Showing posts with label winter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label winter. Show all posts

Saturday, December 26, 2009

Midwest US states face fresh blizzards

A severe winter storm in the US that has seen record amounts of snow fall is set to continue, forecasts say.

Blizzard warnings are still in place for parts of North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Wyoming, Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin.

The storm has already dumped 14in (35cm) in Oklahoma City - 11.5in more than the previous record snowfall.

Icy roads had been blamed for at least 21 deaths since the storm hit a few days ago.

Drivers in Minnesota reported brief white-out (zero visibility) conditions, and while some managed to continue to their destinations, others were stuck either in their cars or accommodation as the snow made roads impassable.

In Texas, volunteer fire-fighters and sheriff's deputies rescued hundreds of people stranded along Interstate 44 and Texas State Highway 287 near Wichita Falls.

Thirteen inches of snow fell in the area, a National Weather Service meteorologist said

"It's really been horrible," Wichita County Sheriff David Duke said.

"Although we live in north Texas and get a lot of cold weather, we weren't prepared for the significant amount of snow that we've received."

Interstate roads were also closed in North Dakota, Nebraska and Wyoming.

Snow drifts and strong winds could cause further whiteouts, meteorologists warned.

Flights were cancelled, including at Sioux Falls Regional Airport, Rapid City Regional Airport and Pierre Regional Airport.

The Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma's largest airport, was not expected to fully reopen for another two to three days.

National Weather Service meteorologist Kevin Kraujalis said the strong winds were producing snow drifts as deep as 5ft.

"It's awful, it's just awful," he told AP news agency.

"It's a big workout just walking outside to check my weather equipment."

Saturday, December 19, 2009

Eastern US prepares for severe winter storm

The eastern United States is preparing for a major winter storm moving up the Atlantic coast.

Virginia Governor Timothy Kaine declared a state of emergency as forecasters predicted up to 20in (50cm) of snow in some areas of the state.

The governor placed the National Guard on stand-by, warning that snow and high winds could cause power outages and other serious problems.

Blizzard watches are in effect in Long Island, Rhode Island and Massachusetts.

The US National Weather Service said the storm system over the Gulf of Mexico was forecast to move north through the south-eastern US on Friday, hitting the North Carolina coast by Saturday morning and reaching as far north as Massachusetts on Sunday.

Heavy snow is expected to fall from North Carolina to New York, with major cities including Baltimore and Philadelphia bracing themselves for a foot (30cm) or more.

Washington DC is preparing to be hit by what could be its worst winter storm since the capital was covered in 27in (68cm) of snow in 2003.

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