Winter storm warnings: Flash flooding continues as weekend threatens repeat storms
At least four deaths were attributed to Storm Finn, a major winter storm pummeling the US including Florida and New York
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As the northeast braces for flooding rain and damaging winds through Wednesday, meteorologists forecast a second storm will blow through the eastern half of the US late this week.
The southeast should brace for a repeat of destructive winds and possible tornadoes, the National Weather Service (NWS) Storm Prediction Center said Wednesday. Meanwhile, the midwest can expect even more snow over the weekend, while rain will continue to beat down on the northeast, according to the NWS.
As for Wednesday, flooding rain and damaging winds will hit Boston, Massachusetts overnight, while New York City residents should remain braced for potential flooding throughout the day.
Meanwhile, the south is recovering from the destruction of a devastating storm earlier this week.
Four people have died and 890,000 homes were left without power after Storm Finn ripped through the Atlantic Coast, from Florida to New York. The deaths were reported in North Carolina, Georgia and Alabama.
Fourteen tornadoes were reported across Florida, Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina on Tuesday, causing significant damage, blowing roofs off homes and prompting rescues in Florida’s panhandle, which was hit with 55 mph winds and hail.
Watch: Power flash caught on camera as storms slam Florida
Storm Finn leaves trail of destruction in Florida
Homes were toppled, roofs were ripped off, and power lines were knocked down as a result of strong winds in Florida on Tuesday night.
Dozens of counties in the state declared a state of emergency on Tuesday amid Storm Finn, a major winter storm pummeling the US.
A resident of Panama City, Florida, who lives across from a home that was toppled by the wind said it sounded like a “freight train hitting a brick wall”.
“That’s how loud it was,” he told CBS News.
The storms also left roadways impassable in Panama City, ripped roofs off of buildings and brought hail the size of baseballs.
60k homes without power in New Jersey as schools closed
Around 120,000 homes in New Jersey lost power during the storms, and about half of those remained without power early Wednesday morning.
Many schools have also been closed today in the state.
While that may seem like good news to some children, students in Paterson have been told they will have to go to school for an extra four days during winter break in February after losing four days of school to flooding in December.
More than half a million homes and businesses still without power along East Coast
More than half a million homes and businesses were still without power along the US East Coast from Florida to Maine on Wednesday morning due to a massive winter storm, according to data from PowerOutage.us.
New York was the hardest hit state, with nearly 143,000 customers out, followed by Pennsylvania with about 105,000 outages, North Carolina with about 70,000 outages, and New Jersey with about 58,000 outages.
At the height of the outages, 890,000 homes and businesses were without power across the country on Tuesday evening.
Could extreme weather in Iowa impact the Republican caucuses?
The Iowa Republican caucus is set to take place in just five days — and as the state prepares, residents are facing dangerous winter storm conditions and several inches of snow throughout the state.
The caucus is a much-anticipated event considered the beginning of the presidential election season. The Iowa Republican caucuses will determine how many of the state’s 40 Republican National Convention delegates each candidate will get.
However, this year’s Iowa Republican caucus won’t be much of a nail-biter, as former president Donald Trump is the front-runner, according to several polls. Meanwhile, the other Republican candidates, like Nikki Haley, Ron DeSantis and Vivek Ramaswamy, will likely be in a race for second place.
As the state anticipates the caucuses, a winter storm is blowing through, bringing snow, high winds and dangerous travel conditions. On Tuesday morning, the National Weather Service in Des Moines, Iowa, reported more than seven inches of snow in their region — and more is expected.
Katie Hawkinson reports:
Iowa buried in snow just days before the state’s Republican caucuses
Several towns in Iowa are covered in multiple inches of snow just days ahead of the Republican caucuses
Migrants return safely to emergency housing after storm-related evacuation
Nearly 2,000 migrants evacuated from their emergency housing have safely returned as severe weather subsided in New York City early Wednesday morning, according to New York City Emergency Management.
On Tuesday afternoon, New York City officials evacuated around 2,000 migrants from Floyd Bennett Field, due to concerns over high winds and coastal flooding. Officials relocated them to a nearby high school, where they stayed until 4:30 am local time.
Strong winds subsided at Floyd Bennet Field around 1 am local time.
Midwest will see snow throughout the week: NWS
Several areas of the Midwest are likely to get a foot of snow through the end of the week.
Residents of southeastern Colorado up to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan could see 12 inches of snow this week, the Associated Press reports.
Iowa, where the first Republican caucuses will begin next week, will continue to see several inches through Friday, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). “Frigid temperatures” will also hit the state this week, with wind chills dropping as low as -35F (-37C) on Sunday and Monday, the NWS said.
New York, Chicago airports lead in cancellations as travel headaches persist
Travel chaos persists for a fifth day as winter storms hit nearly every region of the US.
LaGuardia Airport, Chicago O’Hare International Airport, and Newark Liberty International are leading in flight delays and cancellations as of Wednesday morning, according to FlightAware, continuing a trend from Tuesday as Storm Finn hits the northeast and midwest.
Meanwhile, Texas’ Houston Bush Intercontinental Airport appears to be making a recovery after hundreds of cancellations and delays on Monday as Storm Finn sent suspected tornadoes and dangerous winds throughout the Gulf Coast.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the airport has seen just over 100 flights delayed or cancelled, a hopeful sign compared to Monday when nearly 900 flights to or from the airport were delayed or cancelled.
New details emerge on ‘bomb cyclone’ set to hit Ohio Valley, Great Lakes region this weekend
Last week, forecasters warned of a potential “bomb cyclone,” that would hit the Ohio Valley and Great Lakes region beginning Friday. Now, meteorologists have more details as the weekend approaches.
On Friday, the Ohio Valley will face widespread rain up to an inch before transitioning to snow in the evening, according to the National Weather Service (NWS) for Wilmington, Ohio. The low pressure system will also bring dangerous winds, the NWS forecasts, as a result of a “very tight pressure gradient.”
The storm will bring “widespread precipitation, wind and much colder temperatures for the upcoming weekend,” the NWS said.
This new storm means the region will have little time to recover from this week’s weather events. Cincinnati, Ohio set a precipitation record on Tuesday, reaching 1.61 inches and beating the previous high of 1.57 inches set in 1898. Dayton and Columbus also set precipitation records.
Meanwhile, winds up to 50 miles per hour hit the region Tuesday night into Wednesday morning.
Partial dam break in Connecticut prompts evacuation
A partial dam break on Connecticut’s Yantic River has caused “life threatening” flash floods and prompted the evacuation of a riverside town.
“Life threatening flash flooding is possible in areas downstream from the Fitchville Pond Dam along the Yantic River,” the National Weather Service (NWS) said.
Norwich city officials have announced a mandatory evacuation for all residents living near the river from the Bozrah town line to the area of Backus Hospital.
The partial break came after days of snow and rain hit the northeast, with one town in Connecticut seeing 17 inches as of Sunday, according to the NWS.
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