WASHINGTON: Heavy snowfall swept the United States on Tuesday, with a late season storm bringing a messy morning trip to the northeast and California residents digging, or in some cases just stranded, after another storm.
While not a blockbuster by regional standards, the Northeast felt what could become the main snowfall of what has been a mild winter so far.
The heaviness of the storm hit Boston as commutes began Tuesday morning.
A winter storm warning blanketed parts of the Northeast, including Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Rhode Island, with heavy snowfall through Tuesday afternoon.
Most flight cancellations or delays in the country were concentrated in the northeast early Tuesday.
According to FlightAware.com, there were about 450 canceled flights in the US and more than 500 delays.
According to the weather service, Boston could get 5 inches. As many as 10 inches were predicted in western Massachusetts and parts of Connecticut and Vermont.
Dozens of school districts in Massachusetts closed or delayed opening, WCVB-TV reported.
Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey ordered all non-emergency state employees in the executive branch to stay home Tuesday, her office said.
Early Tuesday, parts of New York City saw a few inches of snow — some of the first snow to stick to the ground this season.
The worst was over before dawn, and a mix of snow and rain was expected in the city on Tuesday morning, making for a slick commute, NY1 reported.
On the other side of the country, California has dug itself out again.
San Bernardino County, east of Los Angeles, has declared a state of emergency amid the latest snow event after many mountain residents were trapped in their homes over the weekend.
Heavy snow stranded hundreds of motorists at higher elevations, KTLA-TV reported.
Dozens of elementary school children were trapped in a Crestline science camp for nearly a week, but were eventually evacuated by buses escorted by state highway patrol, the TV station reported.
The county fire department used “specialized snow vehicles” to reach people in need of critical medical care.
The new streak of storms came even as parts of California were still excavating from last week’s powerful storm, adding to a massive snow pack left behind by a siege of “atmospheric rivers” in December and January.
A cold weather alert was declared for valley and mountain areas north of Los Angeles as overnight temperatures were expected to dip below freezing for much of the week. Shelters were opened for residents who had no access to heat.
As the mountainous areas around Los Angeles tried to excavate, rain fell on lower elevations of California, near the Pacific coast. The storms would move through the country until the end of Wednesday. Blizzard warnings were in effect in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California and Nevada.
An avalanche warning was issued for the backcountry around Lake Tahoe, where up to 6 feet of snow was expected in the higher elevations over the next two days and gale-force winds could create waves of up to 5 feet. high on the lake, the National Weather Service said.
State offices in northern Nevada and the Nevada Legislature in Carson City were closed.
The northern side of Interstate 5, the West Coast’s main north-south highway, was closed for weather and littered with disabled vehicles about 90 miles south of the Oregon line. Interstate 80 was closed due to snow storms.
While not a blockbuster by regional standards, the Northeast felt what could become the main snowfall of what has been a mild winter so far.
The heaviness of the storm hit Boston as commutes began Tuesday morning.
A winter storm warning blanketed parts of the Northeast, including Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Rhode Island, with heavy snowfall through Tuesday afternoon.
Most flight cancellations or delays in the country were concentrated in the northeast early Tuesday.
According to FlightAware.com, there were about 450 canceled flights in the US and more than 500 delays.
According to the weather service, Boston could get 5 inches. As many as 10 inches were predicted in western Massachusetts and parts of Connecticut and Vermont.
Dozens of school districts in Massachusetts closed or delayed opening, WCVB-TV reported.
Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey ordered all non-emergency state employees in the executive branch to stay home Tuesday, her office said.
Early Tuesday, parts of New York City saw a few inches of snow — some of the first snow to stick to the ground this season.
The worst was over before dawn, and a mix of snow and rain was expected in the city on Tuesday morning, making for a slick commute, NY1 reported.
On the other side of the country, California has dug itself out again.
San Bernardino County, east of Los Angeles, has declared a state of emergency amid the latest snow event after many mountain residents were trapped in their homes over the weekend.
Heavy snow stranded hundreds of motorists at higher elevations, KTLA-TV reported.
Dozens of elementary school children were trapped in a Crestline science camp for nearly a week, but were eventually evacuated by buses escorted by state highway patrol, the TV station reported.
The county fire department used “specialized snow vehicles” to reach people in need of critical medical care.
The new streak of storms came even as parts of California were still excavating from last week’s powerful storm, adding to a massive snow pack left behind by a siege of “atmospheric rivers” in December and January.
A cold weather alert was declared for valley and mountain areas north of Los Angeles as overnight temperatures were expected to dip below freezing for much of the week. Shelters were opened for residents who had no access to heat.
As the mountainous areas around Los Angeles tried to excavate, rain fell on lower elevations of California, near the Pacific coast. The storms would move through the country until the end of Wednesday. Blizzard warnings were in effect in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California and Nevada.
An avalanche warning was issued for the backcountry around Lake Tahoe, where up to 6 feet of snow was expected in the higher elevations over the next two days and gale-force winds could create waves of up to 5 feet. high on the lake, the National Weather Service said.
State offices in northern Nevada and the Nevada Legislature in Carson City were closed.
The northern side of Interstate 5, the West Coast’s main north-south highway, was closed for weather and littered with disabled vehicles about 90 miles south of the Oregon line. Interstate 80 was closed due to snow storms.
