Punishing winter storm to move inland, pummel U.S. Northeast

[February 02, 2021]  By Maria Caspani

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A major winter storm that has already dropped more than a foot of snow across the Northeastern United States and killed an elderly Pennsylvania woman was expected to pound inland areas with potential blizzard conditions on Tuesday.

The storm canceled flights across the region and halted subway service in New York City on Monday, dumping 27 inches (68 cm) of snow in areas of New Jersey and Pennsylvania and 17 inches (43 cm) in New York City.

Police in Allentown, Pennsylvania said that a 67-year-old woman suffering from Alzheimer's disease was found lying dead in the snow on Monday after wandering away from her home.

"The increasing winds could result in near blizzard conditions due to blowing and drifting of the snow," the National Weather Service (NWS) said in its forecast for Tuesday.

"This storm will be slow to depart as the main storm center becomes nearly stationary off the southern New England coast (and) expands its influence across the Northeast," the weather service said.

Some areas of the New England coast, which saw a mix of snow and rain on Monday, were forecast by the NWS to see up to 15 inches (38 cm) of snow on Tuesday as the storm moved north.

Early predictions had called for the storm to bring up to two feet of snow to New York City in recent years, the most since a record-breaking blizzard dumped 27.5 inches (70 cm) on the city in 2016.

Power outages triggered by wind and heavy, wet snow were also forecast for overnight across the region, but no major outages were reported on Monday night.

People sled in Central Park during a snow storm, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, U.S., February 1, 2021. REUTERS/Caitlin Ochs

Winter storm warnings and weather advisories were in place across the Northeast. Outdoor subway service in New York City and PATH commuter trains linking Manhattan and New Jersey were suspended. The city closed public school buildings through Tuesday.

New York state Governor Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency in the city and 44 other counties, and warned of possible road closures.

"This is a dangerous situation. A life-threatening situation," Cuomo told a news conference on Monday. "Expect closures. It's going to get very bad, very quickly."

More than 90% of flights at New York City-area airports were canceled on Monday according to Rick Cotton, executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and operations suspended at La Guardia and John F. Kennedy airports in Queens.

(Writing and additional reporting by Dan Whitcomb in Los Angeles; Editing by Kenneth Maxwell)

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