Eastern United States digs out from big
snowstorm, braces for cold
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[January 09, 2017]
By Alex Dobuzinskis
(Reuters) - The eastern United States began
digging out on Saturday from a massive storm that dumped heavy snow from
Georgia to Massachusetts, knocking out power for thousands of people and
causing hundreds of car crashes, officials said as they warned of more
cold weather ahead.
The snowstorm also caused flight delays and cancellations across the
country.
The snow began falling heavily on Friday in parts of Georgia, North and
South Carolina and Virginia and lasted until mid-day on Saturday,
meteorologist Andrew Orrison of the Weather Prediction Center said by
phone.
Some of the heaviest snowfall, accumulating to about a foot (30 cm), was
in southeast Virginia around Williamsburg and in northern North
Carolina, Orrison said. Parts of northern Georgia had over six inches
(15 cm) of snow, he said.
Georgia Governor Nathan Deal said in a statement that thousands of power
outages were reported and city officials in the Atlanta area asked
residents to check on elderly people who might lack electricity.
At least one warming center in Atlanta, where people could get out of
the cold, was filled to capacity, the city said on its Twitter page.
Some interstate highways were impassable overnight going into Saturday
and multiple traffic collisions had been reported, Deal's statement
said.
The driver of a sport utility vehicle hit a patch of ice on Interstate
75 in Monroe County, Georgia, careened off the roadway, struck a tree
and was killed, the county Sheriff's Office said in a statement.
North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper on social media said the state had
more than 700 accidents - but no fatalities - and about 20,000 power
outages. The snowstorm prompted Cooper, a Democrat, to postpone his
inauguration ceremony planned for Saturday.
"This was actually, for the season, the most significant winter storm
the Southeast has had," Orrison said.
In Connecticut, about 20 cars and a tanker truck were mangled in a
pile-up crash in the snow on Interstate 91 in Middletown, State Police
said on Twitter.
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People walk through Central Park during a snow storm in New York
City, U.S. January 7, 2017. REUTERS/Stephanie Keith
At least one vehicle could be seen wedged under the tanker, in video
posted online by the police agency. It added that no serious
injuries resulted from the pile-up.
More than a foot of snow fell in parts of New England, Orrison said.
That region had also seen heavy snow last month.
The storm interfered with many people's travel plans, with tracking
service FlightAware.com reporting 3,657 flight delays and 3,458
cancellations by Saturday evening for trips around the United
States, into or out of the country.
The National Weather Service warned residents of the eastern United
States to prepare for cold temperatures on Sunday.
In particular, areas of North Carolina and Virginia already hit with
heavy snow could see temperatures fall to the single digits
Fahrenheit (about minus 15 degrees Celsius), Orrison said.
Meanwhile, rainfall from a Pacific storm lashing parts of California
was expected to intensify on Sunday and potentially cause flooding
and mudslides, especially in areas stripped bare by wildfires,
officials said.
(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis in Los Angeles; Additional reporting
by Brendan O'Brien in Milwaukee; Editing by Dan Grebler)
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