The East Coast is going to receive a wave of cold since Friday. Snow is already covering Tennessee and North Carolina. A blizzard is expected in New York, Philadelphia, Washington, Baltimore, and others, according to the National Weather Service. Also, more than 6,112 flights have been cancelled or delayed in the country.
It is calculated that approximately 30-inch of snow might fall in Washington over the weekend. The last time it snowed like that in Washington, was in 1922 when 28-inch of snow covered the streets and even a theater collapsed, killing 100 people.
Andrew Cuomo, governor of New York, announced that trucks, snow movers and skilled staff are going to operate in the state’s south to quickly solve snow-related problems. He also encouraged people to be prepared for the big blizzard and said he had a shovel in his trunk.
Approximately 30 million people are right now under blizzard warnings, since one-quarter of the U.S. inhabitants are located in big cities in the East of the country. Mayor Muriel Bowser said that the blizzard will accompany Washington until Saturday night. Also, winds of up to 30 mph will probably take place in the city.
Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey are also under blizzard warnings, the National Weather Service reported. The south of the country has also been affected by weather conditions. Thunderstorms have occurred in Florida, Nashville and Tennessee have been covered by 7 inches of snow. North Georgia and South Carolina are also expecting a winter storm.
“We’ve had a forecast we haven’t seen in 90 years. It has life and death implications, and people should treat it that way. People should hunker down, shelter in place and stay off the roads. Our chief concern is making sure Washingtonians are safe throughout this event,” said Bowser in a press conference on Friday.
In North Carolina, at least four people have died as a consequence of traffic accidents related to weather conditions, according to North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory. Hundreds of events in the country such as NBA games in Philadelphia and Washington, and a National Hockey League contest, have been cancelled as a preventive measure.
25,000 people equipped with special kits, are going to use 650,000 tons of salt and 2 million gallons of liquid salt in order to face consequences of the blizzard in Virginia, according to Gov. Terry McAuliffe who spoke to CNN on Friday. The Virginia state has already closed schools and government offices and the Interstate 81 is going to be shut down if weather conditions appear to be more dangerous.
Source: CNN