Snow strands passengers, creates travel nightmare in parts of Northeast
Winter was back in full swing across the Northeast to start the week as several states reported accumulating snow, some for the first time this season. But the picturesque landscape from Pennsylvania to Massachusetts wasn't the only thing the quick-hitting storm created. Travel delays for those traveling by car and air mounted throughout the weekend in one major Northeast city.
Before the snow started falling in Massachusetts, a thin layer of ice created travel headaches across the eastern part of the state. In Worcester, Massachusetts, at least 70 crashes were reported throughout the day on Sunday, WBZ reporter Brandon Truitt posted on Twitter.
On Sunday evening, scores of Delta Airlines passengers reported being stuck on the tarmac for hours at Boston Logan International Airport. Many passengers took to Twitter, calling out the major airline for their extensive delays and no answers.
"We landed at 8:34 p.m. and we are still sitting on runway. It has been 90 minutes," Deborah Ford wrote on Twitter. "Our pilot is not getting any updates. The bathrooms are not working!!!!! This is inexcusable."
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And it wasn't just arriving flights. Passengers with departing flights never even took off Sunday night.
"Our flight from Boston to Cincinnati has been sitting on the runway over three hours with no end in sight," Ashley Miller wrote on Twitter.
After waiting for up to seven hours, passengers were loaded onto buses and escorted off the tarmac as the airport and airline worked to resolve the issue.
A spokesperson for Delta apologized to passengers on Monday morning, blaming the extensive backup on the weather and deicing process at the airport, WHDH reported.
As of Sunday evening, only 0.04 of an inch of snow had fallen at the airport, according to the National Weather Service (NWS) office in Boston. Temperatures were well below freezing throughout the entire day.
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While snowfall totals were low in the eastern part of Massachusetts, by Sunday evening they neared double digits in the other parts of the state. The highest totals came from the Berkshire Mountains, located in western Massachusetts. Lenox, Massachusetts, located in the Berkshires and near the New York border, measured 9 inches of snow. Pittsfield, a neighboring town, measured 8 inches as of Monday morning.
Farther south, in Connecticut, snowfall totals remained a bit lower. The highest total in the Constitution State of 6 inches was measured in Avon, Connecticut, which is just northwest of the state's capital Hartford, on Sunday evening.
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View from the National Weather Service office in Albany, New York. (NWS Albany) |
In New York, snowfall totals surpassed 6 inches in numerous locations. Berlin, New York, which is located near the Massachusetts border, measured 9 inches of snow as of Monday morning. Amsterdam, New York, recorded nearly 7.2 inches of snow. Perth, Salisbury and Clifton Park, all towns located near Albany, New York, reported snowfall totals of 7 inches as of Monday morning.
Even though snow accumulations were lighter across the majority of Pennsylvania, several locations in the eastern portion of the state still received multiple inches. Lakewood, Pennsylvania, located in the far northeastern portion of the state, recorded 7 inches as of Sunday evening.
Harveys Lake, located just west of Scranton, reported 2.1 inches of snow on Sunday afternoon. To the northeast of Scranton, White Mills received 6 inches and Beach Lake measured 5 inches.
The winter weather even dipped south into Maryland early Sunday morning, where 0.02 of an inch of freezing rain was reported in Grantsville early Sunday morning.
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Wintry weather in Malta, New York. (AccuWeather Allison Finch) |
As the storm moves out to sea, conditions should improve steadily during the midday and afternoon hours on Monday. Any accumulation of snow and slush in the I-95 zone should melt. However, untreated roads that remain wet could freeze up Monday evening.
AccuWeather meteorologists say that this storm may not be the only opportunity of snow for residents in the Northeast this week.
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A major storm will be taking shape in the central United States Monday through Wednesday, bringing feet of snow and severe thunderstorms as the storm unfolds. This same storm is expected to lose intensity as it arrives in the eastern U.S. late in the week, but it could still bring wintry impacts.
"Disruption to travel could be a concern at the end of the week for the same major cities in the Northeast," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Tyler Roys warned.
Below-normal temperatures for mid-December are expected through much of the week, which could set the stage for snow across the interior Northeast and for snow to mix with rain closer to the coast.
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