(Photo : Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
CAMBRIDGE, MA - JANUARY 29: A man walks by a bus stop in Harvard Square during a snowstorm on January 29, 2022 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. A powerful noreaster brought blinding blizzard conditions with high winds causing widespread power outages to much of the Mid-Atlantic and New England coast. The storm is predicted to drop over 2 feet of snow in some areas.
Millions of people across the US Northeast were put under winter weather alert as a fierce blizzard delivered record-breaking snow as well as floods.
Around 16 million individuals across the Northeast were put under winter weather alert Saturday night which are expected to remain in effect through Sunday morning, particularly for Eastern Massachusetts and most of Maine.
The National Weather Service defines a blizzard as a snowfall with blowing winds not lower than 35 miles per hour and visibility of a quarter-mile or less for at least three hours, per CNN.
Authorities have urged residents to stay put as the fierce nor'easter made its way through the country's northeastern tip, bringing "dangerous" chilling wind as the blizzard heads out the country.
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Record-Breaking Snowfall
More than two feet of snow and blizzard conditions blanketed parts of eastern Massachusetts, Long Island, and Rhode Island, while a few locations in Massachusetts experienced hurricane-force wind gusts, with Cape Cod receiving the strongest winds.
As per ABC News, Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito reported that some coastal communities in Massachusetts are experiencing minor to moderate flooding.
On Instagram, officials in Nantucket warned of "significant flooding," accompanied by a video showing strong winds and flooded streets in the area.
By Saturday evening, the weather agency has recorded a staggering 30.4 inches of snowfall at Sharon, Massachusetts.
According to the National Weather Service, Saturday was the snowiest January in the history of Boston. Logan Airport recorded 23.3 inches of snow, which beat the city's previous snowfall record of 22.1 inches.
"This is coming down hard and fast, and so it's been historic," Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said in an interview with CNN.
Aside from the heavy show fall, strong winds also resulted in seawater surges in coastal areas of Massachusetts that flooded streets.
In Atlantic City, New Jersey, the snowfall recorded has reached 33.2 inches, which had beaten the monthly record of 20.3 inches which was set in January 1987. While in New York City's Central Park, the snowfall hit 7.3 inches, beating the prior record of 4.7 inches set in 1904. Philadelphia experienced 5.8 inches of snow on Saturday, which was above the 1904 record of 5 inches.
Land, Air Travel Disrupted
The severe weather conditions also paralyzed flights going in and out of the United States. More than 3,580 flights were canceled, and more than a thousand were already canceled for Sunday, as reported by FlightAware.
Major airline companies provided waivers to passengers affected by the snowstorm. Delta offered travel waivers to passengers planning to fly out of 28 airports across the East Coast this weekend. United Airlines also announced that it would waive change fees and any difference in fare for flights departing on or before February 2. The offer involves 26 locations along the coast.
American Airlines and Southwest Airlines have also provided solutions for travelers whose travel plans have been disrupted by extreme weather.
Meanwhile, under a blizzard warning, all non-emergency road travel was prohibited in Rhode Island.
The weather bureau predicts that the worst of the nor'easter will hit Canada by Sunday morning. The Canadian government has already issued warnings for numerous provinces, per AP News.
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