Originally Published: Saturday, October 29 2011, 12:10 PM
Updated: Saturday, October 29 2011, 12:10 PM
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| It’s snowing! The white stuff hit the Big Apple early this season. |
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More than 500,000 people were left without power after a rare wintery storm for October ripped through the North East and Mid Atlantic on Saturday, dumping what is expected to be a record snowfall.
"The heaviest snowfall amounts are forecast to fall in a band from extreme northern Maryland northeastward through New Jersey and western Massachusetts into eastern Maine," the National Weather Service predicted. "Lighter slushy snow accumulations are possible for the major cities of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast."
New York, Pennsylvania and Boston are expected to get no more than four inches, Paul Walker, a meteorologist for Accuweather.com told Bloomberg News.
The early wintery mess forced New York to activate its cleanup crews months earlier than expected.
"As heavy snow, ice, and rain fall on parts of the state, we have mobilized the resources of state agencies to ensure the safety of residents and a timely clean-up," New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a statement. "The roads are slippery and many trees and power lines have come down, so I urge motorists to avoid driving in areas affected by the storm and encourage all New Yorkers to take necessary precautions."
In New Jersey, power companies PG&E and JCP&L told the Newark Star-Ledger that there were more than 90,000 people without power across the state as of Saturday afternoon. In Pennsylvania, PECO told the Associated Press that 163,000 customers without power in Philadelphia and four suburban counties and PPL said 170,000 customers lost power in Lehigh Valley, Bucks County, Harrisburg and Lancaster areas.
Roads have also been treacherous for drivers and the National Weather Service issued high wind warnings across the Eastern Seabord.
"High Wind Warnings for gusts to 60 mph are in effect for coastal areas from middle Long Island and southern Connecticut up to eastern Maine, including Boston. Coastal Flood Warnings are in effect for coastal areas of Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, and Cape Cod," the NWS said.
A winter advisory is in effect for the five boroughs and Orange County could get slammed with up to 14 inches of snow, she said.
And if the snow wasn't enough, the mercury has been in free-fall, too. Temperatures are expected to dip to 28 degrees tonight but feel even colder with the wind chill.
There is a silver lining on the storm clouds, though: the high for tomorrow is in the low to mid 40s but temperatures are expected to warm up later in the week.
