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NEW YORK (AP) – The first snow storm of the season in the New York area brought several inches of snow, slowing Thursday night's trips, after contributing to at least seven deaths as it passed through the country.
From St. Louis to the south and north-east, snow, freezing rain and, in some areas, sleet, made driving difficult and schools closed on Thursday.
In New York, snowfall and gusts of wind destroyed many tree branches. Police advised people to stay inside and avoid the roads. Commuters were also asked to avoid the port authority's bus terminal – which is also used by some to travel to New Jersey – because of overcrowding. Poor weather made it difficult for buses to access the terminal, officials said. And an accident involving several vehicles on the George Washington Bridge added to the nightmare of traffic jams.
There were delays scattered on the Long Island Rail Road and New Jersey Transit reported delays of 30 minutes at the system scale. Flight delays of up to one hour have been reported at JFK, LaGuardia and Newark airports.
Forecasters said the snow should turn into melted snow and rain before turning into rain overnight.
Nearly 20 centimeters of snow blanketed the St. Louis area and forecasters predicted up to 15 centimeters in parts of southern New England as the storm headed east. They also predicted that northern New Jersey could see 4 to 8 inches of snow before the system left the area early Friday, while parts of the suburbs of Philadelphia had 5 inches (12 centimeters) of snow. here Thursday afternoon.
Weather officials said the night's Alabama trail missed the record for the first snow by nearly two weeks.
In neighboring Mississippi, a coach to a casino overturned, killing two people and injuring 44 on Wednesday afternoon. According to witnesses, the driver lost control after crossing an icy upper passage and the bus overturned on the driver 's side to immobilize in a median of a state at the airport. another, said Captain Johnny Poulos, spokesman for the Mississippi Road Patrol. The accident occurred about 55 km southeast of downtown Memphis, Tennessee.
"Suddenly, the bus started to lurch and then it turned twice, hit the rail and then went back," said the bus passenger, Veronica Love, while she was coming out of the hospital after the wreckage. "The second rotation started to pick up speed – it was, I mean, what could you do?"
Later Wednesday night, near Little Rock, Arkansas, three people were killed in separate collisions on icy roads. The highway was closed and reopened shortly before dawn Thursday, but officials said the traffic was slow, with some drivers having fallen asleep.
Ohio officials have reported at least one fatality in traffic likely related to weather conditions. Indiana state police also announced a death early Thursday, allegedly caused by a 60-year-old woman driving too fast on a slippery road.
In Philadelphia, a meteorologist told Allentown Morning Call that this storm is "an outperform". At 3 pm Thursday, part of the suburbs of Philadelphia had 5 inches of snow. The freezing rain has turned into ice on the roads around the state, which has caused a number of accidents and reports of cars slipping on the roads.
In North Carolina, the National Park Service on Thursday closed part of the Blue Ridge Parkway to traffic due to dangerous road conditions caused by snow, melted snow and freezing rain, reported Asheville Citizen. Times.
Schools closed or fired students earlier at home in the Great Lakes and Northeast, including at the University of Connecticut, where classes were canceled in the afternoons.
In Virginia, the planned launch Thursday morning of an unmanned cargo rocket bound for the International Space Station had to be postponed one day because of weather conditions, NASA said. The unmanned cargo ship Cygnus is now due to take off early Friday from Wallops Island on the east coast, carrying supplies and research equipment for astronauts at the space station.
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