OVER 4,500 flights were canceled over the weekend as Storm Kenan brought feet of snow to Boston, New York City and much of the east coast.
FlightAware showed 3,500 flights canceled Saturday, including almost every flight through Boston. 1,200 Sunday flights were canceled.
Boston saw more than 2 feet (61 centimeters) of snow in some areas, as well as dangerous coastal conditions and devastating winds.
Winds gusted at 70 mph (113 kph) or higher at several spots in Massachusetts, including Nantucket Island and Provincetown, at the tip of Cape Cod.
And parts of New Jersey and Long Island saw 18 inches (45 centimeters) of snow on Saturday..
The Nor'easter blanketed a large swath of New England with heavy snowfall, which also brought road closures and Amtrak service cancelations.
"It's high winds, heavy snow, blizzard conditions – all the elements of a classic nor'easter," New York Governor Kathy Hochul said at a news briefing, warning of frigid temperatures overnight. "This could be life-threatening."
Several states along the northeast coast declared emergencies in response to the storm, which formed in the Atlantic Ocean off the Carolinas and was forecast to continue depositing snow through Saturday evening as it moved north.
Read our bomb cyclone path tracker for the latest news and updates…
- H. J. Hayes
How much snow did New York get?
According to the National Weather Service, the City was expected to receive between 8 to 12 inches of snow, as well as severe winds all weekend.
On Saturday night, the powerful snowstorm moved more deeply into southern New England, according to the National Weather Service.
Storm Kenan is New York's first major snowstorm of the season.
The snowfall went up to nearly 8 inches later that day, according to weather reports.
- H. J. Hayes
NYC sees giant snowball fight
Hundreds of New Yorkers braved Winter Storm Kenan to participate in a massive snowball fight Saturday afternoon at Washington Square Park.
The packed event was loosely organized by a group of local comedians called Sidetalk NYC.
The comedians simply posted the place and time in a casual invite on their Instagram account on Saturday morning, when there was about five inches of snow already on the ground.
Four hours later, hundreds of fun-seekers were ready to dish out some snowballs in a classically chaotic New York snow day.
"We announced it today at 10:30am and had over 1,000 people pop out for the snowball fight at 2:30pm," Sidetalk NYC creator Jack Byrne said.
As the winter war snowballed, some people were even seen taking off their shirts in the heat of the battle.
- H. J. Hayes
Trains through northeast canceled
All Acela train service between DC and New York/Boston was canceled by Amtrak.
“Travel is not recommended through [Saturday] evening,” said the NWS New York City office. “If you must travel, use extreme caution and have a winter survival kit with you.”
“Get home safely tonight, remain home over the weekend, avoid any unnecessary travel,” said Hochul in a statement.
Over 78,000 customers were without power in Massachusetts, according to PowerOutage.Us. Cape Cod was hit the hardest with nearly a third of customers dealing with outages.
- H. J. Hayes
Over 1,000 flights canceled on Sunday
According to FlightAware, 1,211 flights in the US were canceled on Sunday.
This comes after 3,500 flights were canceled across the US Saturday.
The cancelations include almost every flight in or out of Boston and well over 1,000 flights in the New York City area.
- H. J. Hayes
Jet slides off runway in Chicago
Terrifying video shows the moment when a jumbo jet skidded off the snow-covered runway at O’Hare Airport in Chicago.
The China Airlines Cargo 747 crashed into cargo bins after sliding across the slick, snowy runway.
One of the cargo bins was sucked into the left engine, which erupted into smoke. In the video, the plane comes to a stop after being shaken by the crash.
No injuries were reported, said the Chicago Fire Department.
- H. J. Hayes
Boston Public Works trying to clear snow
The Boston Public Works Department shared video on Twitter of teams trying to clear snow from the streets.
"We currently have 900 pieces of equipment clearing Boston streets," the department tweeted on Saturday.
- H. J. Hayes
Horror pile-up caused by snowplow
Footage shows the moment a “reckless” snowplow driver sparked a 40-car pile-up after spraying debris and ice into traffic.
At least 12 people were injured following the incident on the Ohio Turnpike in Erie County last Sunday.
Temperatures dropped to a bone-chilling 19F as drivers navigated treacherous conditions.
Video shows the snowplow spraying large amounts of hardened snow and slush into the path of motorists traveling in the opposite direction.
Michael Lemon, who filmed the remarkable footage on his dashcam, told 3WTKR: “I’ve never seen anything like that. I didn’t know how to react.
“I was just dumbfounded that somebody could be so reckless.”
Around 40 cars were caught up in the incident. One was left with a hole the size of a beach ball in its windshield, while another was seen in a ditch off the highway.
- H. J. Hayes
East coast slammed by 'Arctic Blast'
An Arctic Blast has other names that might be more familiar such as polar vortex or a blue norther.
The International Business Times defines an Arctic Blast/polar vortex as the following.
“a low-pressure area that typically forms around the North and South Poles that strengthens and weakens year over year.
“A strong vortex is typically a well-defined cold front that is contained and bordered around the arctic regions,” the article reads.
- H. J. Hayes
Dangerous conditions continue into Sunday
The National Weather Service posted a series of key messages for the upcoming storm to Twitter, courtesy of its Weather Prediction Center.
“A powerful and dangerous winter storm will bring significant impacts to portions of the Mid-Atlantic, Northeast, and New England through Saturday,” the NWS wrote.
Blizzard conditions are expected along the coast, with heavy snow, strong winds, whiteout conditions, and power outages.
“Significant coastal impacts are possible, including coastal flooding and beach erosion,” the NWS wrote.
Snowfall accumulations greater than 12 inches are expected along the Northeast coast, with some regions facing two-foot snowfall estimates.
Dangerous temperatures will likely continue into Sunday morning.
- H. J. Hayes
Elderly woman found dead in her car
An elderly woman was found dead in her car overnight in Uniondale, New York.
The woman, who has not yet been identified, was found by a snow plow operater, Nassau County executive Bruce Blakeman said.
Blakeman added the cause of death had not been officially determined but speculated that she likely suffered a heart attack or another sudden health event and was unable to get help while stuck in the storm.
“It’s a sad situation, but it illustrates how dangerous it is, people should not be out unless it’s absolutely necessary,” Blakeman told NBC New York Saturday.
- H. J. Hayes
Winds reach 76mph in Massachusetts
Provincetown, MA, has been battered by wind gusts reaching 76mph as Winter Storm Kenan hits the northeast.
Wind speeds have reached 66mph south of Plymouth while Nantucket saw wind gusts of up to 60mph, according to the National Weather Service.
Some parts of Provincetown were also reported to experience power outages due to the storm.
- H. J. Hayes
Waves crash against Massachusetts hotel windows
At the Pilgrim Sands Hotel in Plymouth, Massachusetts, high tide and storm surges caused waves to crash against the windows.
Storm surges caused massive flooding, which Boston 25 reporter Julianne Lima shared video of on Twitter.
- H. J. Hayes
Boston-area grocery stores emptied
Ahead of the storm, Boston-area shoppers cleared out local grocery stores, stocking up for the severe weather ahead.
Twitter users shared photos of empty shelves on Friday evening.
- H. J. Hayes
New York under state of emergency
Governor Kathy Hochul announced that a state of emergency is in effect as of 8pm Friday night.
The Long Island Rail Road shut down overnight, though the MTA announced service should be restored Monday morning ahead of the work week commute.
- H. J. Hayes
‘Hurricane-strength’ winds expected
AccuWeather reported that hurricane-strength winds could be part of this storm.
“Everything is on the table with this storm,” AccuWeather Chief On-Air Meteorologist Bernie Rayno said Thursday.
“Winds will become a major problem. This could be a real damaging storm,” Rayno said.
- H. J. Hayes
Cities warned of coastal flooding
The National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office in Boston says that coastal flooding is possible due to the storm.
But because of the uncertainty that remains relating to the storm’s path, it’s unclear to what extent there may be coastal flooding.
The stronger the storm, the greater the storm surge will be along the coast, according to CNN.
- H. J. Hayes
Where do 'bomb cyclones' occur?
“Bomb” cyclones occur most frequently along coastlines where warm water is.
The warm water creates a strong temperature gradient from its surface to the atmosphere just above it.
- H. J. Hayes
NWS shares video of bombogenesis
The NWS's Weather Prediction Center shared a clip of a video surface map, which analyzed the progress of the winter storm.
A steep drop in air pressure, 35 millibars, is consistent with conditions for a so-called "bomb cyclone."
- H. J. Hayes
Footage from Montauk shows heavy snowfall
One reporter from The Weather Channel shared footage from Montauk, where heavy snow fell Saturday.
Montauk also experienced severe winds, with gusts reaching speeds of 45 miles per hour.
- H. J. Hayes
College student found dead in New York
A college student died after being found outside a bus garage exposed to subzero temperatures, authorities said.
Tyler Lopresti-Castro was found near the Silas Lane Bus Garage by two city employees, according to the Oneonta Police Department.
Video footage from the garage shows the 20-year-old emerging from a wooded area behind the garage around 2:15am.
“A search of the surrounding area indicates Tyler may have walked off the roadway… climbing through the snow and crossing a drainage creek before emerging on Oneonta City property,” said Police.
The SUNY Oneonta college student was “suffering from extended exposure to extremely cold, subzero temperatures,” said police.
He was taken to the hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
- H. J. Hayes
Massachusetts man dies in snowmobile accident
A Massachusetts man died Friday after he crashed his snowmobile into a tree in Pittsburgh.
New Hampshire Fish and Game identified the man as Derric Harper from Mansfield.
Harper is said to have been riding the snowmobile on the Corridor Trail 20 when he lost control and hit a tree, authorities said.
He was thrown from the machine and suffered “significant injuries”.
Another snowmobiler was riding with Harper who realized he was not with him and turned around, investigators said.
A witness who came across the crash assisted Harper and called 911.
The Pittsburg Police and Fire Departments and Conservation Officers responded to the scene, according to WMUR.
Harper was rushed to the hospital but was later pronounced dead.
Fish and Game officials say the crash is under investigation but added that Harper’s “inexperience” may have been a primary factor in the crash.
- H. J. Hayes
Massachusetts sees heavy snowfall Saturday
Massachusetts saw three to four inches of snow fall per hour during the day Saturday, according to the National Weather Service.
A tweet from the regional office in Boston said: “Radar estimates beginning to show some isolated areas of 3-4 inch per hour snowfall rates (assuming 10:1 snow to liquid radio) over southeastern MA.”
- H. J. Hayes
What are considered 'blizzard conditions'?
Not every storm is considered to be a blizzard.
There are three conditions that must be met for a storm to be considered a blizzard.
Snow must combine with winds over 35 miles per hour.
On top of that, visibility must be less than a quarter mile.
These conditions must last for more than three hours.
- H. J. Hayes
Winter storm is a nor'easter
A nor’easter is a storm that forms along North America’s East Coast. Nor’easters get their name from the direction in which the strongest winds blow over the northeastern states, including New England and the Mid-Atlantic.
Nor’easters begin to form within 100 miles of the coast that stretches between New Jersey and Georgia.
This area is a perfect spot for the formation of storms. The polar jet stream blows cold air southward out of Canada and eastward toward the ocean.
- H. J. Hayes
Weather considered 'serious' threat
AccuWeather Chief On-Air Meteorologist Bernie Rayno said: “The area that we think will be hit the hardest and will be at risk for closures will be central and eastern Long Island to New England.”
His colleague Jonathan Porter added: “This is going to be an intensifying storm that will produce a lot of wind, which raises concerns for blowing and drifting snow, power outages and blizzard conditions in some areas.
“There is also a serious coastal flooding and beach erosion threat, especially in eastern Massachusetts.”
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