ice and rain was sweeping across the Northeast on Thursday, the first in a series of storms forecast to wallop much of the nation’s northern tier over the next several days.
The wintry mix that turned to rain early Thursday in this suburb of Washington, D.C., was still serving ice, snow and sleet in cities and towns from Akron, Ohio; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and Buffalo, New York;, to Philadelphia; and New York City.
February is typically the snowiest month in the northeastern U.S., and this month appears to be no exception as a bounty of snow appears likely for much of the region over the next few days. More winter systems are forecast to slam parts of the Midwest, Northeast and Mid-Atlantic with dangerous travel conditions through the middle of next week, forecasters said.
“February is kicking off with a very stormy pattern,” AccuWeather meteorologist Bernie Rayno said. “A parade of three winter storms will bring snow, ice and sleet to millions of people from the Midwest through the Northeast.”
Ice storm warning in effect Some of the worst weather Thursday was rolling through the Appalachians of Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia and Virginia, where an ice storm warning will remain in effect until noon at least.
“Power outages and tree damage are likely due to the ice,” the National Weather Service said. “Travel could be nearly impossible.”
AccuWeather senior meteorologist Marshall Moss warned drivers that “freezing rain is the most dangerous precipitation for travel, there is no traction at all on it.” He added that “ice patches are clear, making it tough for drivers to tell if roads are icy or just wet.”
As the storm races off to the north, snow accumulations of 1-3 inches were possible across parts of northeastern Pennsylvania, northern New Jersey, New York City and Maine, with a plowable 3-6 inches of snow expected in the higher elevations of northern New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, AccuWeather said.
Storm drives school closings, delays
School in Arlington and several other districts around the nation’s capital and Baltimore delayed opening for two hours Thursday to allow the icy precipitation to turn to rain. Scores of districts across New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Connecticut also delayed classes, and some canceled school for the day. Some city and municipal offices also delayed openings.
More than 100 flights in and out of Philadelphia International Airport were already canceled early Thursday, and dozens more were delayed. LaGuardia Airport in New York and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport also reported dozens of delays and cancellations.