Deadly freeze hits northern US; high winds lash Britain coast
A man clears snow from a vehicle on Friday, Jan. 3, 2014, in Albany, N.Y. A winter storm slammed into the US Northeast with howling winds and frigid cold, killing at least 11 people and forcing the cancelation of thousands of flights. AP PHOTO/MIKE GROLL
NEW YORK—A fierce winter storm brought chaos to the northern United States on Friday, killing at least 11 people and forcing the cancelation of thousands of flights.
Meanwhile, high winds, waves and tides lashed the western coasts of Britain and France on Friday, flooding seaside towns and low-lying areas.
More than 24 inches (61 centimeters) of snow fell in parts of Massachusetts town as a state of emergency was declared in New York and New Jersey states.
One worker was killed when a 100-foot pile of salt being prepared to treat roads in the Philadelphia region fell on him, media reports said.
A 71-year-old woman suffering from Alzheimer’s disease froze to death after walking out into the cold and getting lost in northern New York state, authorities said.
At least nine other deaths were blamed on the storm—named Hercules—that caused traffic accidents and other disruption across 22 states and parts of Canada.
Hercules closed major roads for several hours with snowdrifts built up by Arctic winds of up to 65 miles (105 kilometers) per hour.
-13 Fahrenheit
Weather experts said the windchill temperature would plummet to -13 Fahrenheit (-25 Celsius) in New York state.
More than 4,200 international and domestic flights were canceled at airports along the east coast and as far as Chicago on Thursday night and Friday. Thousands more were delayed.
New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport closed for several hours because of poor visibility and high winds.
Flights were also canceled at Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia and other key airports.
Boston woke up to a temperature of about three degrees Fahrenheit (minus 16 Celsius) but with the wind chill, it felt much worse.
Essex county in Massachusetts recorded 24 inches (61 centimetres) of snow. Much of the state’s Atlantic coastline was put on flood alert.
Residents look out from their front door with sandbags stacked in preparation for flooding in east Belfast, Northern Ireland, Friday, Jan. 3, 2014. High tides and strong winds have caused flooding in some coastal areas of Northern Ireland but the tide peaked without major flooding in Belfast. AP PHOTO/PETER MORRISON
The New York and New Jersey governors ordered major roads closed during the worst of the blizzard, but they were reopened on Friday morning.
Stay home
Government leaders still appealed for people to stay home unless they had urgent business.
The storm was the first big test for New York City’s new Mayor Bill de Blasio, who only took up his job Wednesday.
De Blasio had vowed a “laser focus” on the storm. But the mayor also urged residents to stay indoors and warned against going out in the freezing temperatures.
De Blasio shoveled snow from in front of his Brooklyn house Friday before repeating appeals for drivers to stay off the streets to help the city clear its 6,200 miles (9,900 kilometers) of roads.
“If you want safe, clear streets, stay home,” he said.
Tourists lobbed snowballs at each other in Times Square and more than six inches of snow fell on Central Park.
But 450 salt spreaders were out across the city and 1,700 refuse trucks had been fitted with plows in a bid to keep New York moving. The city set up a special website and app, PlowNYC, so residents could follow street clearances in real time.
Many metro trains were canceled or delayed, however, and schools and many businesses remained closed in all the affected states.
And sub-freezing temperatures are expected as far south as Florida, the National Weather Service said.
Officials backed De Blasio’s warning about going out in the cold as night fell again and temperatures plummeted.
Experts said that winds of 30 miles per hour could cause frostbite in about 30 minutes
UK regions worst hit
Wales, southwest England and Northern Ireland were the worst-hit UK regions by the latest in a recent series of extreme winter storms. Parts of northwestern France also suffered flooding.
A combination of heavy rain, winds gusting up to 90 mph (144 kph) and exceptionally high tides sent water flooding Friday into several British seaside towns. Some western rivers also burst their banks.
The UK Environment Agency issued eight severe flood warnings—meaning there is a threat to life and property—as well as almost 400 less serious flood warnings and alerts. That was down from 14 severe warnings earlier in the day.
Floods also washed over parts of northwestern France, as heavy rains coupled with unusually high tides left the streets of some coastal towns underwater.
Finistere—a French region jutting out into the Atlantic whose name roughly translates as “Land’s End”—was under high alert Friday for flooding. In town of Quimperle, further south along the Brittany coast, shops and homes were evacuated as the Laita River overflowed its banks.
The storm follows severe weather in early December and over Christmas that also hit western Europe.
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