(Bloomberg) – A foot or more of snow could cover areas of the central Atlantic and Northeast United States starting Wednesday, making travel difficult and causing blackouts. It would also be the worst December storm in New York in 10 years. New York could receive 12 to 18 inches of snow starting Wednesday afternoon, although a slight change in the storm’s path could bring that total down to almost 100%. half, according to the National Weather Service. The heaviest snowfall will fall in eastern Pennsylvania and western New Jersey, where up to 60 centimeters can accumulate. “There will be a large swath from central Pennsylvania to southern New England that could register more than 12 inches,” said Tyler Roys, a meteorologist for AccuWeather Inc. “It’s been a while since we’ve had such a shocking storm.” The storm could affect road, rail and air traffic throughout the eastern United States, just as trucks hauling Pfizer Inc.’s Covid-19 vaccine leaves Michigan to be delivered across the country and carriers are loaded with Christmas packages. It’s also likely to cause blackouts for many people who work from home, said Zack Taylor of the U.S. Center for Weather Prediction. Winter storm warnings, as well as weather warnings, extend from South Carolina to Massachusetts. In addition to New York, Washington could reach up to 4 inches and Philadelphia and Boston could reach 9 inches, according to the National Weather Service. “The highest amounts will be west of the I-95 corridor,” Taylor said. In Washington, where the snow should start on Wednesday morning, the northern outlying areas can receive three times more snow than the city itself. The actual trajectory of the system will determine if the forecasts hit the target, or if rain and sleet mix to reduce the volume of snowfall.
If the forecast is confirmed, this would be the heaviest snowfall in December in New York’s Central Park since 2010, when the city was buried under about 50 centimeters, according to data from the weather service. It will also exceed last winter’s total snowfall, which only amounted to 12 centimeters. Winter storms caused insurance-covered losses of $ 2.1 billion in the United States last year and about $ 3 billion in 2018, according to Munich Re. Snowy and icy weather hampers air, road and rail traffic, and can lead to power outages and hamper retail sales. In 2019, 13 people died across the United States due to winter weather, according to the National Weather Service.
Nota Original:New York City Faces Its Heaviest December Snowfall in a Decade
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