Blizzard conditions are expected to subside by Tuesday, but not before winter storm Jonas dumps heavy snow across the eastern U.S. and Canada, disrupting travel and cutting power to thousands of homes.
The National Weather Service says blizzard warnings remain in effect for parts of New York state with “significant” coastal flooding along the Long Island Sound.
U.S. officials also discouraged driving, and many states prepositioned teams to deal with the emergency, especially in the South where snow is much less common.
Powerful winds downed trees, while icy conditions halted traffic on major roadways including a portion of busy interstate highway I-95 that was closed in North Carolina just two weeks after another major road was shut down due to a storm.
Travel was also seriously disrupted, with major travel headaches from Arkansas all the way up to Quebec. Drivers were warned of hazardous road conditions and it’s not recommended that people drive unless absolutely necessary.
It is expected that blizzard conditions will subside by Tuesday as winter storm Jonas dumps heavy snow across the eastern U.S. and Canada, but not before disrupting travel and cutting power to thousands of homes.
New York City tri-state area was hit with a snowstorm that blanketed areas north and east of the metropolis with as much as 12 inches (30.5 cm) of snow.
East and Central US – From the Great Lakes to Appalachians, central sections of the country were also pelted with heavy snowfall hitting Chicago, Detroit, Pittsburgh and Washington DC. Much of southern Quebec and parts of Atlantic Canada received between 8–18 inches (20–45 cm) of snow from this storm system. The Atlantic provinces saw rough seas on Thursday morning as waves reached up to 20 feet high due to strong east winds that created dangerous surf conditions along the coastlines.
Midwest US – Generally 3–6 inches (8–15 cm) of snow fell throughout the region.
West Coast US – A high pressure system to the west of California was causing mostly cloudy conditions and temperatures around average for this time of year in most areas except along the coast where temps were much cooler than usual for January, reaching into the low 50s°F (around 10 °C). Generally 1-3 inches (2.5–7.6 cm) of rain were expected in Los Angeles County while 2–4 inches (5–10 cm) were recorded in San Diego County by Friday evening.
