEd and other utility companies bracing for widespread power outages, with emergency repairs crews from Michigan and other areas already en route.
USA TODAY
Snowstorm blasts NYC as it prepares for the worst
"It's dangerous out there now. It's only going to become more dangerous,'' said New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who announced a travel ban in 13 counties.
In New York City - the city that never sleeps - buses, trains, road traffic - even bicycles - were banned by late Monday evening. Boston Mayor Martin Walsh ordered drivers to stay home and issued parking bans.
Folks were getting ready in various ways for the storm: Drizly, an alcohol delivery app, reported that deliveries in Boston and New York City were up 477% over a typical Monday.
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said Monday that the city was bracing for the worst-case scenario.
"This will most likely be one of the largest blizzards in the history of New York City,'' de Blasio said.
AccuWeather senior meteorologist Tom Kines said Philadelphia, New York City and much of New England could see 1-2 feet of snow.
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"Travel will be impossible. Forget about it on Tuesday," Kines told USA TODAY. "The sun will come out Wednesday, and they all can start digging out."
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie warned residents to stay inside.
USA TODAY
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"You should only go out in case of an absolute emergency or necessity," Christie said. "We do not need people on the roadways. It makes it much more difficult to do our jobs. We would like to make Wednesday productive for everybody, and the only way for us to make Wednesday productive is for you to give us the opportunity to do our job on Tuesday and (Monday) evening."
New Jersey state climatologist David Robinson said earlier that the storm could challenge the state record of 34 inches that dates back to February 1899.
New York City's Department of Homeless Services activated its "Code Blue" winter weather emergency procedure, making it possible for homeless people to stay at any city shelter, regardless of which one they're assigned to. The department said it would double the number of "outreach vans" on the streets overnight through Wednesday and said another 10 vans will be out finding homeless New Yorkers along the city's subway system.
The weather service blizzard warning was bleak, foreseeing "life-threatening conditions and extremely dangerous travel due to heavy snowfall and strong winds. With whiteout conditions many roads may become impassable, strong winds may down power lines and tree limbs."
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf promised that more than 2,500 trucks would tackle the state's roads.
In Philadelphia, where forecasts ranged from 8 to 18 inches of snow, schools closed at noon Monday. Gwynne Sigel, retrieving her daughter at about noon at Albert M. Greenfield School, wondered if the storm would be as bad as advertised. Still, she understands the need for caution.
"It's always eleventh hour with the early dismissals. But, with the snow, it's tricky," Sigel said. "They carry on a lot here in Philly, the weathermen. They always think it's going to be terrible and then you have to wait and see."
Her 13-year-old daughter, Zamira Sigel-Kulick, planned to sleep in Tuesday. But she didn't expect to goof off.
"My teachers gave us a lot of homework," Zamira said.
The New York City travel ban is not unprecedented. Travel bans were in place during blizzards of 2006, 1996, 1983 and 1947, says Sam Schwartz, a former city transportation commissioner and now a traffic consultant. He knows about the Dec. 26, 1947 storm — he was born three days before it struck and was taken home by sled.
A similar ban was in place in parts of lower Manhattan after the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks. After Superstorm Sandy in 2012, the city banned all traffic except high-occupancy or emergency vehicles from bridges and tunnel crossings into the city for several days.
On an average day about 2 million motor vehicles use New York City streets.
In Brooklyn, N.Y., snow quickly covered homes, cars and sidewalks Monday. Streets were filled with people clearing off their vehicles, throwing down snow-melting salt, and chatting about the coming storm.
Rafael Aquino, 62, has lived in Brooklyn all his life and said he isn't surprised that a large storm is heading his way.
"It's inevitable," he said, noting that the city had enjoyed a relatively mild winter so far. "It was just too nice. We had too much good weather."
The Metropolitan Transit Authority said it hoped to keep city buses running as long as possible, warning that "depending on road conditions, service may be curtailed as the day progresses."
In Haverhill, Mass., Mayor James Fiorentini declared an "extreme snow emergency" banning parking on any street in the city until Thursday night, forcing thousands of people to find alternative parking or be towed.
In Boston, health commission spokeswoman McKenzie Ridings said shelters throughout the city on Monday began opening during the day, not just at night. The city was also granting "amnesty" through the storm's duration to homeless people who had been previously barred from city facilities for non-violent offenses.
"We expect to be hit pretty hard with this storm," Ridings said.
Barbara Trevisan, spokesperson for Pine Street Inn, the largest homeless services agency in the region, said it is increasing efforts to locate homeless people and urge them to come indoors. Many suffer mental illness and can be difficult to persuade to leave the streets, she said.
"A situation like this could be life-and-death for somebody if they're outside," she said. "If you're on the street, you may not be aware that a big storm is coming," she said.
Jeff Regis found himself stuck at Boston's Logan International Airport Monday night after his connecting flight from Reykjavík, Iceland, to Montreal was canceled.
"It's pretty frustrating," said the 25-year-old, who recently finished a master's program in computer games technology at Abertay University in Dundee, Scotland. "Apparently the airport's closed tomorrow so my next available flight is in two days, so I'm going to have to pay two nights at a hotel out of my own pocket."
The storm's impacts could last long after it heads offshore: Power outages, snow-packed roads and school closures may last for days after the blizzard, AccuWeather meteorologist Brian Lada said.
Coastal New England should see some of the worst impacts from the storm's pounding surf and near-hurricane force winds, including severe beach erosion and flooding of vulnerable shore roads and homes: "This storm has enough intensity that it could cause new inlets to be formed along barrier beaches," the weather service in Boston warned.
Contributing: Rick Hampson, Kaja Whitehouse, Matthew Diebel and Yamiche Alcindor in New York; Doyle Rice and Greg Toppo in McLean, Va.; Jeffrey MacDonald in Boston; William M. Welch in Los Angeles and the Associated Press.
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