Power Outages and Fallen Utility Poles Due to Heavy Snow in New York Area... School Closures and 1,500 Flight Cancellations

Heavy Snowfall in New York and the US Northeast Region After 2 Years

At 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time on the 13th, the desk lamp suddenly went out during work. The heater stopped working. The internet was also cut off. It was a power outage. Due to the heavy snowfall that began the night before, power supply was interrupted in New Jersey, where the reporter lives. Looking out the window, so much snow was falling that it was difficult to make out the outside scenery. With schools closed due to the heavy snow, children staying at home were surprised by the power outage they were experiencing for the first time and ran busily around the living room and rooms. Several text messages came in on the phone, stating that communication disruptions had occurred in some areas and that the network was currently being restored.

The power supply was restored after about an hour and 30 minutes. The condo security guard said, "This is the most snow in this area in two years," and added, "Power outages caused by winter storms are not common, so don't worry." When leaving the house around 1 p.m. after the snowfall stopped, it was not difficult to find utility poles leaning due to the winter storm accompanied by heavy snow and strong winds on the streets.

On the 13th (local time), some areas of New York City were expected to receive snowfall exceeding 2 inches (5 cm) per hour.

As heavy snow fell for the first time in two years along the U.S. Northeast coast, power outages and flight cancellations occurred one after another in major cities in the U.S. Northeast such as New York, New Jersey, and Boston.

The U.S. National Weather Service (NWS) reported that a strong winter storm passed through the U.S. Northeast coast, dumping heavy snow on Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York State, and the New England coastal areas.

The entire New York City recorded snowfall of 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5 cm) per hour. Central Park in New York City received more than 3 inches (7.5 cm) of snow. Northern New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Hudson Valley, northern Connecticut, and Rhode Island experienced heavy snowfall of 2 to 3 inches (5 to 7.5 cm) per hour.

On the 13th (local time), a snowplow is clearing accumulated snow on the streets of New Jersey. New York ? Photo by Kwon Haeyoung

On the 13th (local time), due to a winter storm accompanied by heavy snow and strong winds, utility poles along the roads in New Jersey are leaning. New York ? Photo by Kwon Haeyoung

This winter storm began on the night of the 12th and peaked between 8 and 11 a.m. on the 13th. A warning to be cautious of heavy snow was issued for 46 million residents living in the affected areas.

Flight cancellations also surged. As of 1 p.m. that day, a total of 1,500 flights were canceled. John F. Kennedy Airport, LaGuardia Airport, and Newark Liberty Airport in New York and New Jersey were heavily affected.

School closures continued as well. New York City switched public elementary and secondary school classes to remote learning. Some areas, including New Jersey and Boston, also issued school closure orders. In Philadelphia, school classes were delayed by at least two hours.

Damage such as power outages and traffic accidents also followed. Due to this heavy snowfall, power supply was cut off to 140,000 households and businesses in Pennsylvania. More than 250 traffic accident reports were received in New Jersey.

The heavy snowfall that poured down on the U.S. Northeast coast this time is the largest in two years. New York City, which had not seen heavy snow since February 2021, was forecasted to receive the most snow in two years, about 20 cm.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.