AP – A dangerous winter storm was bringing significant snowfall, strong thunderstorms and blustery winds to the East Coast of the United States (US) yesterday.
A foot of snow was forecast for parts of New England, New York state, Ohio and Pennsylvania through this morning.
Forecasters in Buffalo, New York, said the snow was falling fast.
“WOW! (Latest) snow measurement at 1am was 4.6 inches in the last hour at the Buffalo Airport!” the National Weather Service (NWS) in Buffalo tweeted overnight. “And tack on another four inches in the last hour ending at 2am! Total so far since late Sunday evening – 10.2 inches.”
Meanwhile, New York City was expected to be spared most, if not all, of the snowfall. The weather service issued a severe thunderstorm warning for the city early, which included Brooklyn and Queens.
Forecasters said wind gusts in the major city could top out around 72 kmh, and around 97kmh on Long Island.
Sleet and rain were the main threats for much of Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island. Periods of snowfall transitioned to rain overnight.
NWS meteorologists in Boston said wind gusts could reach 113 kmh.
The massive winter system brought similar conditions to the Southeast on Sunday.
Multiple states reported inches of snow, and severe thunderstorms in Florida spun up a tornado with 190kmh winds. Thirty mobile homes were destroyed and 51 had major damage. Three minor injuries were reported.
Wet roadways in the South refreezed yesterday, creating icy conditions for motorists.
