The northeastern United States is bracing for its first significant winter storm of the season this Tuesday, a system moving in just as the Midwest begins to dig out from heavy snow and ice that crippled post-Thanksgiving travel.
Winter Storm Warnings Blanket the Northeast
Forecasters warn a windy and potentially icy storm is set to soak some areas while piling snow in others across the region's six states. The National Weather Service has issued winter storm warnings and advisories for Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, Connecticut, and New York. Some parts of northern New England could see accumulations of up to 10 inches (25.4 centimeters) of snow.
"It's going to be the first snowfall of the season for many of these areas, and it's going to be rather significant," said National Weather Service meteorologist Andrew Orrison. He indicated the new storm, heading for the mid-Atlantic and Northeast, could dump up to a foot (30 centimeters) of snow in some locales by Tuesday.
Coastal Maine is under a specific warning from Tuesday morning until Wednesday morning, with officials urging residents to "delay all travel if possible" due to the expected hazardous conditions.
Midwest Recovers from Record Thanksgiving Snowfall
This new winter blast follows a disruptive storm in the Great Lakes region over the weekend. More than 8 inches (20.32 centimeters) of snow fell at Chicago O'Hare International Airport, setting a new record for the highest single calendar day snowfall in November at that location. The previous record had stood since 1951.
The aftermath led to hundreds of flight delays and cancellations, stranding holiday travelers. Don Herrian, a 76-year-old retiree from Ardmore, Oklahoma, experienced the chaos firsthand at O'Hare on Sunday. After visiting family in Indianapolis, his first flight was three hours late, and his connecting flight to Oklahoma City was delayed another two hours.
"It is what it is," Herrian said. "It's congested, but that's expected due to the snow, the delays and the holidays." Roads around O'Hare remained packed with slow-moving vehicles long after plows had cleared the snow, and de-icing operations were underway at major airports including Ronald Reagan Washington National and Minneapolis–Saint Paul International.
States Prepare for the First Wallop of Winter
Transportation departments across the Northeast are mobilizing for the season's first major test. In Pennsylvania, crews began treating lanes along the 565-mile Pennsylvania Turnpike system on Monday in anticipation of plowable snow. Vehicle restrictions on many eastern interstates were set to begin at 5 a.m. Tuesday.
"We really prepare for snow all year long," said Pennsylvania Turnpike press secretary Marissa Orbanek. The turnpike has over 600 equipment operators and safety workers ready to clear its 2,900 miles of lanes, with 23 maintenance sheds staffed around the clock since mid-November.
In a lighter pre-storm tradition, New Hampshire's Department of Transportation launched its second annual "name-a-plow" competition on Sunday, inviting residents to submit creative names. Last season's winning entry was "Ctrl-Salt-Delete."
As the snow in the Great Lakes region finally tapers off, the focus shifts eastward, where communities are preparing for a sharp and snowy introduction to December.
