Deadly Bomb Cyclone Drops Record Snowfall On Northeast, Snarling Travel And Utilities

From digital meteorologist Sara Tonks:

The heaviest snow from Winter Storm Hernando has finished, but winds across the Northeast will continue to blast overnight, which can cause white-out conditions from drifting snow.

Some blizzard warnings across the coastal Northeast are set to expire this evening, including for major cities like New York and Portland, ME, as the snow begins to wind down. Areas that are less protected from the wind, such as Boston, however, could continue to see blizzard conditions into early Tuesday.

Similarly, the threat of coastal flooding already peaked during the day Monday, but high tide early Tuesday morning could push some monitoring sites along the Northeast’s coast back into action stage or minor flood stage, according to NOAA’s National Water Prediction Service.

Officials are still recommending avoiding travel if at all possible, and if you absolutely do need to go out, give yourself plenty of extra time and travel carefully.

Power outages are dropping for the first time since this storm began, though heavy snow and powerful winds are ongoing in some areas.

Massachusetts remains the hardest hit, with more than 282,000 customers without power. has over 250,000 customers without power. This accounts for about half of all the outages linked to Hernando.

New Jersey is next with about 93,000 outages.

Other impacted states:

• Delaware: 61,000+
• Rhode Island: 42,000+
• New York: 12,000+
• Maryland: 11,000+

From digital meteorologist Rob Shackelford:

The blizzard warnings have expired for New York City, but the area will need some time to dig out of the snowfall. Travel will be difficult over the next few days as partial snowmelt and refreezing will lead to icy roads.

See below for the latest snowfall totals. Note that Islip may have notched a new record, though totals will need to be reexamined to confirm how much was snowfall and how much was snowdrift.

In New York City, officials say every single street has been plowed at least once. But with snow still falling and winds whipping it around, it might not look like crews have been through, and that’s exactly why plows are continuing to make rounds.

Even if roads appear snow-covered again, the Department of Sanitation says crews are out there working to keep things as clear and safe as possible.

A citywide travel ban has been lifted, though officials warn roads are still slick.

In Boston, police are ready for whatever Mother Nature has in store. As snow piles up and streets disappear, officers are rolling out their All-Terrain Vehicles to navigate the storm.

The area has seen around 15 inches of snowfall so far.

New photos show just how tough conditions are on the ground right now.

In New Jersey, rows of cars sit buried under thick snow, stretching as far as the eye can see, a clear sign that many residents still have a long dig-out ahead of them.

Over in New York City, crews armed with brooms and plows are working to clear sidewalks outside Grand Central Terminal as the city pushes to reopen tomorrow.

Meanwhile, in Massachusetts, the weight of the heavy snow has brought down trees, creating serious hazards on roadways and adding to the dangerous travel conditions.

Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey has issued an immediate ban on all non-essential motor vehicle travel in the southern coast of the state. A 40 mph speed limit is also in effect on the Massachusetts Turnpike.

Officials warn conditions on the roads are life-threatening, with visibility at or near zero. Plows are struggling to keep up with the snowfall and ongoing rescue operations have been suspended.

Several school districts, including the city of Boston, have canceled classes for tomorrow.

From digital meteorologist Rob Shackelford:

Providence’s T.F. Green Airport has just officially reported a 2-day snowfall total of 32.8 inches. This is now the snowiest two days on record, breaking the previous record of 28.6 inches from the infamous "Blizzard of '78.”

They have also already seen 30.4 inches today alone, which smashes the previous 1-day record of 19 inches ending January 8, 1996.

Here are the latest snowfall totals from the area:

• East Providence: 33.5 inches
• North Kingstown: 33.5 inches
• TF Green Airport: 32.8 inches
• Glocester: 32.1 inches
• Warwick: 31.5 inches

Power outages from this storm could be long lasting on Nantucket, where footage from local media shows power poles covered in snow, snapped in half and laying by the road.

Power outages are nearing 290,000 across the state of Massachusetts.

The storm is keeping troopers busy across Maryland, where Maryland State Police say they’ve handled more than 1,190 calls for service and responded to nearly 343 crashes from snow making roads slick. About 4 inches fell in Baltimore, with parts of Baltimore County seeing close to 5 inches, according to the National Weather Service.

Police say nearly 30% of calls came from Maryland’s Eastern Shore, where a Blizzard Warning remains in effect through this evening thanks to strong wind gusts.

From digital meteorologist Rob Shackelford:

More snowfall totals are coming in across the major metropolitan cities. Here are some of the latest:

• LaGuardia, NY: 22.2 inches
• JFK, NY: 19.8 inches
• Central Park, NY: 19.7 inches
• Logan Airport, MA: 14.4 inches
• Philadelphia, PA: 14.0 inches

Winter weather alerts have expired for Philadelphia at this time, and New York City's blizzard warnings will expire later today. Boston’s blizzard warning lasts until Tuesday morning at 7 a.m. EST.

A bomb cyclone can look a lot like a hurricane, bringing powerful winds, heavy precipitation (snow, in this case) and even a dramatic spinning shape that shows up on satellite images.

See for yourself in this shot of Winter Storm Hernando swirling just off the East Coast today:

But that’s mostly where the similarities end. Unlike hurricanes, which feed on warm, tropical waters and have a warm core, bomb cyclones form when a low-pressure system, usually at higher latitudes, strengthens rapidly when cold air meets warmer ocean waters. Because cold air is involved, these keep a cold core.

New York City public schools are set to reopen Tuesday, Mayor Mamdani announced this afternoon. Today’s day off was an unexpected extra day tacked onto the city’s midwinter break, their first true, old-fashioned snow day with no remote learning since before the pandemic in 2019.

Mamdani said the state had to approve a waiver for today’s snow day, noting that with break just ending, many students didn’t have their devices at home and some families and teachers were stranded during their vacation travel by hundreds of storm-related flight cancellations.

Things are getting wild in Rhodes Island. T. F. Green Airport in Providence is reporting a jaw-dropping 32-inch snow depth change since the storm began, with snow falling at an incredible rate of about 4 inches per hour.

Now, it’s important to note we’re still waiting on the official totals, but that number could top the city’s all-time snowstorm record of 28.6 inches, set in 1978.

Also in Providence, local media is reporting some smaller plows haven’t been able to do their jobs, as they themselves have been getting stuck in the heavy snow.

From digital meteorologist Rob Shackelford:

We have officially seen a snowfall storm total top 30 inches with this powerful winter storm. Here are some notable snowfall totals:

• Warwick, Rhode Island: 31.5 inches
• Babylon, New York: 29.5 inches
• Carlstadt, New Jersey: 27.9 inches
• Dighton,. Massachusetts: 27.1 inches
• East Providence, Rhode Island: 26 inches

Snowfall is continuing, so we will continue to monitor totals. Some records could be in jeopardy, and we will be watching.

We’re seeing the first reports of possible deaths being attributed to this historic storm.

Deputies with the Calvert County Sheriff's Office in Maryland say they responded to the scene of a serious crash on Sunday afternoon, finding two passengers dead and one in critical condition.

Early findings show that a tree, weighed down after up to five inches of snow fell in the area, toppled into the roadway and struck the vehicle.

See original post on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CalvertSheriff/posts/pfbid0Ksa5vxuLKDd2wfHMgzTMYynNrScmm6Y7ighuhZkrVt5D7mVBWUhqrzRHKWWEzWXLl

This winter storm isn’t just causing problems in one place, it’s creating a ripple effect across the country. In Salt Lake City, more than 40 flights were canceled because of the storm, even though today’s forecast there is sunny with highs in the 50s.

Salt Lake is just one example. Since the storm began yesterday, more than 9,900 flights have been canceled nationwide, according to FlightAware.com, with hundreds more already canceled for tomorrow.

From digital meteorologist Rob Shackelford:

With blizzard warnings still in effect for cities like New York City and Boston, we want to explain what really makes these conditions different from just a regular snowstorm.

Well, blizzards actually have a definition by the National Weather Service:

1. Winds gust to 35 mph
2. Visibility drops to a quarter of a mile or less
3. Heavy falling or blowing snow
4. Conditions have to last like this for 3 hours

So, snowstorms can actually have some of these criteria. But, all of these have to be occurring simultaneously for a blizzard to be officially ongoing.

Also, a blizzard can still occur even if there is no new falling snow. Should the winds stay strong enough, you can meet the criteria for a blizzard without new snow falling.

We’re getting a fresh look at just how paralyzing Winter Storm Hernando has become, and the latest images are pretty eye-opening. In New York’s Times Square, pedestrians are stuck in thick, heavy snow, while a New Jersey train station sits buried and nearly unrecognizable.

In Boston, a city bus appears stuck in near-whiteout conditions. Meanwhile, a brave New Yorker took to standing on top of his truck to try to free it from the snow.

From senior meteorologist Jonathan Erdman:

We don’t want to rub it in, but there is more in the forecast for parts of the Northeast after today.

1. Some light snow is expected to move in Tuesday night into Wednesday. Again, emphasis on the word light.
2. Another round of light snow, sleet, freezing rain, even rain for some could arrive Thursday and continue into Thursday night or early Friday.
3. While there’s considerable uncertainty, another snow (or rain) maker could sweep into the Northeast a week from now.

As always, check back with us at our weather.com homepage for the latest on all this.

From executive producer Ron Brackett:

It's not just snow plows clearing streets in New York. The city had 575 emergency snow shovelers on the job overnight. They cleared 1,500 crosswalks, 400 fire hydrants and 900 bus stops, according to the New York Times.

The city’s Department of Sanitation hires emergency shovelers when a big storm hits the city. Their pay starts at $19.14 an hour and rises to $28.71 an hour after the first 40 hours worked in a week.

More than 650,000 customers are now in the dark nationwide, according to PowerOutge.us, with Massachusetts hit hardest at more than a quarter of a million outages, followed by New Jersey, Delaware, Rhode Island and Maryland.

With heavy snow still falling and roads nearly impassable across this densely populated region, officials are warning the lights may stay out for a while.

From senior meteorologist Jonathan Erdman:

The most prolific snowfalls outside higher elevations occur when the most intense snowbands stall over an area for several hours.

That’s essentially what we’ve seen along the Eastern Seaboard from Delaware to southern New England.

The animation below shows the radar at just after 4 a.m., then just after 10 a.m. ET. Notice the heavy bands of snow hardly moved along the East Coast.

From senior writer Chris DeWeese:

I don’t experience weather-related FOMO very often, but this photo of people walking through 15+ inches of fresh snow in New York City’s Central Park this morning is really making me wish I lived close by and could see the whole park like this.

Admittedly, this photo does bear a striking resemblance to a Beatles album — only with about a foot of snow added.

Because conditions remain so poor statewide, a travel restriction that was originally set to expire at 7 a.m. has been extended until noon, the state's office of emergency management announced on social media.

From senior writer and Morning Brief newsletter editor Chris DeWeese:

Satellite footage captured by CIRA/CSU shows Winter Storm Hernando as it moved up the East Coast yesterday. This clip shows the storm’s progression from 5 a.m. to midnight EST.

From meteorologist Jennifer Gray:

We now have half a million customers in the dark in the Northeast due to the bomb cyclone, according to PowerOutage.us.

With so many people in the dark during extremely cold temperatures, it’s important to know how to conserve the heat inside your home. Here are a few tips and tricks you can use to keep warm while in the dark during freezing temperatures.

Winter Storm Hernando has closed dozens of school districts in the Northeast, including some of the nation's largest, like New York City and Boston.

For NYC, it's their first full closing in years. Children will be out all over the city enjoying the snow day rather than being stuck inside for a digital learning day. For those of us who reveled in the glory of snow days before digital learning, we say enjoy it and stay safe, because it's still a blizzard after all.

And so far, it's rarified air. Only Freehold Township, New Jersey, has entered the club — they have 24.2 inches on the ground officially from Winter Storm Hernando. That's in Monmouth County, where 9% of all customers have lost power this morning (about 28,000 homes and businesses), according to PowerOutage.us.

From meteorologist Jennifer Gray:

Winter Storm Hernando will pull away from the coast later today, but there is still much more snow to come for cities in the Northeast and New England. Here’s a look at our latest snow forecast:

Keep in mind, this is additional snow on top of what has already fallen. Some areas across eastern Massachusetts could pick up an additional foot or more of snow.

From senior meteorologist Jonathan Erdman:

We mentioned earlier that New York’s Central Park has picked up just over 15 inches of snow, so far.

That’s their heaviest snowstorm in just over five years, since a 17.4-inch snowstorm from Jan. 31 to Feb. 3, 2021.

Assuming they pick up another 2.4 inches of snow this morning, Hernando would be the city's heaviest snowstorm since its all-time record 10 years ago, 27.5 inches, from a winter storm in late January 2016.

From senior writer and Morning Brief newsletter editor Chris DeWeese:

Patsy Cline had a hit with a song called "Walkin' After Midnight" — but how about skiing after midnight? It happened last night on Manhattan’s iconic Fifth Avenue, close to Central Park, where a photographer captured these two late-night skiers traversing the sidewalks outside a Bergdorf and Goodman Store.

As of just a few minutes ago, here are the updated snow totals from some areas in and around the Big Apple that you might recognize:

- Central Park: 15.1 inches

- LaGuardia Airport: 15.1 inches

- JFK International Airport: 15 inches

- Islip: 22.5 inches

- Newark (New Jersey): 18.3 inches

From senior meteorologist Jonathan Erdman:

In major snowstorms, it’s not just how much snow falls, but how fast that happens.

We’re seeing snowfall at the rate of 1 inch per hour at New York’s LaGuardia Airport and 2 inches per hour at JFK International Airport right now.

Providence, Rhode Island, picked up almost 14 inches of snow in just six hours.

The National Weather Service office in Upton, Long Island, reported a snowfall rate of 3 inches per hour earlier this morning. Here’s what that looked like:

It happened again. Reporting live from Plymouth, Massachusetts, The Weather Channel storm tracker Jim Cantore was in the middle of describing the intense conditions when lightning flashed nearby. To watch Cantore's passionate, excited response, click here.

And if you've never experienced near-blizzard conditions, this video is worth a watch:

We're starting to see some ground truth of the damage the winter storm is causing with its heavy, wet snow and strong winds. Check out these pictures of tree damage in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, which is located northwest of Philadelphia:

From meteorologists Jonathan Erdman and Jennifer Gray:

As Winter Storm Hernando continues up the coast, it’s unleashing dangerous, gusty winds. Here are the top wind speeds thus far:

- Wellfleet, Massachusetts: 79 mph

- N. Kingston, Rhode Island: 73 mph

- Nantucket, Massachusetts: 70 mph

From senior meteorologist Jonathan Erdman:

Having already reached bomb cyclone status, Winter Storm Hernando is nearing its peak intensity. That means the storm is nearing its lowest central pressure off the Northeast seaboard.

While its central pressure is similar to that of a Category 2 hurricane, the storm is cold-core rather than warm-core.

According to FlightAware data, there have been more than 10,000 flights canceled from yesterday through tomorrow in the U.S., virtually all of them in the path of Winter Storm Hernando. That includes more than 5,300 flights today alone.

Another 1,300 flights have already been canceled for tomorrow, so if you have flight plans, it's best to check (frequently) with your airline, especially if you'll be flying into or out of the Northeast.

From digital meteorologist Caitlin Kaiser:

With temperatures hovering around or just below freezing, this relatively "warmer" air can hold a lot more moisture. This means the snow that is falling is heavier and wetter, which earns its nickname "heart-attack snow" for a reason.

The heavier the snow, the more strain it puts on your cardiovascular system when you’re trying to shovel. So, you'll want to take extra care before heading out.

Read more on heart-attack snow and how to stay safe while shoveling.

With a drop in central pressure of about 40 millibars in 12 hours, this nor'easter has gone above and beyond to meet the criteria of a bomb cyclone. In fact, it achieved the requirement in about nine hours.

To read more about what criteria must be met for a storm to "bomb out," click here.

As expected with a windy nor'easter that's dumping heavy snow, power outages are rising rapidly. According to PowerOutage.us, these states have the lion's share of the quarter-million homes and businesses currently in the dark amif frigid conditions:

- New Jersey: 103,000 customers

- Delaware: 68,000

- Maryland: 33,000

Winter Storm Hernando really raged overnight. Here are the highest snow totals from this storm, which continues to rapidly escalate, so far:

- Freehold, New Jersey: 17.9 inches

- Mount Holly, New Jersey: 16.2 inches

- South Jersey Regional Airport: 15.3 inches

To see Sunday's live coverage as it played out, read the full recap here.