Millions in Path of Monster Blizzard Set Up to Pummel Northeast

A crippling winter storm bearing down on the Northeast could topple snowfall totals from the December 2010 blizzard, the worst to date to hit New York City. Some areas of the city could receive up to 30 inches of snow in a blizzard affecting 29 million people. (Photo via Wikimedia Commons)

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Millions of New Englanders are hunkering down for a historic monster snowstorm expected to pummel some parts of the area with up to 3 feet of snow before the three-day event finally winds down on Tuesday.

Snow has already begun falling and at the height of the storm could fall at a rate of 2-4 inches per hour, The National Weather Service said. Lashing, hurricane-strength winds, along with the possibility of freezing rain, could make for life-threatening conditions.

About 29 million people are under a blizzard warning from the storm – dubbed Winter Storm Juno by The Weather Channel – along a 250-mile stretch of the Northeast from the New Jersey shore to Downeast Maine. Some of the affected cities in the blizzard warning, which will remain in effect through late Tuesday night, include New York City, Boston, Providence, Hartford and Portland.

The worst blizzard ever to hit the nation’s largest city was at Christmastime in 2010, when a Nor’easter dumped more than 20 inches of snow and fierce winds whipped it into high drifts. But New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio on Sunday urgedNew Yorkers to “prepare for something worse than we have seen before,” the New York Times reports.

“Now is the time to get ready for this extreme weather,” he said Sunday.

The National Weather Service called the system a “crippling and potentially historic blizzard” expected to deliver the worst weather to New York City, which could get up to 30 inches or more in some suburbs.

AccuWeather senior meteorologist Tom Kines told USA Today parts of Maryland and Pennsylvania could get 4 to 8 inches of snow, while New Jersey and eastern Massachusetts are set up to receive six to 12 inches.

“New York will get hit real good late Monday and Monday night,” Kines siad. “Boston, tomorrow night and into Tuesday. There is going to be a large area that gets close to or more than a foot of snow.”

“Recipe for Disaster”

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo warned residents of the possibility of power disruptions. More than 1,800 plows will be deployed to spread more than 126,000 tons of salt, but New Yorkers are urged to stay home if possible.

Massachusetts emergency officials called the storm “historic and destructive,” CNN said In Connecticut, Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton created the Twitter hashtag “#Icezilla.”

“Take this very seriously,” Boston Mayor Marty Walsh told NBC station WHDH. “Don’t wait till the last minute, because this storm is giving us a 24-hour head start to get ready for it.”

More than 4,300 flights had been canceled before for the first flakes began falling, not only in the affected areas, but across the country from California to Florida. Regardless of where you’re living, check the status of your flight on FlightAware.com.

“This could be the biggest snowstorm in the history of New York City so, yes, there could be delays of everything,” de Blasio told reporters Sunday.

The weight of the storm could be enough to snap power lines, and public officials were urging people to stay away from areas that have trees, including New York’s Central Park.

“It’s one thing to get a foot or more of snow,” Kines of AccuWeather said. “You throw in 30 to 40 mile-per-hour winds and it’s a recipe for disaster.”