Major storms blast both U.S. coasts

March 6, 2001 Web posted at: 5:21 AM EST (1021 GMT)

(CNN) -- A blizzard is burying the Northeastern United States beneath a blanket of deep snow today, while a Pacific winter storm is dumping more than a foot of rain on some regions of California.

Both storms have disrupted travel plans for thousands and forced businesses and schools to close.

"The storm has arrived -- finally," said Peter Judge, a spokesman for the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency.

"And the risks that we have feared all day are still on the table: the potential power outages, the coastal flooding from the astronomically high tides over the next two days. These haven't gone away."

Blizzard conditions were possible throughout New England. "We'll see a real big increase in snowfall ... and blizzard or near-blizzard conditions throughout the region," National Weather Service forecaster Butch Roberts said. "Visibility will be near zero, and there will be whiteout conditions."

After a weekend spent teasing Northeastern residents, the nor'easter formed off the upper Atlantic coast Monday, dropping heavy snow across inland sections of Connecticut, Massachusetts and eastern New York and causing airlines to cancel hundreds of flights, though New York airports remained open.

Driving proved a daunting option in much of New England, where many roads were best described as treacherous. The speed limit on the Massachusetts Turnpike was dropped to 40 mph, but officials expected it to remain open.

"It's still snowing. The heaviest I've seen so far is 16-17 inches in Upstate New York," Wes Junker, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said early Tuesday.

Albany, New York, had 12 inches of snow, Boston had around 3 inches, and New York's Central Park Zoo had 2 inches by 11 p.m. Monday, he said.

A mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain pelted the Middle Atlantic and New England states through the early morning hours Tuesday.

High tide flood predicted

National Weather Service forecasters said the nor'easter will prompt coastal flood warnings as dangerously high winds and waves threaten shorelines from New England south to New York and New Jersey.

Inland portions of Connecticut, Massachusetts, and eastern New York were getting the heaviest snowfall.

Western and Central Massachusetts residents were told to expect 15 inches to 30 inches of snow by Wednesday morning.

In sections of Worcester County, 18 inches had already fallen Monday night. Whiteout blizzard conditions were expected for Essex County, near Massachusetts' border with New Hampshire.

Power lines in Norfolk were a concern, made vulnerable by heavy winds, coats of ice and falling limbs.

High tide at around 7:30 a.m. is expected to erode beaches along the East Coast, said Peter Judge, a spokesman for the Massachusetts emergency operations center, in Boston.

By tonight, the nor'easter is expected to move from New York south to New Jersey, where it was not clear what form the precipitation would take.

New York snow emergency

In New York, which was bracing for up to two feet of snow through today, Gov. George Pataki mobilized more than 300 National Guard personnel and equipment. And New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani declared a snow emergency.

But, though Connecticut closed some of its highways to truck traffic, they were rerouted through New York. "We're in good shape," said Ed Jacoby, a spokesman for the state's emergency management center, in Albany.

Though Pataki had ordered "non-essential" state workers north of New York City to leave work by 2 p.m. Monday to make sure they could get home safely, they were expected to report to work today, Jacoby said. For that to change would take "something of a catastrophe," he said.

Giuliani said city agencies are "prepared for the worst snowfall possible" and schools are closed.

The city's arsenal included 353 salters and 134,000 gallons of calcium chloride, said Kevin Farrell, the city's sanitation commissioner.

Heavy rain in California

Across the continent, the pounding Pacific winter storm dumped up to 13 inches of rain along the foothills and mountains of Santa Barbara and Ventura counties.

The heavy rains will dump another 5-10 inches of rain on those areas before moving slowly south today to the Los Angeles Basin and San Diego.

"Southern California doesn't get this type of rain," said Todd Morris, meteorologist in charge of the Los Angeles-area Weather Forecast Office in Oxnard. By Wednesday, the Los Angeles area could pick up five to 10 inches of rain in the mountain areas, and two to five inches in the low-lying regions, he said.

"When the heavy rain comes to Los Angeles, we will watch carefully for widespread urban flooding," Morris said. Melting snow in the mountains will heighten the flood risk, he said.

-- Anonymous, March 06, 2001