Storm Gail: Two killed in 30- to 60-car pile-up as three feet of snow hit Northeast
Winter Storm Gail has hammered the Northeast with more than 3 feet of snow in certain areas, causing dangerous road conditions that have left at least two people dead.
The winter storm caused a 30 to 60-car pile-up in Clinton County, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday evening, the Pennsylvania Department of Transport announced in an alert. Two people died from the crash and multiple people were injured.
“Please stay home and do not travel unless it is absolutely necessary,” state police said in a tweet following the crash.
The crash happened on Interstate 80, closing the westbound highway for several hours as officials worked to clear the area.
Virginia State Police also reported a 19-year-old man died in a car crash in the early hours of Thursday morning, in one of about 200 accidents the state police responded to throughout the nor’easter.
"Assume that anything that is snowy, slushy, or wet will turn to ice," Virginia’s Department of Transportation warned its residents in a tweet as officials worked to make road conditions safe.
Snowfall reports received as of 8:30 am. An intense snow band set up overnight around the Binghamton NY area, producing snowfall rates of 4-5" per hour. Among the highest snowfall totals thus far: Newark Valley NY 44", Litchfield PA 43", and Binghamton NY and Vestal NY 41" pic.twitter.com/zopzr501Ao
— NWS Eastern Region (@NWSEastern) December 17, 2020
More than 40 inches of snow was reported in parts of New York State, with 10 inches reported in New York City’s Central Park on Thursday morning.
The heavy snow also affected road conditions in NYC, and officials reported a multi-car collision on a bridge connecting Manhattan to the Bronx – causing at least six people to be hospitalised with non-life threatening injuries.
In Pennsylvania, parts of the state reported about 43 inches of snow as of Thursday morning.
Two all-time snowfall records were broken during the storm, according to the National Weather Service.
Binghamton, New York, reported 41 inches of snow on Thursday morning, which broke the 35.3 inches the area received during Winter Storm Stella in March 2017. Also, Williamsport, Pennsylvania, reported at least 24.7 inches of snow, topping a previous record of 24.1 inches in 1964.
Snow, strong winds, and coastal flooding first started in parts of the Northeast starting on Wednesday afternoon – as the storm stretched from North Carolina all the way up to parts of Maine, according to the National Weather Service.
It was still snowing in parts of the Northeast on Thursday, but the storm has started to pull away as it moves up the coast. The New England region will still experience snow and strong winds into the afternoon.
Coastal flooding was also anticipated in parts of the Jersey Shore and Delaware coast on Thursday morning from the storm.
Read More
Northeastern US braces for ‘major’ nor’easter
US angling to secure more of Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine
Donald Trump calls Fox News ‘dead’ as he steps up feud with network
