More than 5,000 flights cancelled as US east coast digs out of record snow

BBC:

A major storm hit the US east coast on Monday bringing record-breaking snow that caused disruptions for millions and thousands of flight cancellations.

Parts of Rhode Island and Massachusetts have seen nearly 37in (94cm) of snow fall, with more than 19in in New York City’s Central Park, the National Weather Service said.

There have been “near impossible” travel conditions in New York, a state agency warned. More than 600,000 homes and businesses on the east coast endured power outages, with New Jersey and Massachusetts the worst hit.

Winter storm warnings stretched from North Carolina to northern Maine, with some warnings in place further north in parts of eastern Canada.

The snow was expected to persist throughout Monday, according to the National Weather Service, with some areas near the northeast coastline expected to get a total of 1ft to 2ft (61cm) of snow by Tuesday morning.

Rhode Island, America’s smallest state, appeared to have received the most snow during the storm. In fact, it has become the worst snowstorm to ever hit the state, according to local media.

Providence, the state capital, received 36in of snow, smashing the existing record for the single greatest snowstorm, 28.6in set in February 1978.

“It completely smashed it,” Candice Hrencecin, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Boston, told the New York Times. “We were just as shocked as everyone else.”

A ban on non-essential travel was implemented in Rhode Island and also in neighbouring Connecticut. Later in the day, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey also imposed a travel ban.

“I’m issuing a travel ban on all non-essential driving in Southeastern Massachusetts — and reducing the speed limit on the Pike to 40mph [25kmh],” she said in an online post, referring to a major highway in the state.

“Whiteout conditions are making travel extremely dangerous,” she added. “If you get stuck, help will have a hard time reaching you… I strongly urge everyone to stay off the roads no matter where you live.”

In Massachusetts, nearly 300,000 were without power, according to poweroutage.us, including 85% of customers in Barnstable County, which includes all of Cape Cod.