Millions of people across New York State and New England were under winter weather warnings or advisories early Monday, as forecasters said that freezing rain from a storm that battered the Midwest over the weekend could produce significant ice accumulation in parts of the Northeast overnight.
As much as seven-tenths of an inch of ice was expected to form by Monday evening in some northern parts of New York and Vermont, the National Weather Service said. Those areas were under an ice storm warning until 4 p.m. The agency issues such warnings for expected accumulations of more than a quarter-inch of ice, which it says is enough to pull down trees and power lines.
Snow and high winds were also in the forecast, and large portions of New England were under winter weather advisories through the afternoon or evening. In Maine, as much as two inches of snow and sleet was expected, along with a light glaze of ice. Parts of New Hampshire were bracing for up to half an inch of ice.
Some officials warned of possible transit delays and other disruptions. Gov. Phil Scott of Vermont said on social media that the ice would likely make travel hazardous and could cause power outages.
In New York, where about 10,000 electricity customers upstate had no power as of 5 a.m., Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office said that strong winds and snowfall of up to two inches an hour would create “near whiteout conditions” in some areas.
The storm bearing down on the Northeast is a continuation of one that swept across the Midwest over the weekend, disrupting travel plans and leaving nearly 90,000 customers in Minnesota and Wisconsin without power as of early Monday morning, according to the website PowerOutage.com.
The heaviest ice accumulation in the Northeast was expected to occur between midnight and 10 a.m. on Monday, according to the Weather Service. As of 1 a.m. Monday, early accumulation was starting to glaze roads near the international airport in Burlington, Vt., said Maureen Hastings, a meteorologist at the Weather Service’s office in the city.
“We fully expect that roads will be slick before the morning commute” as a result of freezing rain, she said.
More than half of the counties in New York are under a state of emergency that Governor Hochul declared on Friday after another winter storm system brought heavy snowfall, including the heaviest snow accumulation in New York City in nearly four years.
Jin Yu Young is a reporter and researcher for The Times, based in Seoul, covering South Korea and international breaking news.
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