By: Associated Press
Published: December 14,2013
"Winter storm Electra will continue to bring snow to parts of the Northeast through Sunday evening," says Weather Channel meteorologist Alan Raymond. "But some coastal cities like New York and Boston will begin to change to rain Saturday night and early Sunday morning, respectively."
(FORECAST: Winter Storm Electra)
The storm was forecast to move from the Ohio into New England over the course of the weekend and affect 23 states.
Up to 14 inches are possible along the Maine coast but as little as 2 inches on Cape Cod. Areas north and west of New York City and interior Pennsylvania could get 8 inches or more. About half a foot was forecast in parts of Ohio, where snow began falling overnight.
Connecticut
In Connecticut, a saltwater solution applied to roads before storms won't work now because temperatures are too low and the saltwater would freeze, said Kevin Nursick, spokesman at the state Department of Transportation.However, crews have treated highways before recent snowfalls with salt, helping to keep snow from bonding. And the storm will not affect work day commutes.
"The timing is pretty good coming on a weekend," Nursick said.
Caroline Pretyman, a spokeswoman for Northeast Utilities, which serves electric and gas customers in Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Hampshire, said extra crews would be available beginning overnight Saturday to respond to outages.
And Metro-North Railroad, which runs trains between New York City and suburban Connecticut, Long Island and New York's Hudson Valley, said on its website it may reduce or suspend service depending on the severity of the weather.
It cautioned that snow and subfreezing temperatures can create moisture that could freeze brake lines, door mechanisms, switches and signals.
(MORE: Live Updates on Winter Storm Electra)
Illinois
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — A late-autumn storm dumped more than half a foot of snow on parts of central Illinois overnight. The wintry weather stretched from the top to the bottom of the state but hit the central region hardest.That's according to meteorologist Dan Smith of the National Weather Service in Lincoln, Ill.
Rushville and Mt. Zion received 8 ½ inches, with 6 to 8 inches falling in the Champaign-Urbana area. McLean County got up to 7 inches, and 5 to 6 inches fell in Galesburg, Lincoln, Peoria and Springfield.
Smith expected the storm to taper off to flurries Saturday afternoon before temperatures fall into the teens with wind chills in the single digits by Sunday morning.
@NWSChicago @JenCarfagno flakes are bigger maybe some lake enhancement now, up to 3" now in Schaumburg IL #Electra
Indiana
A winter storm has dumped several inches of snow on parts of northern and central Indiana, leaving roads slick and hazardous as the storm pushes east of the state. Parts of Indiana braced for up to eight inches of snow by Saturday night. A winter storm warning area runs from near or just north of Interstate 70 and extends north to all but Indiana's northern-most counties.Michigan
The weekend winter storm expected to bring a half-foot or more of snow to parts of Michigan's southern Lower Peninsula also has been snarling roadways.Detroit radio and television stations report numerous vehicle accidents and spinouts on Saturday morning across southeastern Michigan. The reports come at the front end of a storm system that's expected remain in the state throughout the day.
The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory for the region through midnight.
Cold, snowy weather gripping Michigan has caused problems on roadways in recent days, including a 40-vehicle pileup on a western Michigan expressway. That crash happened Thursday morning on U.S. 31 in Fruitland Township, north of Muskegon.
Missouri
Three people were killed in winter weather conditions, according to the Missouri State Police. An 80-year-old man from Henry County died when his car slid into a tree Saturday morning. A 79-year-old woman from St. Louis County died in a crash on Friday night and a 44-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene of a multiple vehicle accident in Lawrence Count Friday afternoon.Freezing rain caused numerous fender-benders, slide-offs and school closures Friday. Problems developed after rain started Friday morning in west central and northwest Missouri, including Kansas City and St. Joseph.
Black ice developed quickly because surface temperatures were below freezing, said Ryan Cutter, a meteorologist with the NWS office in the Kansas City suburb of Pleasant Hill. By late morning, the Missouri State Highway Patrol already had responded to numerous accidents.
New Hampshire
State transportation plow crews are gearing up for up to a foot of snow expected to fall in New Hampshire starting Saturday night and lasting into Sunday.Transportation Department Spokesman Bill Boynton said Friday that the season's first big storm is expected to hit the Salem area first at about 4 p.m. Saturday and spread across the state. Temperatures may be around 15 degrees, which is too cold to pre-treat roads with a salt-brine mixture.
Boynton said the mixture won't prevent ice build-up if temperatures are too cold. Boynton said highway crews should have an easier time keeping roads clear since the snow will start falling at night and on a weekend when there is less traffic.
New Jersey
Snow began falling Saturday in northern New Jersey as residents across the state brace for another round of wintry precipitation. But forecasters say it appears that most of the state will miss the brunt of the storm, with freezing rain posing more potential problems than the snow.Nearly 375 flights into and out of Newark, N.J were canceled because of the storm.
"It's a pretty bad day for Newark," said Mark Duell, a spokesman for FlightAware, a website that tracks commercial airlines. More than 40 percent of Newark's 900 flights were cut, he said.
Anywhere from 6 to 10 inches of snow could fall in northern Jersey, which is under a winter storm warning that's due to remain in effect until early Sunday.
Central Jersey will likely see 1 to 3 inches of snow, which should change to sleet and then rain by late afternoon. A winter weather advisory is in effect for that region.
Southern areas will see mostly rain, with some sleet mixing in.
Authorities are warning drivers that travel could be treacherous in some areas.
New York
Con Edison says its crews are preparing for potential weather-related outages over the weekend, and it's asking customers to take safety precautions. Stay away from downed power lines. If a power line falls on your vehicle while you're in it, stay inside the vehicle and wait for emergency personnel.The New York City Department of Sanitation issued a snow alert starting at 8 a.m. Saturday. The department said Friday that its personnel were loading salt spreaders and attaching plows and chains.
Sanitation has been coordinating snow clearing protocol with the Office of Emergency Management and the Department of Transportation. Updates are available on the city's Severe Weather Website and through the 311 information line.
(FORECAST: Winter Storm Electra)
Accumulated snowfall forecast for #Electra from our RPM model today.
Ohio
TOLEDO, Ohio — A wintry storm has caused hazardous conditions in northern Ohio, and bad weather resulted in numerous cancellations from school basketball games to holiday events across the state.The National Weather Service said snowfall intensifying Saturday would drop 3 to 5 inches across much of the state's north, adding to the 3-4 inches already on the ground in many areas. Forecasters warned of slick roads and reduced visibility for drivers.
The Toledo Zoo closed early for the day, and the annual Mt. Adams Reindog Parade featuring costumed canines was postponed in Cincinnati. A scheduled appearance in Rocky River by celebrity chef Rachael Ray also had to be canceled because of bad travel conditions in the East.
Troopers across the state responded to multiple slide-off accidents and vehicle collisions that snarled traffic.
Pennsylvania
The storm dropped more than 6 inches on parts of interior Pennsylvania by sundown, and speed limits were reduced on major interstates. Snow was falling at up to 2 inches per hour in northern Pennsylvania late in the afternoon, while the storm seemed to be skipping other areas entirely."It took a little while longer to start sticking down in the Harrisburg area," said National Weather Service meteorologist Elyse Colbert in State College. "Other parts of the state, though, it's panning out as expected."
At the Army-Navy football game in Philadelphia, accountant Kathy Porter shivered under layers of clothing in the stands, trying to keep warm amid low temperatures she doesn't get much of back home in Charlotte, N.C.
"We're just hoping for snow and not rain - I think we can handle the snow," Porter said. "I think we'll be OK. A little frozen but OK."
Colbert said snow had reached more than 3 inches in State College by dinnertime Saturday and provided a lovely winter scene.
"Unless you have to drive in it," she said.
MORE: Winter Storm Electra
Noah Copeland #34 of the Navy Midshipmen runs
for a touchdown in the second quarter during a game against the Army
Black Knights on Dec. 14, 2013 at Lincoln Financial Field in
Philadelphia. (Hunter Martin/Getty Images)
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