- Kiren Rijiju thanks Congress for highlighting how roads have improved dramatically in Ladakh during NDA tenure OpIndia
- Rahul Gandhi Shines Spotlight On Bharat Jodo Says Couldn’t Visit Ladakh During Yatra India Today
- Congress leader Rahul who embarked on bike ride to celebrate father Rajiv Gandhi’s birthday spotted at Khalsar Times of India
- WATCH | Rahul Pays Tribute to Rajiv Gandhi at Pangong Tso; To Be In Ladakh Till Aug 25 News18
- Rahul Gandhi Fires Fresh Salvo At Modi Government, Rakes Up China’s Issue In Ladakh India Today
- View Full Coverage on Google News
Tag Archives: Roads
Fugitive Khalistan sympathiser Amritpal hits country roads, shakes off police pursuers – Times of India
- Fugitive Khalistan sympathiser Amritpal hits country roads, shakes off police pursuers Times of India
- India: Arrest warrant issued against Amritpal Singh, police crackdown against separatist in Punjab WION
- Amritpal chase: On single-lane link road motorbikes tried to divert cops; Khalistan sympathiser changed route 2-3 times The Tribune India
- Watch how Khalistani preacher Amritpal Singh escaped police; ‘Chased for about 20 km…’ Hindustan Times
- Amritpal Singh crackdown: Punjab Police issues warning against fake news and hate speeches Times of India
- View Full Coverage on Google News
After protesters block roads, Yair Netanyahu accuses police brass of ‘rebellion’ – The Times of Israel
- After protesters block roads, Yair Netanyahu accuses police brass of ‘rebellion’ The Times of Israel
- Israeli citizens protest against Netanyahu government’s judicial overhaul plan | Ground report WION
- Israel’s soldiers join protests against Netanyahu’s judicial reform The Washington Post
- When will Americans flood the streets to protest our broken, corrupt Supreme Court? The Philadelphia Inquirer
- Thousands of women draw human ‘red line’ against judicial overhaul The Times of Israel
- View Full Coverage on Google News
Winter ice storm: Millions across the South and central US brace as officials urge staying off roads
CNN
—
A winter storm bringing the triple threat of ice, sleet and snow Tuesday to parts of the South and central US has prompted officials to close roads and schools as they urge people to avoid traveling in dangerous conditions.
About 38 million people from Texas and Oklahoma to as far east as Kentucky and West Virginia are under various forms of winter weather alerts, including those warning of dangerous ice accumulations forecast to make roads a nightmare.
“In addition to potentially hazardous travel conditions, this amount of ice will lead to tree damage and power outages across the hardest-hit regions,” the National Weather Service warned in its forecast Monday.
In Texas, residents in cities including Dallas, San Antonio and Austin can expect icy roads as well as some sleet Tuesday, when heavy rain and flash flooding are also possible in the eastern parts of the state.
Amid such conditions, the governor has requested the state’s emergency management division to increase its resources so it can be ready to respond through Thursday.
The storm has also led several school districts in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and Austin to close Tuesday, and more than 400 flights departing from Texas airports have been cancelled. Multiple roadways in Texas have been shut down due to ice accumulation, according to the state’s transportation department.
As ice began forming on roads in Little Rock, Arkansas, the governor declared a state of emergency Monday and activated the winter weather support teams of the state’s National Guard to be prepared in helping police in their response to the storm.
“I encourage Arkansans who are experiencing winter weather to avoid travel if possible and heed the warnings of local officials,” Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders said on Twitter.
The emergency order directs $250,000 toward discretionary use by the head of the state’s Division of Emergency Management to provide funding for program and administrative costs, the order stated.
“The real enemy is going to be that ice,” said Dave Parker, a spokesperson for the Arkansas Department of Transportation. “This could potentially be a pretty dangerous situation.”
Parker added that majority of the state is expected to be impacted, and the state is treating most major roads.
By late Monday, ice had already spread across grounds in Memphis, Tennessee, and Louisville, Kentucky, as well as Texas, where at least a few car crashes were reported in Austin with no injuries.
The storm is poised to produce a mix of wintry precipitation ranging from rain and sleet to ice and it will hit areas in the southern and central regions in waves through Wednesday.
And while the forecast shows there will be periods of reprieve over the next two days, roads will likely remain dangerously slick throughout the storm as temperatures remain low.
Indeed, Tuesday is expected to be the toughest day for driving as Texas bridges and roads become icy, according to the weather service’s Fort Worth office.
“More widespread freezing rain/sleet is expected Tuesday and Wednesday morning, with worsening travel impacts during this time,” the local weather agency said.
Significant icing of about half of an inch is expected on roads in Austin, San Angelo and Dallas while San Antonio may see up to a tenth of an inch of ice.
Meantime, Texas’ primary electricity provider, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, told CNN it will be able to meet residents’ demand as temperatures plummet.
“We expect sufficient generation to meet forecasted demand and are continuing to monitor forecasts, this week. We are not asking for Conservation at this time. We are informing the public that IF they are experience an outage to reach out to their local power provider,” the agency said in an email.
Elsewhere in the South, up to a half of an inch of ice could glaze roads in Memphis, Tennessee. In the state’s Dyer County, icy conditions led officials to shut down the I-155 bridge, according to the highway patrol.
Meanwhile, Little Rock in Arkansas is forecast to see multiple rounds of ice that could amass up to half an inch.
In neighboring Oklahoma, residents in Oklahoma City are under a winter weather advisory through Wednesday afternoon, with the expectation of seeing up to two tenths of an inch of ice.
Icing up to two-tenths of an inch could be seen in Louisville, Kentucky, while Charleston, West Virginia, can see sleet up to an inch and ice up to a tenth of an inch.
Mudslides trigger evacuations, close roads in Berkeley Hills
Mudslides in the Berkeley Hills triggered evacuations and closed roads on Monday morning, officials said.
A Nixle alert issued this morning advised residents in the area of Middlefield Road, Wildcat Canyon Road and The Spiral to be prepared to evacuate, the Berkeley Police Department told SFGATE. The alert also asked people to avoid the area.
Berkeley Councilmember Susan Wengraf told SFGATE the mudslide in the Park Hills neighborhood occurred at about 6 a.m. and seven homes were evacuated. One home was red-tagged on Middlefield Road, Wengraf said.
“It’s my understanding that there’s no need to evacuate any further,” she said on the phone at noon.
The Spiral — a short road off Wildcat Canyon Road — and Middlefield Road north of the Crossways, are both closed, Berkeley police said in an advisory.
Wildcat Canyon Road between Sunset and Park Hills roads is also closed due to a mudslide. Authorities responded to the area shortly after 7 a.m.
The ground is still moving and trees can be heard cracking from the slide, Berkeley Fire Battalion Chief Bill Kehoe said around 9 a.m.
A mudslide was also reported Monday morning in the area of Sports Lane and the Clark Kerr campus. UC Berkeley Police asked people to avoid the area.
Journalist Frances Dinkelspiel posted images on Twitter showing a mudslide on Alvarado Road in the Berkeley-Oakland area. “An Oakland police officer just said the Oakland Public Works looked at Alvarado Road slide and said it is so big that the city will have to hire a contractor to clean it up,” Dinkelspiel, the co-founder and former executive editor of Berkeleyside and Cityside wrote. “So the road will be closed for a bit.”
Bay City News contributed to this story. This breaking news story was updated.
White House declares ‘major disaster’ in California; hazardous roads plague Sierra, Bay Area
President Biden approved California’s request for a major disaster declaration to increase federal emergency support as storms and flooding continued to flog communities across the state over the weekend. Hazardous roadways plagued several areas Sunday, with home-bound Sierra travelers warned of near-impossible conditions on some roadways and Bay Area motorists dealing with closures forced by floods and landslides.
“California is grateful for President Biden’s swift approval of this critical support to communities reeling from these ongoing storms,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said after meeting with evacuated residents in Merced County on Saturday. The declaration will unlock more federal funding to help local and state storm response efforts and will make funding available to affected individuals in hard-hit Merced, Sacramento and Santa Cruz counties.
In the Bay Area, residents on Sunday assessed damage from the widespread flooding, wind and landslides that submerged roadways and felled trees — leaving at least one dead, a woman found beneath a tree branch in Golden Gate Park, according to officials. A National Weather Service flood advisory was in effect until 9 a.m. Monday for Bay Area shoreline and North Bay interior areas.
The storms showed signs of tapering off in the Bay Area, but not before another round of moderate rain showers was expected to blow through already waterlogged areas Monday.More than 2,000 Pacific Gas and Electric Co. customers around the region were without power Sunday afternoon, according to the company. Most of the outages were in San Francisco, the Peninsula and the South Bay.
As the rain picked up Sunday, officials in San Benito County issued a new evacuation order for a swath of the northern section of the county outside Hollister. Citing “severe flooding,” county officials told everyone on San Felipe Road north of Highway 156 as well as people in the Lovers Lane, Lake Road, Dunneville Estates and Shore Road areas to leave.
Just across the county border in Santa Clara County, officials expanded an evacuation warning there to include the Bloomfield Avenue area south of Gilroy. The county said two levee breaches in San Benito County may cause water to encroach into Santa Clara County.
Coastal rivers continued to see heightened risk of flooding that threatened to swamp more homes and overtake roadways already buckling on sodden earth. In Sonoma County, the banks of the Russian River were swelled to capacity Sunday, with water levels expected to recede slowly throughout the day Monday. In Monterey County, the Salinas River remained below flood stage over the weekend after peaking Friday at 24.6 feet — about 1½ feet above flood stage. The river is expected to rise again this week, but Sunday’s forecast showed it remaining just below minor flood level.
For people heading south, a new landslide toppled onto Highway 1 south of Mill Creek on the Big Sur Coast, Caltrans reported Sunday, as crews continued to address “significant instability” in several locations on the coastal road.
Forecasters warned of strong winds in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties, where gusts were expected to blow unsecured objects and tree limbs into drivers’ paths.
High tides and flooding kept a portion of Highway 37 in Novato closed Sunday with no estimated time of reopening the section between Highway 101 and Atherton Avenue that was closed after Novato Creek overflowed a levee, according to Caltrans.
A winter storm warning was issued Sunday in the Sierra Nevada until at least 10 p.m. Monday, with the National Weather Service cautioning that driving could be “very difficult to impossible” because of expected heavy snowfall at high elevations. Between 3 and 5 inches of snow was forecast for lower elevations from Yosemite to Tulare counties, with hazardous driving conditions expected to prevail into Monday.
Eastbound traffic on Interstate 80 heading to Tahoe was being turned around at Nyack Road, Caltrans said Sunday night, “due multiple vehicle spinouts over the Donner Summit.” The agency tweeted, “It’s unknown when the highway will reopen.”
Traffic snaked along Interstate 50, which remained open Sunday from South Tahoe to Sacramento, with chains required for a short section south of the Lake Tahoe basin.
Forecasters encouraged motorists heading down from the Sierra to wait until Tuesday at the earliest for safety on mountain roads.
Those returning should expect delays and plan for the worst by traveling with an emergency kit of extra food, water and clothing, weather service meteorologist Hannah Chandler-Cooley said.
Travel conditions in the Sierra, already poor, were likely “to deteriorate rapidly” as heavy snow covered the ridges overnight Sunday, Chandler-Cooley said, adding that the weather service was “highly discouraging mountain travel“ throughout the holiday weekend.
Snowy sheets were expected to blanket areas south of Tahoe throughout Monday, complicating travel for Bay Area drivers heading down. Road conditions could “remain poor for a while” as Caltrans crews clear roadways, Chandler-Cooley said.
East of Tahoe from Truckee to Baxter (Placer County), chains or snow tires were required on all cars over the roughly 40-mile stretch.
Just south of the Caltrans chain control area, at Ikeda’s California Country Market in Auburn, Derek Ikeda was busy Sunday preparing homemade Dutch apple and chicken pot pies for weekend travelers. But he expected fewer than usual, with storms keeping some of his usual holiday weekend customers at home.
But the forecasts did not dissuade all skiers, he said. “They say, ‘We found a gap in the weather, we are going to shoot for it,’” Ikeda said Sunday afternoon. “They keep coming through the rain and the snow.” Heavenly Valley said it was trying to dig out from the heavy snows but tweeted Saturday that conditions were “well beyond operating parameters all day” as it was “hit with another heavy round of high winds and snow” still piling up.
With wet weather and slippery roadways threatening drivers throughout the Bay Area, improvement was not expected until midweek, said National Weather Service meteorologist Colby Goatley. Highway 84 remained closed between Fremont and Sunol because of a landslide, with Caltrans anticipating road repairs to be completed by Monday evening.
The good news, Goatley said, is that the coming days are predicted to bring a reprieve, with improved road conditions by the week’s end.
“Everyone is tired of the rain,” he said, “but after one more round, we should get some sunny skies in the forecast.”
Nora Mishanec and J.D. Morris are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: nora.mishanec@sfchronicle.com jd.morris@sfchronicle.com
California flooding 2023: Flash floods, sinkholes shut roads with more storms forecast as rain dents drought
Drone video of flooded Felton in Santa Cruz County
California was given a brief respite on Thursday from the succession of storms that have soaked the state since the beginning of the year.
As the authorities and residents rushed to recover from existing damage, and flooding and sinkholes continue to cause havoc and block off whole communities, two more storms are forecast to hit on Friday and over the weekend.
The National Weather Service says parts of northwestern and central California have already been hammered by between 10 and 20 inches in the last two weeks, leaving the ground saturated. There are now fears of more devastating flash floods to come.
At least 18 people have now died in incidents linked to the extreme weather with the body of a 43-year-old woman discovered in a submerged vehicle in Sonoma County on Wednesday.
Near the city of Paso Robles, five-year-old Kyle Doan, swept away in the floodwaters when he and his mother got stuck in their car, is still missing.
One small positive of the intense rainfall is that it has made a dent in the severe drought the state has been experiencing.
Drenching California storms put dent in drought
Atmospheric rivers pounding California since late last year have coated mountains with a full winter’s worth of snow and begun raising reservoir levels — but experts say it will take much more precipitation to reverse the effects of years of drought.
The US Drought Monitor’s weekly update released on Thursday showed that “extreme” drought has been virtually eliminated a week after the worst category — “exceptional” — was washed off the map. Two weeks ago extreme drought covered 35% of California.
Series of drenching California storms put dent in drought
Atmospheric rivers pounding California since late last year have coated mountains with a full winter’s worth of snow and begun raising reservoir levels but experts say it will take much more to precipitation to reverse the effects of years of drought
Oliver O’Connell13 January 2023 07:00
ICYMI: NWS confirms tornado struck early Tuesday in northern San Joaquin Valley
The National Weather Service in Sacramento confirmed on Wednesday that destruction in Calaveras County early on Tuesday morning was caused by a small tornado.
An EF1 tornado occurred at around 4.10am local time, touching down near a small reservoir. Though classified as “weak” still produced 90mph winds and caused “extensive tree damage to white oak and pines trees”, according to a press release from NWS.
The tornado is just one small part of the severe weather that has lashed California for much of this month.
On the same morning as the tornado struck, severe thunderstorms swept through the San Joaquin Valley with winds strong enough to pick up a large horse barn near Oakdale in Stanislaus County and drag it over a five-foot fence. Neighbouring properties had minor roof damage and wind speeds are thought to have peaked at 75mph.
The NWS says that a warning was sent out to residents with a 17-minute lead time advising that straight-line winds and tornadoes were possible from the severe thunderstorms in the area.
Oliver O’Connell13 January 2023 05:20
Watch: Terrifying moment mother and daughter rescued from sinkhole
Terrifying footage has captured the moment a mother and daughter had to be rescued from a sinkhole in Chatsworth, Los Angeles.
Intense flooding caused a sinkhole to open up on Monday night, swallowing two cars.
A mother and daughter were pulled to safety from an SUV.
Mother and daughter rescued from car swallowed by sinkhole after intense storm
Oliver O’Connell13 January 2023 04:20
Gavin Newsom hints at link between floods and the climate crisis
During a visit to badly-impacted Santa Cruz county on Tuesday, Governor Gavin Newsom hinted at a link between California’s extreme weather and the climate crisis.
“The dries are getting a lot drier the last three years, and the wets are getting a lot wetter. This weather whiplash — is that the new reality?” he said, according to NBC News.
California has been in a state of “megadrought” for the past two decades, intensified by the impacts of global heating, according to UCLA research last year.
The study also found that it could take several years of high precipitation to overcome the mega-drought.
“It’s extremely unlikely that this drought can be ended in one wet year,” UCLA geographer Park Williams said at the time.
Oliver O’Connell13 January 2023 03:20
Woman’s body found in submerged car in Sonoma County
At least 18 people have now died in incidents linked to the extreme weather with the body of a 43-year-old woman discovered in a submerged vehicle in Sonoma County.
The victim Daphne Fontino had made a final desperate 911 call as her car became trapped in the floodwaters one day earlier.
The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office said that search and rescue teams made the grim discovery along the 6000 block of Trenton-Healdsburg Road, Forestville, on Wednesday morning.
“Our deepest condolences to her family and friends,” the department said in a statement.
Oliver O’Connell13 January 2023 02:20
Watch: Major sinkhole opens up after violent storm in Orcutt, California
As an intense series of storms continues to hammer California, sinkholes have become a major problem. Here’s one that opened up in Orcutt, California.
Major sinkhole opens up after violent storm in Orcutt, California
Oliver O’Connell13 January 2023 01:20
ICYMI: Flooding arrives in the California desert
The Palm Springs Fire Department carried out the swift water rescue after flooding in a desert wash in the city. A wash is an area in the desert where water once flowed or that floods during heavy rain or flash flooding.
The rescue began at around 5.45pm on Tuesday evening and took around an hour, according to officials.
Oliver O’Connell13 January 2023 00:20
How much rain and snow has fallen?
California was in a lull between storms on Thursday, but more precipitation was expected to arrive on Friday and continue through the weekend. Flooding remained a concern, especially along the Salinas River in Monterey County, because so much rain has fallen.
Downtown San Francisco, for example, received nearly 13.6 inches (34.5 centimetres) of rain from Dec. 26 to Jan. 10. Snowfall so far this season at the summit of the Mammoth Mountain resort in the Eastern Sierra hit 444 inches (11.3 metres).
In the Sierra Nevada and other mountains, the water content of the snowpack is more than 200 per cent of normal to date and more than 100 per cent of the 1 April average, when it is historically at its peak, according to the state Department of Water Resources.
“The automated sensors are registering what they would consider a full seasonal snowpack, about what we would expect on April 1,” state climatologist Michael Anderson told reporters this week.
The snowpack supplies roughly a third of California’s water when it melts and runs off into rivers and reservoirs.
Locally, some reservoirs have seen significant rises in water levels but there are still significant deficits to overcome.
Statewide, reservoir storage is only 82 per cent of average for this time of year. The largest reservoir, Shasta, is at just 44 per cent of capacity. That’s only 70 per cent of the average to date. The huge Oroville reservoir is closer to its average but at just 49 per cent of capacity.
And there’s concern that the rains could abruptly stop. The end of 2021 was marked by significant storms, but the start of 2022 saw months of bone-dry weather.
There are some hints of a drier pattern developing around 20 January, said Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at the University of California, Los Angeles, during an online briefing this week.
Oliver O’Connell12 January 2023 23:50
At least 18 people killed in the storms
At least 18 people have now died in incidents linked to the extreme weather in California, according to authorities.
Among the victims is a 43-year-old woman who was discovered in a submerged vehicle in Sonoma County on Wednesday.
In total, more lives have now been lost in the storms than in the past two years of wildfires in California.
Oliver O’Connell12 January 2023 23:20
Drenching California storms put dent in drought
Atmospheric rivers pounding California since late last year have coated mountains with a full winter’s worth of snow and begun raising reservoir levels — but experts say it will take much more precipitation to reverse the effects of years of drought.
The US Drought Monitor’s weekly update released on Thursday showed that “extreme” drought has been virtually eliminated a week after the worst category — “exceptional” — was washed off the map. Two weeks ago extreme drought covered 35% of California.
Series of drenching California storms put dent in drought
Atmospheric rivers pounding California since late last year have coated mountains with a full winter’s worth of snow and begun raising reservoir levels but experts say it will take much more to precipitation to reverse the effects of years of drought
Oliver O’Connell12 January 2023 22:50
Bay Area highways and roads close as storm rages on
The atmospheric river pummeling the Bay Area is causing widespread flooding and even mudslides throughout the region. Residents are being encouraged to limit travel and check road closures before heading out, if they must drive. The National Weather Service issued a flood advisory that is in effect until 11:45 a.m. Saturday. This a developing story and will be updated with road closures:
LATEST Dec. 31, 11:27 a.m. Highway 101 in South San Francisco is closed both ways due to “major flooding.” I-280 is recommended as an alternate route.
Dec. 31, 10:05 a.m. The Fremont Police Department reported that Niles Canyon is closed due to a mudslide. It could reopen by noon, but Caltrans is still evaluating the damage. Roadways in Belmont are experiencing flooding and motorists are encouraged to steer clear of Harbor Blvd. and parts of Ralston Ave.
Dec. 31, 9:42 a.m. I-580 is closed between Fairmont and 150th Ave. due to flooding. No reopening time is yet known.
Coastal flooding has closed the northbound lanes of SR-35 at Sharp Park Rd in Pacifica, the Pacifica Police Department reported.
Highway 9 is closed north of Big Creek, Santa Cruz County reported.
Dec. 31, 7:57 a.m. Sections of Highway 92 are flooded from Skyline Blvd to Main Street in Half Moon Bay, Cal Fire reported Saturday morning, and that section of the highway has been closed. No reopening time has been set.
Parts of Highway 1 have been closed at multiple points due to flooding. In Monterey County, it’s closed due to rockslides from Ragged Point to approximately two and one-half miles south of Big Sur, Caltrans reported. There is no estimated reopening time.
Route 84 was shut down in part of Alameda County between Old Canyon Road in Fremont and Main Street in Sunol due to a mudslide and rockslide Friday. The road reopened by 8 p.m. There was also a closure of Highway 9 between Waterman Gap and Upper Highway 236 in Santa Cruz County that has since reopened.
The National Weather Service expects the worst of the storm to hit late Friday and into Saturday morning. The storm brings with it the possibility of gusting winds, downed power lines, falling trees and landslides. Because so much moisture has already seeped into the soil this week, it’s possible that further saturation will cause widespread mudslides, especially in wildfire burn scars that have fewer sturdy tree roots keeping the soil in place.
Full Bay Area Storm Coverage
SFGATE managing editor Katie Dowd contributed to this report.
Winter storm in Buffalo: Crews work to clear snow-covered roads for emergency responders
CNN
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[Breaking news update, published at 10:49 a.m. ET]
The winter storm death toll has risen to 34 in Erie County, New York, as crews continue to clear roads and first responders check on people they couldn’t reach days ago as the catastrophic weather system swept the nation, officials there said Wednesday.
Twenty-six of those who died were found in Buffalo, while seven were located in the suburbs, Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said in a news conference, adding he did not know where one person was found.
[Original story, published at 10:11 a.m. ET]
Emergency services have been restored in Buffalo, New York, officials said, as crews continue to clear roads and first responders check on people they couldn’t reach days ago when a deadly winter storm swept the nation.
At least 31 people have died in New York’s Erie County, where Buffalo was buried with nearly 52 inches of snow, trapping residents at home – many without heat as the Christmas weekend blizzard took out power lines. At least 25 others across 11 US states also have been reported dead in the storm.
A driving ban remains in effect Wednesday in Buffalo amid a two-day effort to clear at least one lane on every street to accommodate emergency responders, according to the city and Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz. They’re still hampered, though, by hundreds of vehicles abandoned in the snow, hazardous driving conditions and snow-covered lanes, with emergency and recovery vehicles still getting stuck, Poloncarz spokesperson Peter Anderson said Tuesday.
The county is bringing in 100 military police, plus New York State Police, to manage traffic control “because it has become so evident that too many people are ignoring the (driving) ban,” Poloncarz said. Officials also are working to coordinate deliveries of fuel to emergency crews and grocery supplies to markets, he said.
“It’s the reason why you need to stay off the road in these impacted areas, because we need to be able to get those resources to where they need to be so that the shelves are in fact stocked and ready to go,” Poloncarz said.
Meantime, Buffalo is bracing for possible flooding as rising temperatures being to melt the massive amount of snow and 2 inches of rain is forecast through the weekend. The flood risk is small, the National Weather Service said.
For now, authorities are focusing on welfare checks and getting people to hospitals after hundreds of calls for help went unanswered as the storm slammed the area, Erie County Sheriff John Garcia has said.
Amid the frigid, whiteout conditions, “people … got stranded in their vehicles and passed away in their cars. We have people that were walking during blizzard conditions and passed away on the street, passed away in snowbanks,” Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown said. “And we have people that were found that passed away in their homes.”
At least one reported death in Erie County has been attributed to an EMS delay, Poloncarz told CNN on Tuesday. “Our emergency responders could not get to the person because of the snow,” he said. “They were blocked, and by the time they got there it was too late.”
This storm marked the first time the Buffalo Fire Department could not respond to emergency calls because of severe conditions, Poloncarz said, citing the agency’s historian. Two-thirds of the equipment dispatched to help clear winter snow during the height of the storm also got stuck, he said.
The blizzard – which Gov. Kathy Hochul called a “once-in-a-generation storm” – has drawn many comparisons to Buffalo’s infamous blizzard of 1977 – a powerful storm that left 23 people dead.
“The blizzard of ’77 is considered the worst storm in Buffalo history,” Poloncarz said Monday. “Well, unfortunately, this has already surpassed it for deaths.”
Anndel Taylor, 22, was found dead in Buffalo over the holiday weekend after getting trapped in her car by the blizzard, her family said.
After losing contact with her, the family posted her location to a private Facebook page related to the storm to ask for help, and a man called to say he had found her without a pulse, her sister said.
The winter storm’s grim effects have been widespread, with at least 56 storm-related deaths reported across several states:
• New York: In addition to the 31 deaths in Erie County, one fatal carbon monoxide poisoning was reported in Niagara County.
• Colorado: Police in Colorado Springs reported two deaths related to the cold since Thursday, with one man found near a building’s power transformer, possibly seeking warmth, and another in a camp in an alleyway.
• Kansas: Three people died in weather-related traffic accidents, the Highway Patrol said Friday.
• Kentucky: Three people died, officials have said, including one involved in a vehicle crash in Montgomery County.
• Missouri: One person died after a van slid off an icy road and into a frozen creek, Kansas City police said.
• New Hampshire: A hiker was found dead in Franconia on Christmas morning, said Lt. James Kneeland, a spokesperson for the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department.
• Ohio: Nine people died as a result of weather-related auto crashes, including four in a Saturday morning crash on Interstate 75 when a tractor-trailer crossed the median and collided with an SUV and a pickup, authorities said.
• South Carolina: Two men – including a 91-year-old who went outside on Christmas Day to fix a broken water pipe – died due to the storm in Anderson County, the coroner’s office there said. The other victim died on Christmas Eve after his home lost power.
• Tennessee: The Department of Health on Friday confirmed one storm-related fatality.
• Vermont: One woman in Castleton died after a tree fell on her home, according to the police chief.
• Wisconsin: The State Patrol on Thursday reported one fatal crash due to winter weather.
With flooding possible in Buffalo, crews are focused on clearing key snowbanks, officials said. Still, “it should take around an inch of rain from this system before flooding becomes a concern,” the weather service said.
City leaders are working with the National Weather Service “not only to reflect back on what happened this past week but also what potentially could come,” Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Services’ Daniel Neaverth said.
All major highways across Western New York, including New York State Thruway, had reopened by Tuesday – “a sign that we are finally turning the corner on this once-in-a-generation storm,” Hochul said.
Buffalo got another 1.6 inches of snow on Tuesday, bringing the total since Friday to 51.9 inches and the December total to 64.7 inches, the weather service said. Overall, Buffalo has gotten 101.6 inches this winter season, CNN meteorologist Robert Shackelford said.
Conditions are improving and the lake-effect snowfall has finally stopped, he noted. Warm temperatures are forecast for at least the next week, with Buffalo due for highs in the upper 30s on Wednesday and the 40s through the weekend.
Officials also have responded to a few reports of looting. Eight people had been arrested in Buffalo through Tuesday evening in connection with suspected winter storm looting, according to a tweet from the Buffalo Police Department.
“It is horrible that while residents of our community have died in this storm that people are out looting,” the mayor said, but noted, “This is a minority of individuals.”
Ice storm shuts down Sea-Tac runways, closes roads, halts transit, cuts power – KIRO 7 News Seattle
WESTERN WASHINGTON — Freezing rain in areas of Western Washington has shut down all but one runway at Sea-Tac Airport, suspended public transportation, caused road closures and cut power to thousands amid icy conditions.
The Washington State Department of Transportation said all drivers should delay non-essential travel because of icy conditions across the area. Officials said there were too many collisions and spinouts to report.
>>PHOTOS: Icy conditions on Puget Sound-area roads
>>Download the KIRO 7 Weather App for updates
“Our crews are still working the roads but we suggest holding off until weather conditions improve,” WSDOT said.
“The heaviest freezing rain has moved on, but light freezing rain/wintry mix will continue through the morning. Temps at the surface should be above freezing around lunch or into the early afternoon. Even light freezing rain means ice,” KIRO 7 Meteorologist Nick Allard said at 7:20 a.m.
LIVE UPDATES:
10:40 a.m. Snohomish PUD said crews are encountering multiple power poles and trees on the ground in Gold Bar.
10:38 a.m. Due to the ongoing icy conditions, the I-5 Express Lanes in Seattle will be kept in the southbound direction through Saturday afternoon.
10:20 a.m. Puget Sound Energy is reporting 13,562 customers are without power. Snohomish PUD has 5,554 and Seattle City Light has 353. There are also outages in the San Juan Islands, and Grays Harbor and Clallam counties.
10:07 a.m. The Seattle Fire Department said crews are responding to a large number of calls across the city for slips and falls on ice on sidewalks, roadways and parking lots and advised people to stay inside if possible.
10 a.m. All Metro Transit service remains suspended due to icy conditions, including buses, water taxis, on-demand and the Seattle Streetcar. The next update will be at 2 p.m.
9:52 a.m. Eastbound SR 18 is closed at Issaquah-Hobart Road Southeast due to multiple collisions, spinouts and a jackknifed semi. WSDOT said the closure is expected to take multiple hours.
9:40 a.m. Sound Transit Link trains are now running every ten minutes.
9:15 a.m. Seattle Public Utilities has canceled residential garbage, recycling, and food waste collection. Tues, Wed, Thursday and Friday customers can set out double next week at no extra charge.
9:07 a.m. Seattle Center Monorail service remains suspended.
8:58 a.m. The Washington State Department of Transportation said drivers should continue to delay all non-essential travel due to freezing rain still falling and icy conditions on roadways area wide.
8:29 a.m. The Lower Spokane Street Bridge in Seattle has reopened.
8:28 a.m. “Sound Transit’s 1 Line is running with minor delays but it’s a skating rink to get to/from the stations! Stay put unless absolutely necessary until things start to thaw out.”
8:08 a.m. All Kitsap Transit service remains canceled.
7:58 a.m. WSDOT’s Snoqualmie Pass Twitter account said drivers planning to cross I-90 should delay their trips, if possible. East of the summit there is drifting snow and poor visibility. West of the summit has freezing rain. There is heavy snow at the summit.
7:47 a.m. U.S. 2 is closed between Gold Bar and Index due to downed trees, freezing rain and icy conditions.
7:30 a.m. Most King County facilities will be closed Friday due to weather conditions. They will reopen on Tuesday, Dec. 27.
7 a.m. All Metro Transit service remains suspended due to icy conditions, including buses, water taxis, on-demand and the Seattle Streetcar. Next update at 10 a.m.
6:57 a.m. One runway at Sea-Tac Airport has reopened after being deiced. Operations will continue to be limited depending on weather conditions.
6:52 a.m. Freezing rain and high winds has caused power outages in the eastern areas of Snohomish County. Outage map: OutageMap.SnoPUD.com. About 5,400 customers are without power.
6:41 a.m. I-90 between I-405 and and SR 18 reopened.
6:40 a.m. Pierce Transit service is delayed until 10 a.m.
6:24 a.m. All Community Transit service to Seattle and local service within Snohomish County is suspended due to hazardous roads.
6:23 a.m. The Washington State Department of Transportation said all drivers should delay non-essential travel because of icy conditions across the area.
6 a.m. The Lower Spokane Street Bridge is closed due to a crash and icy conditions.
5:56 a.m. All Alaska and Horizon departures out of Seattle and Portland are canceled until noon due to icy runway conditions.
5:35 a.m. All Community Transit service into Seattle is suspended due to hazardous roads. Local service in Snohomish County will continue. The Zip Shuttle suspended until noon. Find details at this link.
5:30 a.m. Washington State Ferries said service has been suspended on the Seattle-Bremerton route and the Port Townsend-Coupeville route. There is one-boat service on the Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth, Seattle-Bainbridge, Edmonds-Kingston and Mukilteo-Clinton routes.
5:30 a.m. Start of Pierce Transit service now delayed until 7 a.m. When routes begin, they’ll be on snow routes.
5:21 a.m. All Pierce Transit routes are on a 2-hour delay. Once service starts, they will be on a snow detour.
5:10 a.m. Sea-Tac Airport said all runways are closed indefinitely as crews continue to deice surfaces.
4:20 a.m. King County Metro canceled all bus service suspended due to ice. Metro said its next update would be at 7 a.m.
“Metro buses are unable to leave bus bases due to deteriorating and unsafe road conditions. We regret the impact on our riders. We will add service as soon as it is safe for customers and employees,” Metro said.
3:35 a.m. All lanes of Interstate 90 closed between I-405 and SR 18 from icy road conditions that caused multiple collisions and spin outs. Troopers advise people to stay home if possible.
2 a.m. Runways at Sea-Tac Airport closed after the airfield received a dump of freezing rain that quickly solidified into ice. Hundreds of flights are canceled.
The heaviest freezing rain has moved on, but light freezing rain/wintry mix will continue through the morning. Temps at the surface should be above freezing around lunch or into the early afternoon. Even light freezing rain means ice. #NickKnows #wawx pic.twitter.com/uHGXiUkgyl
— Nick Allard (@NickAllardKIRO7) December 23, 2022
FORECAST
The storm is right on track with the forecast and a lot of western Washington is seeing freezing rain. Almost every temperatures sensor is below freezing, which means if you see rain, assume ice. It’s liquid precipitation falling on something at or below freezing and instantly turning to ice or freezing rain.
The rain will taper a bit over the next couple of hours, but until late-morning to about mid-day, temperatures will be below freezing. Even as we warm up around midday, with spotty rainfall there could still be some pockets that are below freezing.
Road conditions are a mess across Puget Sound right now. E Fairbanks St (Tacoma’s steepest hill per @GrahamKIRO7) is closed, but this is how it looks near the corner of Portland Ave. White car slid & crashed, black car hit it, per witness. Streets are ICY. @KIRO7Seattle pic.twitter.com/dwyNsou2yw
— Kevin Ko (@NewsWithKevin) December 23, 2022
We have pockets of snow in and around the Hood Canal area and north of Everett, but also some pockets of freezing rain mixed in.
“The slight lull in precipitation will help this morning, but please remember that if you see rain assume ice!” KIRO 7 Meteorologist Nick Allard said.
This afternoon temperatures will warm into the upper-30s with spotty areas of just rain showers; however, there could still be some pockets of light freezing rain mixed in. The Cascades will be a mess with freezing rain possible all day and possibly early Saturday.
Bottom line, from now through about midday, any rain could fall as freezing rain.
(Forecast continues after video)
Snow and freezing rain will increase through the passes Friday afternoon and last into Friday night with the potential for significant impact there. More than a half-inch of ice is possible at Snoqualmie Pass by Saturday morning, causing major travel disruption.
East of the Cascades, some light icing is likely late Friday and Friday night, but then increasing snow and freezing rain Saturday into Christmas Day.
Over the weekend, while some freezing rain and snow are likely from the passes east Saturday and into Christmas Day, west of the Cascades, we’ll have heavy rain at times. This rain could cause urban flooding from blocked storm drains and, eventually, river flooding. This threat of flooding from a suddenly warmer and very wet weather pattern (with several atmospheric rivers possible) will continue through next week.
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