ANOTHER massive seasonal storm has been hammering parts of the US, with the East Coast now dealing with high winds and power outages thanks to Winter Storm Miles.
The wild weather was forecast to move across the country before blasting through the East Coast toward the end of the week, according to the Weather Channel, and states in the Northeast are now dealing with the storm's impact.
More than 200,000 homes were without power across the Northeast states on Friday morning following high winds of 40 to 60 mph, the Washington Post reported.
The National Weather Service warned ahead of the storm that the central, southern, and eastern US would face a wintry mix of heavy snow and rain, resulting in possible flooding and thunderstorms.
It comes after thousands of flights were canceled across the country earlier this month due to snow, and sleet hitting over 20 states.
More than 100million people were under winter weather alerts and at least 3,600 flights that were scheduled were axed, causing widespread travel disruption.
Read our Winter Storm Miles path tracker for the latest news and updates…
- Josie Rhodes Cook
Miles leaving the Eastern Seaboard on Friday
On Friday, the storm should be moving away from the Eastern Seaboard.
Given the warmer air ahead of the system, rain is forecast all the way up the Northeast coast to southern Maine, according to Weather.com.
The cold front may be accompanied by strong, perhaps destructive winds as it passes through the Northeast coast late Thursday night into Friday.
- Josie Rhodes Cook
Hundreds of thousands without power
More than 200,000 homes were without power across the Northeast states on Friday morning, according to the Washington Post.
The outages came amid high winds of 40 to 60 mph.
- Josie Rhodes Cook
How to prepare for a winter storm
Per Ready.gov, the best way to prepare for a winter storm is by doing the following:
- Make an emergency supply kit. Cleaning tools, two masks per person to avoid the spread of COVID-19, and non-perishable meals that can last many days or weeks in case you have to stay at home should all be included in your box.
- Make a communication strategy for your family.
- Assist parents with sprinkling sidewalks and pathways with rock salt, sand, or kitty litter. This aids in making them less slick.
- Make sure you're dressed warmly and have enough of blankets on hand.
- Bring your dogs inside with you. They can also be harmed by the cold.
- Josie Rhodes Cook
How do winter storms form, continued
Precipitation will fall as snow or ice near the ground and up to the clouds due to air temperatures below freezing.
Extremely cold air, on the other hand, cannot store as much moisture and, as a result, does not produce as much snow.
This helps to explain why some of the world's coldest areas, such as Antarctica, receive relatively little precipitation year-round.
- Josie Rhodes Cook
How do winter storms form?
Like other forms of storms, winter storms begin with wet air ascending into the atmosphere.
At a cold front, rising air occurs when warm air is elevated above cold air, which is essential for cloud formation and precipitation.
As air flows up a huge hill or mountain, it may also rise. Clouds and precipitation cannot form without a source of moisture, such as air flowing across a huge lake or ocean.
The third component, and the one that distinguishes a winter storm from others, is cold air.
- Josie Rhodes Cook
Damage in Staten Island
A weather reporter for the Bronx and Brooklyn asked people for video from the storm in the New York City area, and one person passed along photos of porch furniture that got damaged in the storm in Staten Island this morning.
- Josie Rhodes Cook
'Squally rains' in NYC
"No lightning, but some very strong winds accompany a fine line of squally rains, moving rapidly across NYC and Long Island," a meteorologist out of Boston wrote on Twitter alongside a radar shot of the storm moving through the New York City area on Friday morning.
- Amanda Castro
Snow in Kansas City
The winter storm, dubbed Miles by The Weather Channel, dumped at least 9.3 inches of snow on Kansas City.
Snow fell at a rate of one to two inches per hour, with thunder and lightning accompanying it.
As of the early afternoon, the Wichita, Kansas, region had received up to 4.5 inches of snow, with drifts 12 to 18 inches high.
On Thursday, schools in the area closed.
- Amanda Castro
Vehicle collisions on Illinois Interstate
According to state police, more than 100 automobiles and semis collided on a slick stretch of highway in central Illinois on Thursday.
According to local news sites, the collisions spanned several hundred yards along Interstate 39.
At around 8.15pm EST, Illinois State Police tweeted that the highway had been shut down and would be for the next 12 hours.
Police arrived at the site soon before 5pm EST, according to police.
At mile marker 14 in El Paso, some 30 miles east of Peoria, southbound lanes were closed, according to Weather.com.
- Amanda Castro
Areas prone to flooding after storm
Rivers, creeks, streams, and other low-lying and flood-prone areas may be flooded as a result of excessive runoff.
People in the watch area, particularly those who live in flood-prone locations, should be prepared to take action if flooding occurs.
Dearborn, Fayette, Franklin, Ripley, Union, and Wayne counties in Indiana are among those affected.
Auglaize, Butler, Champaign, Clark, Clinton, Darke, Delaware, Fairfield, Fayette, Franklin, Greene, Hamilton, Hardin, Hocking, Licking, Madison, Mercer, Miami, Montgomery, Pickaway, Preble, Ross, Shelby, Union, and Warren counties in Ohio are on high alert.
- Amanda Castro
Wind advisory in Cincinnati
The National Weather Service issued a wind advisory for Greater Cincinnati on Wednesday, warning of predicted gusts of up to 40 mph.
While snow, sleet, and rain are expected on Thursday, Greater Cincinnati is under a wind and flood advisory, and no winter storm warnings are expected at this time.
- Amanda Castro
Why did the US start naming storms, continued
Established by the World Meteorological Organization, a list of names are now used to identify Atlantic hurricanes on a six-year rotation.
The only time that there is a change is if a storm is so deadly or costly that the future use of its name on a different storm is considered inappropriate.
In the event that more than twenty-one named tropical cyclones occur in a season, a supplemental list of names are used.
As for winter storms, The Weather Channel has been naming winter storms since the 2012-2013 winter season.
- Amanda Castro
Why did the US start naming storms?
Tropical storms and hurricanes were tracked by year and the order they occurred until the early 1950s.
However, over time, it was discovered that distinctive names would be needed to reduce confusion and streamline communications when two or more tropical storms occur at the same time.
That came after storm advisories broadcast from radio stations were mistaken for warnings concerning an entirely different storm located hundreds of miles away.
- Amanda Castro
When is the storm expected to end?
The storm should leave the Eastern Seaboard on Friday, the Weather Channel reported.
"Rain is expected all the way up the Northeast coastline to southern Maine, given the milder air ahead of the system," on Friday, the outlet noted.
However, that doesn't mean the storm won't still be dangerous by the time it reaches that part of the country.
"Strong, possibly damaging winds might accompany the cold front as it moves through the Northeast coastline late Thursday night into early Friday morning," the Weather Channel warned.
- Amanda Castro
Winter Storm Miles shows face in Indiana
A state trooper shared a video on his Twitter of the weather in Indiana as he traveled on the road.
- Amanda Castro
Images shared of snow in Illinois
CBS's Nick Stewart took to Twitter to share side-by-side images of what it looks like between Iowa City and Macomb Illinois.
- Amanda Castro
Flights canceled in Chicago
Due to heavy snow and high winds in the area, over 600 flights at Chicago's O'Hare and Midway airports were canceled on Thursday.
According to the Chicago Department of Aviation, 445 flights were canceled at O'Hare and 161 at Midway as of5.46pm on Thursday.
O'Hare is seeing average delays of more over an hour, while Midway is experiencing delays of 30 minutes.
- Amanda Castro
Winter Storm Warning still in effect in Chicago
The winter weather advisory for DeKalb, Kane, and LaSalle counties has been discontinued, as the snowfall was expected to stop Thursday evening.
As employees continue to clean up the roads, motorists are warned to use caution.
A winter storm warning was in place until 9pm in Illinois' Grundy, Will, and Kankakee counties, as well as Lake, Newton, and Jasper counties in Indiana.
Porter County was also under a winter storm warning that will last until midnight, with heavy snow continuing to fall in that region.
Also until 9pm, a winter weather advisory was in place in DuPage, Kendall, Cook, and Will counties.
- Amanda Castro
People joking about Miles on Twitter
Users on Twitter are talking about Winter Storm Miles and how it's affecting them, others are making a joke out of the weather event.
Someone wrote: "Winter Storm Miles you are nasty!"
Another user tweeted: "Winter Storm Miles is popping off."
- Amanda Castro
Severe weather alert since Wednesday
Winter Storm Miles placed a severe storm threat to 11 states, including Texas and Virginia.
Beginning Wednesday night and continuing through early Friday, the storm will bring snow, heavy rain, wintry mix, and even tornadoes to sections of the southern and eastern United States.
From south-central Kansas to central Missouri, northern Illinois, and central Michigan, the most disruptive snow is expected.
- Amanda Castro
Winter storm safety, part three
Regarding traveling during a winter storm, the Red Cross said that people should stay off roads if possible.
If you really must go out during a snowstorm, choose public transit.
However, if you don't have access to public transit, Red Cross advises people to keep the following items in their car:
- A small broom and a windshield scraper
- A small sack of sand plus a set of tire chains or traction mats for providing traction under the wheels
- Matches in a watertight container
- A brightly-colored fabric to attach to the antenna.
- Warm clothes is included in an emergency supply bag.
- Maintain a full gas tank in your car to ensure that you can depart quickly in an emergency and to prevent the fuel line from freezing
- Make sure everyone is buckled up and that you're paying attention to the road
- Keep a safe distance from other cars
- Amanda Castro
Winter storm safety, continued
The American Red Cross also shared tips on what to do if you must go outside.
They recommend:
- Layered clothes, mittens or gloves, and a cap are all recommended.
- To protect your lungs from extremely cold air, cover your mouth
- Avoid taking heavy breaths and converse as little as possible
- Keep an eye out for hypothermia and frostbite
- Maintain a dry environment
- Overexertion should be avoided, such as shoveling heavy snow, moving a car, or walking in thick snow.
- On slick, snowy walkways, proceed with caution
Winter storm safety
Ahead of the winter storm season, the American Red Cross shared some tips on how you can stay safe during storms.
- Stay inside and wear warm clothes
- Protect Pipes from freezing
- Assemble an emergency preparedness kit
- Make sure you have heating fuel on hand
- Weather-strip doors and windowsills to keep winter chill out of the house
Canceled Southwest Airlines flights
Because of the storm, Southwest Airlines has had to cancel some flights.
The airline tweeted: "It looks like Flight #1678 was canceled due to inclement weather caused by Winter Storm Miles."
High call volumes at American Airlines
Someone took to Twitter to contact American Airlines because they had been "on hold for 2 and a half hours."
In response to the tweet, American Airlines' official account said that they've got "higher volume than usual" because of Winter Storm Miles.
Source: Read Full Article