Over 275,000 customers without power Christmas morning after storm wallops East with 'extreme weather'
By
Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Updated Dec 25, 2020 3:55 PM EDT
Those hoping for a white Christmas in much of New England and the mid-Atlantic are likely to have their hopes dashed at the last minute even after a major storm dumped over a foot of snow in some locations just a week ago. Forecasters are also warning of more serious weather threats, including flooding rain and high winds, with a storm that will press into the East through Christmas Day.
While cold and snow pushes across the Midwest and Ohio Valley with the storm, a very different story will unfold farther east. Unlike the storm last week, which had a fresh supply of Arctic air to tap, strong southerly winds have already begun to draw in warmer air from the south ahead of the storm on Thursday.
The storm unleashed rain that began eating away at the existing snow cover in New England and the coastal mid-Atlantic. The rainfall can add a tremendous amount of weight to areas that were recently buried by up to 3-4 feet of snow in parts of New York state and northern Pennsylvania.
"The rapidly melting snow, which contains approximately 1-3 inches of water will combine with an anticipated 1-3 inches of rain and locally higher amounts from the storm from Christmas Eve to early Christmas Day," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson said.
In some cases, 3-6 inches of water can be released on the landscape in a matter of several hours.
The anticipated rainfall, even without the added liquid from melting snow cover, would be heavy enough to trigger flooding in urban and poor drainage areas. The combination of rain and melting snow is expected to cause small streams to rise rapidly and major street flooding due to storm drains that are clogged with piles of snow. A somewhat delayed rise is likely on water levels of the major rivers as well, which could put low-lying areas that are not protected by levees at risk for flooding into this weekend.
Even in areas areas there the rain will end early Christmas morning, rising rivers could lead to flooding concerns across the Northeast into the weekend.
A man walks past City Hall during a snowstorm, Thursday, Dec. 17, 2020, in Lawrence, Mass. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
But, according to AccuWeather meteorologists, not all of the snow will melt everywhere.
There is the danger of roof collapses, especially in parts of northern Pennsylvania and the southern tier of New York state, or anywhere in the Northeast, where last week's storm dropped from 30 to 44 inches of snow. In these snowbound locations, temperatures may rise only to several degrees above freezing. The snow will tend to act like a sponge and absorb the rainfall. The added weight of the snow and rain could push some weak, flat roofs to the point of failure. One square foot of 6 inches of water weighs about 31.2 pounds.
Adding to the misery created by the excessive rainfall will be high winds along with the storm's arrival.
At one point, 275,000 customers had lost power across Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York, according to PowerOutage.us, as winds gusted to between 50 to 60 mph across the region late on Thursday.
AccuWeather Meteorologist Alex DeSilva stated that winds are forecast to continuing gusting to similar speeds from Maryland and Delaware to Maine on Friday.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
High wind warnings have been issued near the coast of the mid-Atlantic and into southern New England. This includes New York City and Boston.
"An AccuWeather Local StormMax™ wind gust of 80 mph can occur in some coastal areas and is most likely on Long Island, New York, and along the southern coast of New England into the early morning hours of Christmas Day," DeSilva said, adding that the minimal threshold for a hurricane is sustained winds of 74 mph.
Winds this strong can not only send trash cans and holiday decorations sailing through neighborhoods as dangerous projectiles, but trees can be knocked over in the high winds and pose a risk to motorists and pedestrians. Regional to widespread power outages are anticipated along the mid-Atlantic coast and in New England from this storm.
"This could evolve into a dangerous situation where there is significant property damage and there are trees crashing down onto streets and into homes from Long Island to southern New England," AccuWeather's northeastern weather expert Dave Dombek said.
It is possible that the power may stay out in some neighborhoods for days after the winds subside, which could mean a cold, dark Christmas for some people.
The strong southerly winds from the storm will tend to push Atlantic Ocean, bay and sound waters northward, which forecasters warned will lead to above-normal tides and the risk of coastal flooding in the Northeast during the afternoon on Christmas Eve to Christmas morning.
Strong winds on the backside of the storm in the East, especially over the southern and central Appalachians, will continue as colder air rushes into Christmas Day. Throughout Thursday, wind reports in Florida and Georgia were responsible for downed trees and power lines.
The colder side of the storm will be almost as dramatic as the warm side in terms of a sweep of colder air, a period of snow for some areas and a rapid freezeup for many locations.
Dangers of a different kind will linger after the storm passes. Where waterlogged snow remains on roofs, emergency exits, sidewalks and storm drains, as well as around fire hydrants, it could freeze solid as cold air races in on the back side of the storm. Forecasters are urging people to clear the snow ahead of the storm, where it is safe to do so, since the snow will be much lighter and easier to move before it becomes saturated.
Motorists and pedestrians venturing out from the eastern parts of the Ohio Valley to the southern and central Appalachians and the Great Lakes region should be prepared for rapidly changing weather conditions. Surfaces can transition from wet to slushy, icy and covered with snow in a matter of an hour or two with this storm.
In the storm's wake, the overall weather pattern is forecast to take a brief break as cold air sprawls and settles over the Eastern states with a brief period of lake-effect snow in the traditional locations, but two storms could bring the potential for some wintry or mixed precipitation next week.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo
News / Severe Weather
Over 275,000 customers without power Christmas morning after storm wallops East with 'extreme weather'
By Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Updated Dec 25, 2020 3:55 PM EDT
Those hoping for a white Christmas in much of New England and the mid-Atlantic are likely to have their hopes dashed at the last minute even after a major storm dumped over a foot of snow in some locations just a week ago. Forecasters are also warning of more serious weather threats, including flooding rain and high winds, with a storm that will press into the East through Christmas Day.
While cold and snow pushes across the Midwest and Ohio Valley with the storm, a very different story will unfold farther east. Unlike the storm last week, which had a fresh supply of Arctic air to tap, strong southerly winds have already begun to draw in warmer air from the south ahead of the storm on Thursday.
The storm unleashed rain that began eating away at the existing snow cover in New England and the coastal mid-Atlantic. The rainfall can add a tremendous amount of weight to areas that were recently buried by up to 3-4 feet of snow in parts of New York state and northern Pennsylvania.
"The rapidly melting snow, which contains approximately 1-3 inches of water will combine with an anticipated 1-3 inches of rain and locally higher amounts from the storm from Christmas Eve to early Christmas Day," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson said.
In some cases, 3-6 inches of water can be released on the landscape in a matter of several hours.
The anticipated rainfall, even without the added liquid from melting snow cover, would be heavy enough to trigger flooding in urban and poor drainage areas. The combination of rain and melting snow is expected to cause small streams to rise rapidly and major street flooding due to storm drains that are clogged with piles of snow. A somewhat delayed rise is likely on water levels of the major rivers as well, which could put low-lying areas that are not protected by levees at risk for flooding into this weekend.
Even in areas areas there the rain will end early Christmas morning, rising rivers could lead to flooding concerns across the Northeast into the weekend.
A man walks past City Hall during a snowstorm, Thursday, Dec. 17, 2020, in Lawrence, Mass. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
But, according to AccuWeather meteorologists, not all of the snow will melt everywhere.
There is the danger of roof collapses, especially in parts of northern Pennsylvania and the southern tier of New York state, or anywhere in the Northeast, where last week's storm dropped from 30 to 44 inches of snow. In these snowbound locations, temperatures may rise only to several degrees above freezing. The snow will tend to act like a sponge and absorb the rainfall. The added weight of the snow and rain could push some weak, flat roofs to the point of failure. One square foot of 6 inches of water weighs about 31.2 pounds.
Adding to the misery created by the excessive rainfall will be high winds along with the storm's arrival.
At one point, 275,000 customers had lost power across Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York, according to PowerOutage.us, as winds gusted to between 50 to 60 mph across the region late on Thursday.
AccuWeather Meteorologist Alex DeSilva stated that winds are forecast to continuing gusting to similar speeds from Maryland and Delaware to Maine on Friday.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
High wind warnings have been issued near the coast of the mid-Atlantic and into southern New England. This includes New York City and Boston.
"An AccuWeather Local StormMax™ wind gust of 80 mph can occur in some coastal areas and is most likely on Long Island, New York, and along the southern coast of New England into the early morning hours of Christmas Day," DeSilva said, adding that the minimal threshold for a hurricane is sustained winds of 74 mph.
Winds this strong can not only send trash cans and holiday decorations sailing through neighborhoods as dangerous projectiles, but trees can be knocked over in the high winds and pose a risk to motorists and pedestrians. Regional to widespread power outages are anticipated along the mid-Atlantic coast and in New England from this storm.
"This could evolve into a dangerous situation where there is significant property damage and there are trees crashing down onto streets and into homes from Long Island to southern New England," AccuWeather's northeastern weather expert Dave Dombek said.
It is possible that the power may stay out in some neighborhoods for days after the winds subside, which could mean a cold, dark Christmas for some people.
The strong southerly winds from the storm will tend to push Atlantic Ocean, bay and sound waters northward, which forecasters warned will lead to above-normal tides and the risk of coastal flooding in the Northeast during the afternoon on Christmas Eve to Christmas morning.
Related:
Strong winds on the backside of the storm in the East, especially over the southern and central Appalachians, will continue as colder air rushes into Christmas Day. Throughout Thursday, wind reports in Florida and Georgia were responsible for downed trees and power lines.
The colder side of the storm will be almost as dramatic as the warm side in terms of a sweep of colder air, a period of snow for some areas and a rapid freezeup for many locations.
Dangers of a different kind will linger after the storm passes. Where waterlogged snow remains on roofs, emergency exits, sidewalks and storm drains, as well as around fire hydrants, it could freeze solid as cold air races in on the back side of the storm. Forecasters are urging people to clear the snow ahead of the storm, where it is safe to do so, since the snow will be much lighter and easier to move before it becomes saturated.
Motorists and pedestrians venturing out from the eastern parts of the Ohio Valley to the southern and central Appalachians and the Great Lakes region should be prepared for rapidly changing weather conditions. Surfaces can transition from wet to slushy, icy and covered with snow in a matter of an hour or two with this storm.
In the storm's wake, the overall weather pattern is forecast to take a brief break as cold air sprawls and settles over the Eastern states with a brief period of lake-effect snow in the traditional locations, but two storms could bring the potential for some wintry or mixed precipitation next week.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo