Gusty winds and falling temperatures have plunged the East Coast into a deep freeze as people dig out after a powerful nor'easter dumped mounds of snow, flooded coastlines and knocked out power to tens of thousands.
Dangerous wind chills were expected to fall below zero 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.
Click to Gallery
Gusty winds and falling temperatures have plunged the East Coast into a deep freeze as people dig out after a powerful nor'easter dumped mounds of snow, flooded coastlines and knocked out power to tens of thousands.
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.
Boston resident Jesse Ledin owns a home-goods rental business startup. He was out walking his dog in the storm, wearing ski goggles Saturday as he navigated gingerly through huge snow drifts and painful wind gusts.
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 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.
Dave McGillivray, race director for the Boston Marathon, jokingly invited the public to his suburban Boston home on Saturday for a free snow-shoveling clinic.
A person walks with a dog along a snow-covered beach, Saturday, Jan. 29, 2022, in Ocean City, Md. A powerful nor'easter swept up the East Coast on Saturday, threatening to bury parts of 10 states under deep, furiously falling snow accompanied by coastal flooding and high winds that could cut power and leave people shivering in the cold weather expected to follow. (AP PhotoJulio Cortez)
A snowdrift is seen near snow-covered kayaks in the parking lot of a condominium complex, Saturday, Jan. 29, 2022, in Ocean City, Md. A powerful nor'easter swept up the East Coast on Saturday, threatening to bury parts of 10 states under deep, furiously falling snow accompanied by coastal flooding and high winds that could cut power and leave people shivering in the cold weather expected to follow. (AP PhotoJulio Cortez)
Snow falls on Boston Common, Saturday, Jan. 29, 2022, in Boston. Forecasters watched closely for new snowfall records, especially in Boston, where the heaviest snow was expected late Saturday. (AP PhotoMichael Dwyer)
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.
A plough clears snow from a roadway during blizzard conditions, Saturday Jan. 29, 2022, in Atlantic City, N.J. (Kristian GonyeaThe Press of Atlantic City via AP)
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.
The city tied its record for biggest single-day snowfall on Saturday, with 23.6 inches (60 centimeters), the National Weather Service said.
A person walks on Beacon Street in heavy snow, Saturday, Jan. 29, 2022, in Boston. (AP PhotoMichael Dwyer)
Boston resident Jesse Ledin owns a home-goods rental business startup. He was out walking his dog in the storm, wearing ski goggles Saturday as he navigated gingerly through huge snow drifts and painful wind gusts.
“It’s pretty intense with the winds getting up to 70 miles (112 kilometers) an hour. As for the depth, it’s pretty deep in spots with the wind and the snow drifts, but it’s pretty nasty out and I definitely wouldn’t want to be driving. So it’s nice to be able to walk through these huge snowdrifts and in pretty tough conditions,” Ledin said.
Climate change, particularly the warming ocean, probably influenced the strength of the storm, atmospheric researchers said.
Waves crash behind a man as he uses a cellphone to capture images on a snow-covered beach, Saturday, Jan. 29, 2022, in Ocean City, Md. A powerful nor'easter swept up the East Coast on Saturday, threatening to bury parts of 10 states under deep, furiously falling snow accompanied by coastal flooding and high winds that could cut power and leave people shivering in the cold weather expected to follow. (AP PhotoJulio Cortez)
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.
People are seen on a snow-covered beach, Saturday, Jan. 29, 2022, in Ocean City, Md. A powerful nor'easter swept up the East Coast on Saturday, threatening to bury parts of 10 states under deep, furiously falling snow accompanied by coastal flooding and high winds that could cut power and leave people shivering in the cold weather expected to follow. (AP PhotoJulio Cortez)
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.
Rhode Island, all of which was under a blizzard warning, banned all nonemergency road travel.
Hardy New Englanders took the storm in stride.
Zack Andersen of Somerville skis off a jump built on the lawn of Dormition of the Virgin Mary Greek Orthodox Church, during a storm that was projected to bring up to two feet of snow to the region, Saturday, Jan. 29, 2022, in Somervillle, Mass. (AP PhotoJosh Reynolds)
Dave McGillivray, race director for the Boston Marathon, jokingly invited the public to his suburban Boston home on Saturday for a free snow-shoveling clinic.
“I will provide the driveway and multiple walkways to ensure your training is conducted in the most lifelike situation,” he said.
Washington and Baltimore got some snow but were largely spared. The worst of the nor’easter was expected to blow by Sunday morning into Canada, where several provinces were under warnings.
Two men attempt to help a car stuck in the snow at the entrance to a parking garage in Harvard Square, during a storm that was projected to bring up to two feet of snow to the region, Saturday, Jan. 29, 2022, in Cambridge, Mass. (AP PhotoJosh Reynolds)
A person walks with a dog along a snow-covered beach, Saturday, Jan. 29, 2022, in Ocean City, Md. A powerful nor'easter swept up the East Coast on Saturday, threatening to bury parts of 10 states under deep, furiously falling snow accompanied by coastal flooding and high winds that could cut power and leave people shivering in the cold weather expected to follow. (AP PhotoJulio Cortez)
A snowdrift is seen near snow-covered kayaks in the parking lot of a condominium complex, Saturday, Jan. 29, 2022, in Ocean City, Md. A powerful nor'easter swept up the East Coast on Saturday, threatening to bury parts of 10 states under deep, furiously falling snow accompanied by coastal flooding and high winds that could cut power and leave people shivering in the cold weather expected to follow. (AP PhotoJulio Cortez)
Snow falls on Boston Common, Saturday, Jan. 29, 2022, in Boston. Forecasters watched closely for new snowfall records, especially in Boston, where the heaviest snow was expected late Saturday. (AP PhotoMichael Dwyer)