Hurricane Ida strikes Louisiana; New Orleans hunkers down

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Hurricane Ida blasted ashore Sunday as one of the most powerful storms ever to hit the U.S., blowing off roofs and reversing the flow of the Mississippi River as it rushed from the Louisiana coast toward New Orleans and one of the nation’s most important industrial corridors.

The Category 4 storm hit on the same date Hurricane Katrina ravaged Louisiana and Mississippi 16 years earlier, coming ashore about 45 miles (72 kilometers) west of where Category 3 Katrina first struck land. Ida’s 150-mph (230 kph) winds tied it for the fifth-strongest hurricane to ever hit the mainland U.S.

The rising ocean swamped the barrier island of Grand Isle as landfall came just to the west at Port Fourchon. Ida made a second landfall about two hours later near Galliano. The hurricane was churning through the far southern Louisiana wetlands, with the more than 2 million people living in and around New Orleans and Baton Rouge under threat.

“This is going to be much stronger than we usually see and, quite frankly, if you had to draw up the worst possible path for a hurricane in Louisiana, it would be something very, very close to what we’re seeing,” Gov. John Bel Edwards told The Associated Press.

People in Louisiana woke up to a monster storm after Ida’s top winds grew by 45 mph (72 kph) in five hours as the hurricane moved through some of the warmest ocean water in the world in the northern Gulf of Mexico.

Wind tore at awnings and water spilled out of Lake Ponchartrain in New Orleans on Sunday, and boats broke loose from their moorings. Engineers detected a “negative flow” on the Mississippi River as a result of storm surge, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers spokesman Ricky Boyette said.

Edwards said he watched a live video feed from around Port Fourchon as Ida came ashore.

“The storm surge is just tremendous. We can see the roofs have been blown off of the port buildings in many places,” Edwards told the AP.

Officials said Ida’s swift intensification from a few thunderstorms to a massive hurricane in just three days left no time to organize a mandatory evacuation of New Orleans’ 390,000 residents. Mayor LaToya Cantrell urged residents remaining in the city on Sunday to “hunker down.”

Marco Apostolico said he felt confident riding out the storm at his home in New Orleans’ Lower 9th Ward, one of the city’s hardest-hit neighborhoods when levees failed and released a torrent of floodwater during Katrina.

His home was among those rebuilt with the help of actor Brad Pitt to withstand hurricane-force winds. But the memory of Katrina still hung over the latest storm.

“It’s obviously a lot of heavy feelings,” he said. “And yeah, potentially scary and dangerous.”

The region getting Ida’s worst includes petrochemical sites and major ports, which could sustain significant damage. It is also an area that is already reeling from a resurgence of COVID-19 infections due to low vaccination rates and the highly contagious delta variant.

New Orleans hospitals planned to ride out the storm with their beds nearly full, as similarly stressed hospitals elsewhere had little room for evacuated patients. And shelters for those fleeing their homes carried an added risk of becoming flashpoints for new infections.

Forecasters warned winds stronger than 115 mph (185 kph) threatened Houma, a city of 33,000 that supports oil platforms in the Gulf.

The hurricane was also threatening neighboring Mississippi, where Katrina demolished oceanfront homes. With Ida approaching, Claudette Jones evacuated her home east of Gulfport, Mississippi, as waves started pounding the shore.

“I’m praying I can go back to a normal home like I left,” she said. “That’s what I’m praying for. But I’m not sure at this point.”

Comparisons to the Aug. 29, 2005, landfall of Katrina weighed heavily on residents bracing for Ida. Katrina was blamed for 1,800 deaths as it caused levee breaches and catastrophic flooding in New Orleans. Ida’s hurricane-force winds stretched 50 miles (80 kilometers) from the storm’s eye, or about half the size of Katrina, and a New Orleans’ infrastructure official emphasized that the city is in a “very different place than it was 16 years ago.”

The levee system has been massively overhauled since Katrina, Ramsey Green, deputy chief administrative officer for infrastructure, said before the worst of the storm hit. While water may not penetrate levees, Green said if forecasts of up to 20 inches (50 centimeters) of rain prove true, the city’s underfunded and neglected network of pumps, underground pipes and surface canals likely won’t be able to keep up.

About 530,000 customers were already without power late Sunday afternoon, according to PowerOutage.US, which tracks outages nationwide.

The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality was in contact with more than 1,500 oil refineries, chemical plants and other sensitive facilities and will respond to any reported pollution leaks or petroleum spills, agency spokesman Greg Langley said. He said the agency would deploy three mobile air-monitoring laboratories after the storm passes to sample, analyze and report any threats to public health.

Louisiana’s 17 oil refineries account for nearly one-fifth of the U.S. refining capacity and its two liquefied natural gas export terminals ship about 55% of the nation’s total exports, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Louisiana is also home to two nuclear power plants, one near New Orleans and another about 27 miles (about 43 kilometers) northwest of Baton Rouge.

President Joe Biden approved emergency declarations for Louisiana and Mississippi ahead of Ida’s arrival. He said Sunday the country was praying for the best for Louisiana and would put its “full might behind the rescue and recovery” effort once the storm passes.

Edwards warned his state to brace for potentially weeks of recovery.

“Many, many people are going to be tested in ways that we can only imagine today,” the governor told a news conference.___

Reeves reported from Gulfport, Mississippi. Associated Press writers Rebecca Santana, Stacey Plaisance and Janet McConnaughey in New Orleans; Emily Wagster Pettus in Jackson, Mississippi; Jeff Martin in Marietta, Georgia; Seth Borenstein in Kensington, Maryland; Frank Bajak in Boston; Michael Biesecker in Washington; Pamela Sampson in Atlanta; and Jeffrey Collins in Columbia, South Carolina, contributed to this report.

-Associated Press

Deadly Tropical Storm Amanda hits El Salvador, Guatemala

Tropical Storm Amanda triggered flash floods, landslides and power outages as it barrelled through El Salvador and Guatemala Sunday, killing 14 people, authorities said, warning of further heavy rain to come.

El Salvador President Nayib Bukele declared a 15-day state of emergency to cope with the effects of the storm, which he estimated to have caused $200 million in damage, but which weakened later in the day as it moved into Guatemala.

Amanda, the first named storm of the season in the Pacific, unleashed torrents of floodwater that tossed vehicles around like toys and damaged about 200 homes, the head of the Civil Protection Service William Hernandez said.

The fatalities were all recorded in El Salvador, Interior Minister Mario Duran said, warning that the death toll could rise.

One person is still missing, senior government official Carolina Recinos added.

"We are experiencing an unprecedented situation: one top-level emergency on top of another serious one," San Salvador mayor Ernesto Muyshondt said, referring to the coronavirus pandemic.

He added that half of those killed died in the capital, and that 4,200 people had sought refuge in government-run shelters after losing their homes or being forced to leave because they were in high-risk areas.

In some flooded areas, soldiers worked alongside emergency personnel to rescue people.

"We lost everything, we've been left with nowhere to live," said Isidro Gomez, a resident of hard-hit southeastern San Salvador, after a nearby river overflowed and destroyed his home.

Another victim, Mariano Ramos, said that at dawn residents of his San Salvador neighborhood were slammed by an avalanche of mud and water. An elderly man died in the area, officials said.

El Salvador's environment ministry warned residents of the "high probability" of multiple landslides that could damage buildings and injure or kill people.

Nearly 90 percent of El Salvador's 6.6 million people are considered vulnerable to flooding and landslides due to its geography.

In neighboring Guatemala, officials said roads had been blocked by at least five landslides and some flooding was reported, but no evacuations were underway.

Even though Amanda weakened to tropical depression status, Guatemalan officials warned that heavy rain would continue, with swollen rivers and possible "landslides affecting highways ... and flooding in coastal areas."

Agence France-Presse

Typhoon Lekima death toll in east China rises to 28

BEIJING, China— The death toll from Typhoon Lekima (Philippine name: Hanna) rose to 28 in eastern China, said local authorities on Sunday, as rescue teams worked to locate the missing after the storm triggered a landslide and forced more than a million people to evacuate.

The monster storm arrived in Wenling city in the early hours of Saturday, packing winds of 187 kilometres per hour (116 miles per hour), with waves several metres high hitting the coastline.

On Saturday, national television station CCTV said that 18 people had died in a landslide triggered by the storm's downpours in the municipality of Wenzhou, around 400 kilometres (250 miles) south of Shanghai.

It was unclear if the further 10 deaths announced Sunday resulted from the same incident.

Twenty people were still missing, according to Zhejiang provincial authorities.

"Currently, search and rescue work from various regions is still ongoing," they said on social media platform Weibo.

More than a million people were evacuated from their homes ahead of the typhoon, the official Xinhua news agency reported. Some 110,000 people were housed in shelters.

In Zhejiang province alone, nearly 300 flights were cancelled, and ferry and rail services were suspended as a precaution.

On Sunday, footage from state broadcaster CCTV showed rescue workers on boats navigating through Linhai city, where streets were completely submerged in muddy water.

Local Chinese media reports also showed teams pulling stranded citizens from bright orange inflatable boats, with skies starting to clear as the storm moved further up the coast.

Lekima has entered Jiangsu province north of Shanghai and is expected to hit Shandong province later on Sunday, state broadcaster CCTV reported. Both provinces have already issued a red alert for torrential rain.

source: philstar.com

Super Typhoon Lekima slams into southeast China

SHANGHAI, China — Super Typhoon Lekima (Philippine name: Hanna) slammed into southeastern China early Saturday, bringing torrential rain and heavy winds that knocked out power, downed thousands of trees and forced more than one million people from their homes, state media reported.

The monster storm made landfall in the early hours in Wenling City packing winds of 187 kilometres per hour (116 miles per hour), and was expected to churn up the east coast towards Shanghai, Xinhua news agency said.

More heavy rain was forecast for the Shanghai area as well as the eastern provinces of Anhui, Fujian, Jiangsu and Zhejiang, with authorities warning of possible flash floods, mudslides and landslides caused by the downpours.

In Zhejiang province alone, nearly 300 flights were cancelled, and ferry and rail services were suspended as a precaution.

More than a quarter of a million people were relocated in Shanghai, where the high-speed maglev train that links the city to one of its airports was suspended.

More than 110,000 people were housed in shelters.

China issued a red alert as the storm approached on Friday, before downgrading the level to orange as winds eased on Saturday morning.

The storm had earlier swept past the northern tip of Taiwan on Friday, where nine people were injured, thousands of homes lost power temporarily and more than 500 flights were cancelled.

Last September, Typhoon Mangkhut slammed into mainland China where authorities evacuated more than two million people, after it left a trail of destruction in Hong Kong and Macau and killed at least 59 people in the northern Philippines.

source: philstar.com

Irma knocked out power to over 3 million homes, businesses in Florida

Hurricane Irma knocked out power to more than 3 million homes and businesses in Florida on Sunday, threatening millions more as it crept up the state’s west coast, and full restoration of service could take weeks, local electric utilities said.

Irma hit Florida on Sunday morning as a dangerous Category 4 storm, the second highest level on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale, but by afternoon as it barreled up the west coast, it weakened to a Category 2 with maximum sustained winds of 110 miles per hour (177 kph).

So far, the brunt of the storm has affected Florida Power & Light’s customers in the states’ southern and eastern sections, and its own operations were not immune, either.

“We are not subject to any special treatment from Hurricane Irma. We just experienced a power outage at our command center. We do have backup generation,” FPL spokesman Rob Gould said on Sunday.

FPL, the biggest power company in Florida, said more than 2.9 million of its customers were without power by 7:40 p.m. (2030 GMT), mostly in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties. More than 200,000 had electricity restored, mostly by automated devices.

The company’s system will need to be rebuilt, particularly in the western part of the state, Gould said. “That restoration process will be measured in weeks, not days.”

FPL is a unit of Florida energy company NextEra Energy Inc.

Large utilities that serve other parts of the state, including units of Duke Energy Corp, Southern Co and Emera Inc, were seeing their outage figures grow as the storm pushed north.

Duke’s outages more than tripled between 6:15 p.m. and 8 p.m., rising to 178,053, and the company warned its 1.8 million customers in northern and central Florida that outages could ultimately exceed 1 million.

The company updated its website on Sunday evening with a warning to customers that outages may last a week or longer.

Emera’s Tampa Electric utility said the storm could affect up to 500,000 of the 730,000 homes and businesses it serves.

The utilities had thousands of workers, some from as far away as California, ready to help restore power once Irma’s high winds pass their service areas. About 17,000 were assisting FPL, nearly 8,000 at Duke and more than 1,300 at Emera.

Tampa Electric told customers on Sunday, however, that response crews were halting work because of the high winds.

FPL said on Friday that Irma could affect about 4.1 million customers, but that was before the storm track shifted away from the eastern side of the state. Its customers are concentrated in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties.

NUCLEAR PLANTS SAFE

The utility said its two nuclear plants were safe. It shut only one of the two reactors at its Turkey Point nuclear plant about 30 miles (48 km) south of Miami on Saturday, rather than both, because the storm shifted. It plans to leave both reactors in service at the St. Lucie plant about 120 miles (193 km )north of Miami because hurricane-force winds are no longer expected to hit the sites.

There is also spent nuclear fuel at Duke’s Crystal River plant, about 90 miles (145 km) north of Tampa. The plant, on Irma’s current forecast track, stopped operating in 2009 and was retired in 2013.

In a worst-case scenario, the spent fuel could release radiation if exposed to the air, but a federal nuclear official said that was extremely unlikely.

“That fuel is so cold, relatively speaking, it would take weeks before there would be any concern,” said Scott Burnell of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Duke was transferring the spent fuel to dry cask storage as part of the work to decommission the plant but suspended the effort temporarily ahead of Irma.

source: interaksyon.com

Taiwan shuts down as ‘Megi’ strikes

TAIPEI, Taiwan -- Taiwan went into shutdown Tuesday as the island faces its third typhoon in two weeks, with thousands evacuated, schools and offices closed across the island and hundreds of flights disrupted.

Typhoon Megi (Philippine name: Helen) is expected to make landfall in eastern Taiwan later Tuesday but is already bringing widespread violent winds and torrential rain as it nears the island.

More than 5,000 people have been evacuated from their homes and around 2,000 are in shelters, according to the Central Emergency Operation Center.  About 36,000 households have lost power due to the typhoon so far.

A total of 575 international and domestic flights were cancelled as of Tuesday morning, and 109 delayed. Most trains were also halted.

Television footage showed powerful waves surging past breakwaters in northeastern Yilan county and outlying Orchid Island.

Ahead of the storm, more than 3,700 tourists had already been evacuated at the weekend from Orchid Island and Green Island -- both popular with visitors.

At 0030 GMT, Megi was 220 kilometers (137 miles) southeast of the eastern county of Hualien, packing gusts of up to 198 kilometers (123 miles) per hour.

It is moving at 18 kilometers (11.2 miles) an hour -- slower than previously forecast -- delaying the time of landfall to around 0900 GMT Tuesday, according to Taiwan's weather bureau.

Hualien and Taitung, which are also popular with visitors for their coastlines and landscapes, will be in the firing line.

Those areas are still trying to recover from damage brought by Super Typhoon Meranti earlier this month -- the strongest storm for 21 years to hit Taiwan.

Meranti, which left one dead in Taiwan before killing another 28 as it moved to eastern China, was followed closely by the smaller Typhoon Malakas.

Mountainous regions in eastern Taiwan could see a total of up to 900 millimeters (35 inches) of rain through Wednesday, increasing the risk of landslides.

More than 35,000 soldiers are on standby to help with disaster relief.

source: interaksyon.com

Mississippi declares emergency as storms in US South kill 11 on Christmas Eve

Southern US states began digging out on Thursday after severe storms killed at least 11 people, and Mississippi declared a state of emergency in areas pounded by tornadoes.

With about 100 million Americans expected to travel over the Christmas holiday, the National Weather Service forecast isolated severe thunderstorms from the mid-Atlantic region to the Gulf Coast and record warmth in New York.

The storm system packed high winds and triggered more than 20 tornadoes in Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Mississippi, Tennessee and Michigan on Wednesday, authorities said.

A large tornado tore a 100-mile (160-km) path through northern Mississippi, demolishing or heavily damaging more than 100 homes and other buildings before plowing into western Tennessee, authorities said.

Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant declared a state of emergency in areas affected by the storm, saying 14 tornadoes had touched down in the state. Bryant said seven people were killed and one person was missing.

"Everybody is pulling together here in Mississippi today to help respond to this disaster," Bryant said on CNN.

He said shelters had been set up and the full extent of the damage would not be known for several days. Mississippi authorities said some 40 people were injured and a 7-year-old boy was among those killed.

Three people died in Tennessee and an 18-year-old woman was killed in Arkansas when a tree crashed into her house, authorities said.

Thirteen counties in Tennessee suffered severe damage, with a post office destroyed and a state highway washed out.

Emergency crews in Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee were searching for several people reported missing. Scores were injured in the region.

A rare tornado touched down in Canton, Michigan, and about 15,000 homes in the state and neighboring Wisconsin were without electricity. The weather service issued a gale force wind warning for Lake Michigan, where waves could reach 15 feet.

About 500 flights were delayed or canceled at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson airport as the area was hit by a thunderstorm.

Meanwhile, much of the northeast enjoyed balmy weather on Thursday, including New York, which surpassed its record for the warmest Christmas Eve reaching 71 degrees Fahrenheit (22 C).

Cold and snow were forecast on Christmas Day for the US Northwest, including temperatures in the teens in Montana and snow likely in Washington, Oregon, northern California, and Nevada.

Of the 100 million Americans traveling over the holiday, 91 million will use cars, according to the American Automobile Association.

source: interaksyon.com

60 barangays in Tacloban placed under state of calamity - report

MANILA, Philippines - Sixty of the 138 barangays in Tacloban City in Leyte were placed under state of calamity after the areas were battered by Typhoon Hagupit (local name: Ruby), which has weakened into a tropical storm on Monday.

A report by dzMM radio Monday evening quoted Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez as saying that members of the city council convened Monday afternoon and issued a resolution placing said villages -- where bunkhouses and tent constructed for victims of super typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) were destroyed --  under state of calamity.

The resolution was supported by Romualdez, according to the report.

Earlier, Catanduanes, Albay, and Camarines Sur were also placed under state of calamity after the provinces were hit by Hagupit.

Placing areas under a state of calamity will enable local government units to use the Quick Response Fund, which is part of the 2014 Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund, and rehabiliate areas and provide assitance to residents affected by a weather disturbance.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC)  reported that some 259,675 families or 1,186,961 persons were affected by "Ruby" in Regions IV-A (Calabarzon), IV-B (Mimaropa), V (Bicol Region, V (Western Visayas), VII (Central Visayas), VIII (Eastern Visayas) and Caraga. Of these, some 226,605 families or 1,034,464 people were evacuated.

Around 1,953 passengers, 74 rolling cargoes, 429 vessels and four motor boats are still stranded in various ports of the country while 184 domestic flights and 24 international flights were also cancelled due to bad weather.

The airports in Legaspi, Marbate City, Marinduque, San Jose, Virac, Busuanga, Plaridel, and Puerto Princesa are  now open for operations but landing and take-off are subject to prevailing aerodrome weather conditions

Power outages were reported in 17 provinces of Regions IV-A, IV-B, V, VI and VIII, while Globe and Smart networks are currently down in some parts of Leyte and Eastern Samar.

Power has been restored in the affected areas in Romblon and in the municipalities of San Fernando, Gainza, Camaligan, Pasacao, Pamplona and Ragay, all in Camarines Sur.

NDRRMC also said that nine roads were closed to traffic due to flooding, landslide and falling trees in Regions V and VIII; while four road sections are not passable to light vehicles in Leyte and San Fernando, Romblon due to flooding; and eight road sections (five in Region V and three in Region VIII) are hardly passable due to flooding, landslides, uprooted trees and toppled electric posts.

It added that Buenavista Bridge in Barangay Lilukin, Buenavista, Quezon province is not passable due to the high level of water while four areas in Quezon province namely Pagbilao, Pitogo, Barangay Almacen in Unisan and Panaon also in Unisan were flooded.

The total cost of government assistance for the affected families in Regions V, VI, VII and Caraga has reached Php 60,718,256.50.

source: interaksyon.com

Toll rises to 10 in killer northeast US snowstorm

NEW YORK - The death toll from a rare pre-winter snowstorm rose to 10 in the northeastern United States on Thursday, paralyzing communities for days and dumping more than six feet of snow near Buffalo.

The National Weather Service warned an extra two to three feet (60 to 90 centimeters) of "lake effect snow," created when frigid air moves over warm lake waters, could fall on Thursday.

It said visibility was near zero and that thunder and lightning were likely to accompany the heaviest snow as a state of emergency and travel bans remained in place in western New York state.

The colossal snowfall has collapsed roofs, damaged homes and businesses, canceled flights, and stranded motorists for as many as two nights on the highway, including New York rock group Interpol.

Precipitation roughly equivalent to a year's supply of snow in two days has mobilized more than 5,000 people to help with snow removal and storm recovery, including the National Guard, officials said.

The death toll from "Winter Storm Knife" rose to 10 when two people died of exposure in Niagara County and Boston town in Erie County, officials told AFP.

Four or five others died earlier in the storm while working to clear mounds of heavy snow from their cars and homes, and the blizzard could yet prompt a federal disaster declaration.

The state of emergency is so severe that the NFL announced that the football game between the local Buffalo Bills and the New York Jets would not be played on Sunday in Buffalo.

The NFL said it would reschedule and relocate the game, "due to public safety concerns" in the city.

'Definitely historic' snowfall

"Very dangerous storm. One more day. Let's get through this snow. People -- continue to be smart. Stay at home. Observe the driving bans," deputy Erie County executive Richard Tobe said.

The rock band Interpol said they were stranded more than 50 hours on their tour bus by the storm outside Buffalo, forcing them to cancel two consecutive nights of concerts in Montreal and Toronto.

"Finally just started making a move. 50+ hours later. Hoping for some luck today," the band tweeted Thursday morning.

Alex Cleary, a senior program coordinator at the University of Buffalo, and her husband have been snowed in at home for three days and Cleary said the snow was still coming down.

"It is a little bit scary, especially given that no one can really drive. So if you need help, it's a little tough," she told AFP.

Temperatures are expected to rise above freezing on Saturday, then shoot up, bringing a deluge of rain which together with melting now bring severe flood warnings, officials said.

National Weather Service meteorologist Dave Zaff told AFP that some areas south of Buffalo city received at least 70-80 inches (1.8 to two meters) of snow since the storm began.

"This is definitely historic," he said. But come the weekend, "the main concern would be flooding," Zaff warned.

source: interaksyon.com

Snowstorm sweeps across US Northeast, trapping Super Bowl fans

NEW YORK - A fast-moving winter storm swept into the Northeast on Monday, yet again forcing flight cancellations, slowing traffic and proving weather-forecasting groundhog Punxsutawney Phil right.

Travelers leaving the New York City area after Sunday night's Super Bowl championship football game faced long delays at the region's airports and risky driving on snow-covered roads.

Hardest hit by the storm-related flight delays and cancellations was Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, the closest to the stadium where the Denver Broncos fell to the Seattle Seahawks 43-8 in the National Football League's matchup.

"Only thing worse than sitting through awful game last night is now sitting at airport on weather delay, probable cancellation," tweeted Nick Griffith, sports director at TV station Fox 31 in Denver, adding the hashtag "#longtrip."

The storm was expected to drop 4 to 8 inches of snow on an area stretching from eastern Kentucky to eastern New York state, the National Weather Service said.

"Snow is coming down faster than we can plow it," New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said at a news conference.

He said efforts to plow city streets were aimed at an improved performance over the cleanup of a big storm in late January.

In that storm, some residents of Manhattan's tony Upper East Side neighborhood claimed their streets were ignored as part of the mayor's key campaign theme of addressing income inequality.

"The response to the last storm obviously left something to be desired," de Blasio said at the news conference.

He said New York City has adjusted how it responds to storms by coordinating agency efforts, changing snow removal routes and scouting conditions in various neighborhoods.

"It's good we got the Super Bowl done so well" before the storm hit, added de Blasio, whose city shared in the Super Bowl hosting honors with New Jersey.

At Newark Airport across the Hudson River in New Jersey, 204 flights were canceled as of mid-afternoon on Monday, according to Flightaware.com, an online site that tracks air traffic.

Plenty of football fans were stewing after getting stuck for hours on Sunday trying to board trains to and from the game at the New Jersey Transit hub station of Secaucus Junction.

"So, folks spent $1500+ for the honor of 3 hours to get in their seats, 6 hours to leave, & now 3 hour snow delay at the airport," noted one observer on Twitter.

Declaring it the first-ever "Transit Bowl," New Jersey Transit tweeted that it transported more than 33,000 fans, which it said was four times as many people as the National Football League had predicted.

Thanks to the wet snowstorm, delays and cancellations also plagued New York's LaGuardia Airport and John F. Kennedy International Airport, as well as Philadelphia International Airport.

The small Teterboro Airport near the football stadium in New Jersey, which handles the private jets that would whisk away celebrities and other moneyed Super Bowl attendees, also reported delays, Flightaware.com said.

"All the people came here for the Super Bowl thinking "Jersey ain't bad" are probably now stuck in the airport for the rest of the day," tweeted Jonathan Chung.

Across the United States, 1,669 flights were canceled, Flightaware.com said.

Driving was hazardous along the Interstate 95 corridor from Washington north to Boston, according to meteorologists.

The storm blew in after dumping several inches of snow in the Ohio Valley on Sunday, the day famed groundhog Punxsutawney Phil emerged from his burrow in the town of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, saw his shadow and - as the legend goes - predicted six more weeks of winter.

Still more wintry weather lay ahead, the New York mayor said.

"The fact is that we are facing not one, not two, but three storms potentially this week," he said.

A second storm was likely to arrive in the region on Tuesday night and a third on the weekend, he said.

The National Weather Service on Monday issued winter storm warnings for sections of Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Ohio, Kentucky, Pennsylvania and Maryland, as well as New Jersey, Delaware and New York City and its surrounding areas.

source: interaksyon.com

Arctic blast takes aim at frigid US

NEW YORK - Millions of people in the United States hunkered down Sunday in anticipation of brutal weather from a dangerous Arctic blast that forecasters warn could send freezing temperatures plummeting to record lows.

The northeast of the country and parts of Canada have been in the grip of crippling heavy snow and deadly sub-zero temperatures since the turn of the year and the deep freeze is now ripping through the US Midwest and threatening usually warmer areas further south.

The wind chill from the rare "polar vortex" could make it feel as cold as -55 Fahrenheit (-48 Celsius) in places, weather forecasters say, prompting authorities in several towns and cities to issue warnings telling people to stay indoors and even stock up on food.

In such cold conditions, exposed skin would suffer frostbite in as little as five minutes, experts have cautioned.

In New York, which declared a state of emergency when storm Hercules swept in on Thursday, John F. Kennedy Airport ceased operations for more than two hours because of freezing rain and snow after a Delta Airlines jet from Toronto slid into a snowbank.

None of the 35 people on board were hurt, ABC News said, but at least a dozen people have died in the cold conditions since the turn of the year and travel has been badly disrupted, with thousands of flights canceled or delayed, ensuring a miserable end to the holiday season for some.

"Winter Storm Ion is spreading a swath of heavy snow across the Midwest, and its icy tentacles will also bring wintry weather into the south and parts of the east. Following closely behind Ion will be a blast of brutally cold air," said The Weather Channel in its Sunday morning forecast.

The Midwestern states of Minnesota, where Governor Mark Dayton has already announced schools will be closed Monday "to protect all our children from the dangerously cold temperatures," and North Dakota were expected to bear the brunt of the worst weather.

Chicago, Detroit and St Louis all saw more snowfall overnight, while Sunday's National Football League playoff showdown between the Green Bay Packers and the San Francisco 49ers at the open-air Lambeau Field in Wisconsin looked set to be one of the coldest NFL games in history.

The Packers say they will help fans battle the big freeze by handing out free coffee, hot chocolate and hand warmers, while supporters would also be allowed to bring blankets and sleeping bags.

Added to the mix was freezing rain forecast to hit the south and east, affecting New York and Washington, with the extreme weather expected to continue into the early part of the week in many places across the country.

Among the deaths blamed on the weather was a worker killed on Friday when he was crushed by a 100-foot (30-meter) pile of salt being prepared to treat roads in the Philadelphia area, media reports said.

A 71-year-old woman suffering from Alzheimer's disease froze to death after walking out into the cold and getting lost in northern New York state, according to authorities.

source: interaksyon.com

Snow blankets US East Coast; Washington offices, many schools closed

NEW YORK - A fast-moving snowstorm barreled through the US mid-Atlantic on Tuesday, cancelling flights, snarling roadways and shutting schools and government offices while winds kept the midsection of the country in an icy grip that killed at least 10 people.

The East Coast's first significant snowfall of the season was expected to dump up to 8 inches on northern Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware and into southern New England, Brian Korty, meteorologist with the National Weather Service (NWS), said in a forecast.

By midday the storm had blown through Washington, D.C., where federal government offices were shut for the day, the Office of Personnel Management said. In neighboring Delaware, Governor Jack Markell announced state offices were shut and urged residents to stay off dangerously slick roads.

New Jersey roads were littered with fender benders and more serious accidents, including a jack-knifed tractor trailer and a bus that skidded off the pavement.

"It was like dominoes. Cars couldn't get up the hills," said Stanley Jackson, who was plowing snow in northern New Jersey. "People were just sliding into one another."

In Oklahoma, the medical examiner said winter weather was responsible for 10 deaths ranging from traffic accidents on icy roads to falling into icy waters.

Snowflakes falling on Times Square in New York City thrilled tourists, including Janet Major, 57, visiting from England.

"It's like 'Miracle on 34th Street.' It's added to the holiday atmosphere," said Major, referring to the classic Christmas movie.

Alberto Rodriguez, 45, an auto repair mechanic from Orlando, Florida, agreed.

"I'm so happy. In the four years I've been coming here, I've never seen the snow. And this is my last day in the city," Rodriguez said.

The city declared a snow alert and readied 365 salt spreaders, 282 front-end snow loaders and 1,800 plows, said Belinda Mager, spokeswoman for the city Sanitation Department.

At airports around the country, more than 1,600 flights were canceled, most of them in Newark, New Jersey, Philadelphia and New York, according to FlightAware.com, which tracks air travel.

School districts in Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia, suburban Maryland, New Jersey and New York canceled classes.

The new snowfall followed a swath of snow and sleet that swept through the nation over the weekend and Monday, dumping up to 10 inches or more on many areas.

Strong winds, expected to blow through the nation's midsection until Wednesday, created wind chills that made temperatures on Tuesday feel like minus 20F (minus 28C) in the Northern Plains and minus 10F (minus 23C) in the Midwest, meteorologist Andrew Baglini said on Accuweather.com.

Temperatures were 8 degrees below zero (minus 17.8 Celsius) early Tuesday morning in Pershing County, Nevada, where rescue workers scoured a mountain area for a couple and four children, missing since Sunday.

The six were last seen near an abandoned mining camp in remote northwestern Nevada, where they had gone to play in the snow. The Pershing County Sheriff's Office said authorities feared the family would not last long in the bitter cold.

Homes and businesses from Indiana to West Virginia that lost power on Monday were returning to normal on Tuesday, including in Virginia where 15,000 people remained without power, down from 122,000 on Monday.

"Right now, we're looking at a lot of busted tree tops. That's always going to bring down a lot of poles and lines," said Phil Moye, spokesman for Appalachian Electric Power in West Virginia, where more than 7,500 people remained without power. (Additional reporting by Curtis Skinner in New York City, Carey Gillam in Kansas City, Ian Simpson in Washington, D.C., Colleen Jenkins in Winston-Salem, N.C., and Eric M. Johnson in Seattle)

source: interaksyon.com

Banks shutter branches along path of 'Yolanda'

MANILA – Banks in areas along the path of Typhoon ‘Yolanda’ have suspended operations.

In an advisory, United Coconut Planters Bank (UCPB) announced that the following branches in the Bicol region, Visayas and Mindanao will be closed today:







Daet
Legaspi
Masbate
Naga
San Jose
Sorsogon
Banilad
Calbayog
Carbon
Dumaguete
F. Ramos
Iznart
Jaro
Jones Avenue
Kalibo
Lacson Galo
Libertad
Mabini
Mabolo
Mandaue
Mango Avenue
North Drive
Roxas
San Juan
SM City Cebu
Tacloban
Tagbilaran
Butuan
Surigao

“We apologize for the inconvenience, but we are exerting our efforts to ensure the safety of all UCPB customers and employees,” the bank said.

In a separate notice, Philippine Veterans Bank (PVB) said it also closed the following branches in Bicol region, Visayas and Mindnao today because of the typhoon:

Tacloban
Catarman
Legazpi City (Albay)
Tagbilaran
San Jose (Mindoro Occidental)
Dumaguete
Cebu
Mandaue
Roxas City (Capiz)
Naga
Butuan
Iloilo
Bacolod
Cagayan de Oro
Kalibo

“We apologize for the inconvenience, but we are exerting our efforts to ensure the safety of all PVB customers and employees. We wish for the safety of our kababayans in areas now being affected by this massive storm,” PVB said.

Separately, Philippine Savings Bank said the following branches in the Visayas didn’t open today because of the typhoon:

Bacolod
Bacolod Libertad
Bacolod North Drive
Butuan
Cebu Ayala Business Park
Cebu Banilad
Cebu Capitol
Cabu Carbon
Cebu Colon
Cebu Jones
Cebu Lapu-Lapu
Cebu Mandaue AC Cortex
Cebu Mandaue National Highway
Cebu Mango
Cebu Subangdaku
Cebu Taboan

source: interaksyon.com

As 'Yolanda' nears, Tigerair cancels flights tomorrow

MANILA - Tigerair Philippines has cancelled flights tomorrow ahead of Typhoon Yolanda's landfall.

In an advisory, Tigerair vice president for commercial operations Joey Laurente said flights scheduled for November 8 have been cancelled to ensure the safety of passengers and crew.

But flights bound for Singapore, Hong Kong and Bangkok and departing Clark International Airport would push through.

He said affected passengers may rebook without penalties for travel within 30 days from original flight. Customers are advised to call the airline's hotline 7984488 for further information.

source: interaksyon.com

Calamity areas still without electricity a day before 'Yolanda' makes landfall

MANILA - As the country braces for a super typhoon, the Department of Energy (DOE) said electricity has yet to be restored in all areas affected by a string of calamities that struck last month.

In a report, the DOE said power has been restored in all towns belonging to the Ilocos Sur Electric Cooperative franchise area, and in 23 municipalities served by Ilocos Norte Electric Cooperative, except for remote barangays.

In Cagayan province, 18 out of its 29 towns have been energized, according to a report by the National Electrification Administration (NEA). The three provinces were in the path of Typhoon Vinta, which left the Philippine area of responsibility early this week.

In the Cagayan II Electric Cooperative (CAGELCO II) franchise area, power has been restored in all 12 municipalities it serves. For Cagayan I Electric Cooperative's franchise area, however, the municipalities of Abulug, Ballesteros, Buguey, Calayan, Claveria, Gattaran, Pamplona, Sanchez Mira, Sta. Ana, Sta. Praxedes, and Sta. Teresita, and parts of Appari and Gonzaga remain without power.

Moreover, the towns of Flora, Luna, Pudtol and Santa Marcela in Apayao province, which CAGELCO II also serves, still have no electricity.

The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines reported that it has completed the repair of the Magapit-Sta. Teresita-Sta. Ana 69-kiloVolt (kV) transmission line segment as of 6:00 p.m. yesterday. It also restored the Tuguegarao-Magapit-Camalaniugan 69-kV line segment as early as the evening of November 4.

"Total power restoration of municipalities and barangays affected by the recent Typhoon Vinta is expected in two to three weeks’ time," the DOE said.

Of the areas affected by Typhoon Santi, on the other hand, a total of 20 barangays in Nueva Ecija still don't enjoy electricity 24/7 because of "accessibility concerns."

"Power restoration on household level of barangays under Nueva Ecija I Electric Cooperative franchise area is targeted for completion on November 19, while [Nueva Ecija II Electric Cooperative - Area 2] by tomorrow," the DOE said.

As to the quake-hit Bohol, 94 percent of households has been energized.

"[The] remaining unenergized households still have to undergo further inspections for damages before receiving power," the department said.

The country is bracing for Typhoon Yolanda, which the weather bureau said is far stronger than those that entered the Philippine area of responsibility in the past two months.

source: interaksyon.com

Bushfires ravage communities in southeastern Australia

WINMALEE -- Residents faced scenes of devastation Friday after bushfires ravaged communities and destroyed hundreds of homes in southeastern Australia with dozens of blazes still burning out of control.

Cooler temperatures and a drop in wind offered firefighters some relief overnight but about 100 fires were still raging across the state of New South Wales with a smoke haze hanging over Sydney.

NSW Rural Fire Services Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said that despite the cooler conditions the situation was still "very active, very dynamic, very dangerous".

"The situation is very subject to change," he told the Nine Network, adding that 50,000 hectares (120,000 acres) had been burnt out so far.

Five major blazes fanned by high, erratic winds in unseasonably warm 34 degree Celsius (93 Fahrenheit) weather ripped through communities in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney on Thursday with whole streets razed.

One fatality has been reported so far.

Hundreds of residents spent the night in evacuation centers and awoke Friday to confront the extent of the disaster.

Winmalee resident Jordie Cox said it had been a frightening experience.

"I've lived in Winmalee since I was four and my parents always said to us during fire season that our house would be safe because we were surrounded by other houses so others would have to burn down before it got to us," she told ABC television.

"But we were pretty much the last house standing -- all the houses around us burnt down."

Ron Fuller was one of those who lost his home in Winmalee, a town with a population of about 6,000 and located 80 kilometers (50 miles) inland from Sydney.

"We've had a number of fires through here before but this was an extraordinary fire. The speed was extraordinary, it just raced through this whole area, took out some houses, left other ones standing," he told the broadcaster.

In a tweet, the Rural Fire Service said crews would be assessing the damage across the state street by street during Friday.

"It appears there may be hundreds of homes destroyed," the service said.

"More properties have come under threat overnight, with further warnings issued. 100 fires across NSW, 36 uncontained."

NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell praised the response from fire crews, many of whom are volunteers who battled through the night.

"I think the planning, preparation and response has been some of the best we've seen," he said, calling the fires "some of the worst we have experienced around Sydney in living memory".

"We're in for a long, tough summer," he added.

Wildfires are common in Australia's summer months between December and February, and authorities are expecting a bad season this year due to low rainfall in the winter and forecasts of hot, dry weather ahead.

source: interaksyon.com

Half of Metro Manila is under water - MMDA

MANILA – Fifty to sixty percent of Metro Manila is under water as the southwest monsoon enhanced by tropical storm Maring continued to affect the metropolis and nearby provinces, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Francis Tolentino said Tuesday said.

Areas submerged in deep floodwaters are Paranaque City, Pasig City, Quezon City, Manila, and Marikina City, he said. 






“But that doesn’t really mean that the whole of Metro Manila is covered with water, the situation varies (from area to area) …that (estimate) is just a general statement,” he clarified.

‘No number coding’

Tolentino also said that as of 9 a.m. Tuesday, the number coding has been suspended but advised motorists to avoid areas with perennial flooding.

“Light vehicles should not pass by these areas because you might get stalled…but we are hoping that the floodwater will subside by 4 p.m.,” he added.

He said the gates in Manggahan Floodway in Pasig City were already opened to divert the water to Laguna de Bay, which he claimed somehow helped ease the flood situation.

Tolentino said all the 51 flood-pumping stations located throughout the metro are all operational and have sufficient fuel.

source: interaksyon.com

Study: Hotter temperatures leads to hotter tempers

WASHINGTON — As the world gets warmer, people are more likely to get hot under the collar, scientists say. A massive new study finds that aggressive acts like committing violent crimes and waging war become more likely with each added degree.

Researchers analyzed 60 studies on historic empire collapses, recent wars, violent crime rates in the United States, lab simulations that tested police decisions on when to shoot and even cases where pitchers threw deliberately at batters in baseball. They found a common thread over centuries: Extreme weather — very hot or dry — means more violence.

The authors say the results show strong evidence that climate can promote conflict.

"When the weather gets bad we tend to be more willing to hurt other people," said economist Solomon Hsiang of the University of California, Berkeley.

He is the lead author of the study, published online Thursday by the journal Science. Experts in the causes of war gave it a mixed reception.

The team of economists even came up with a formula that predicts how much the risk of different types of violence should increase with extreme weather. In war-torn parts of equatorial Africa, it says, every added degree Fahrenheit or so increases the chance of conflict between groups— rebellion, war, civil unrest — by 11 percent to 14 percent. For the United States, the formula says that for every increase of 5.4 degrees Fahrenheit, the likelihood of violent crime goes up 2 percent to 4 percent.



Temperatures in much of North America and Eurasia are likely to go up by that 5.4 degrees by about 2065 because of increases in carbon dioxide pollution, according to a separate paper published in Science on Thursday.

The same paper sees global averages increasing by about 3.6 degrees in the next half-century. So that implies essentially about 40 percent to 50 percent more chance for African wars than it would be without global warming, said Edward Miguel, another Berkeley economist and study co-author.

When the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change updates its report next year on the impacts of global warming, it will address the issue of impacts on war for the first time, said Carnegie Institution scientist Chris Field, who heads that worldwide study group. The new study is likely to play a big role, he said.

Hsiang said that whenever the analyzed studies looked at temperature and conflict, the link was clear, no matter where or when. His analysis examines about a dozen studies on collapses of empires or dynasties, about 15 studies on crime and aggression and more than 30 studies on wars, civil strife or intergroup conflicts.

In one study, police officers in a psychology experiment were more likely to choose to shoot someone in a lab simulation when the room temperature was hotter, Hsiang said. In another study, baseball pitchers were more likely to retaliate against their opponents when a teammate was hit by a pitch on hotter days. Hsiang pointed to the collapse of the Mayan civilization that coincided with periods of historic drought about 1,200 years ago.

People often don't consider human conflict when they think about climate change, which is "an important oversight," said Ohio State University psychology professor Brad Bushman, who wasn't part of the study but whose work on crime and heat was analyzed by Hsiang.

There's a good reason why people get more aggressive in warmer weather, Bushman said. Although people say they feel sluggish when they are hot, their heart rate and other physical responses are aroused and elevated. They think they are not agitated, when in fact they are, and "that's a recipe for disaster," Bushman said.

Experts who research war and peace were split in their reaction to the work.

"The world will be a very violent place by mid-century if climate change continues as projected," said Thomas Homer-Dixon, a professor of diplomacy at the Balsillie School of International Affairs in Ontario.

But Joshua Goldstein, a professor of international relations at American University and author of "Winning the War on War," found faults with the way the study measured conflicts. He said the idea of hotter tempers with hotter temperatures is only one factor in conflict, and that it runs counter to a long and large trend to less violence.

"To read this you get the impression, if climate change unfolds as we all fear it will, that the world will be beset by violent conflict and that's probably not true," Goldstein said.

"Because of positive changes in technology, economics, politics and health" conflict is likely to continue to drop, although maybe not as much as it would without climate change, he said.

Miguel acknowledges that many other factors play a role in conflict and said it's too soon to see whether conflict from warming will outweigh peace from prosperity: "It's a race against time."

source: philstar.com

Blizzard wallops US Northeast, closes roads

BOSTON/NEW YORK - A blizzard slammed into the northeastern United States on Friday, snarling traffic, disrupting thousands of flights and prompting five governors to declare states of emergency in the face of a fearsome snowstorm.

The storm caused a massive traffic pile-up in southern Maine. Organizers of the US sledding championship in that state postponed a race scheduled for Saturday, fearing too much snow for the competition.

The blizzard left about 10,000 along the East Coast without power. Almost 3,500 flights were canceled and officials in Massachusetts and Connecticut closed roads.

Forecasters warned about 2 feet of snow would blanket most of the Boston area with some spots getting as much as 30 inches. The city's record snowfall, 27.6 inches, came in 2003.

"We're seeing heavier snow overspread the region from south to north," said Lance Franck, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Taunton, Massachusetts, outside Boston. "As the snow picks up in intensity, we're expecting it to fall at a rate of upwards of two to three inches per hour."

Early Friday evening, officials warned that the storm was just ramping up to full strength, and that heavy snow and high winds would continue through midday on Saturday. The governors of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York and Maine declared states of emergency and issued bans on driving by early Friday afternoon.

Authorities ordered nonessential government workers to stay home, urged private employers to do the same, told people to prepare for power outages and encouraged them to check on elderly or disabled neighbors.

People appeared to take the warnings seriously. Traffic on streets and public transportation services was significantly lighter than usual on Friday.

"This is a very large and powerful storm, however we are encouraged by the numbers of people who stayed home today," Boston Mayor Thomas Menino told reporters.

Even so, the storm caused a few accidents, including a 19-vehicle pile-up outside Portland, Maine, that sent one person to the hospital.

Winds were blowing at 35 to 40 miles per hour by Friday afternoon and forecasters expected gusts up to 60 miles per hour as the evening wore on.

As he waited for one of the last subways that ran through the Boston area, musician John Hinson, who was visiting from Durham, North Carolina, said he had never seen a storm of the magnitude Friday's blizzard was expected to reach.

"I've been through some snow, a couple feet, but not anything like they're predicting, which is kind of exciting," he said.

Looking for Sasquatch

The storm wasn't bad news for everyone.

When told an estimated 8 to 10 inches were predicted overnight at Elk Mountain in Uniondale, Pennsylvania, pint-sized skier Sophia Chesner's eye grew wide.

"Whoa!" said the 8-year old, of Moorestown, New Jersey, who was on a ski vacation with her family. Her sister, Giuliana, 4, said no matter how good the skiing is, she has other outer priorities once the snow piles up.

"First thing I'm going to do is build a snowman and look for a Sasquatch footprint," Guiliana Chesner said.

Life was not as rosy for those who planned to fly. Almost 3,500 flights were canceled on Friday, with more than 1,200 planned cancellations for Saturday, according to the website FlightAware.com.

The storm also posed a risk of flooding at high tide to areas still recovering from superstorm Sandy last fall.

"Many of the same communities that were inundated by Hurricane Sandy's tidal surge just about 100 days ago are likely to see some moderate coastal flooding this evening," said New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

About one foot of snow was forecast to land on New York City.

Brick Township in New Jersey had crews out building up sand dunes and berms ahead of a forecast storm surge, said Mayor Stephen Acropolis.

Travel became more difficult as the day progressed. Massachusetts started closing its public transportation system at 3:30 p.m. (2030 GMT) and ordered most drivers off roads by 4 p.m. (5.00 p.m. GMT) Connecticut also closed its roads.

The Amtrak railroad suspended service between New York, Boston and points north on Friday afternoon.

Organizers of the country's championship sledding race, which had been scheduled to get underway in Camden, Maine, on Saturday, postponed the event by one day. Some 400 teams were registered for the race, which features costumed sledders on a 400-foot (121 meter) chute.

"As soon as the weather clears on Saturday and it is safe, the toboggan committee will be out at Tobagganville cleaning up the chute as quickly as they can," said Holly Edwards, chairman of the US National Toboggan Championships.

"It needs to be shoveled out by hand." (Additional reporting by Barbara Goldberg in Uniondale, Pennsylvania, Daniel Lovering in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Jason McLure in Littleton, New Hampshire, David Sheppard, Robert Gibbons and Scott DiSavino in New York and Dave Warner in Philadelphia)

source: interaksyon.com

Storm brings white Christmas, tornado threat to central US

WASHINGTON - A major winter storm brought a rare white Christmas to the southern US plains on Tuesday, contributing to a 21-vehicle pile-up that shut down a major highway in Oklahoma.

The storm system surging east from Kansas and the Texas Panhandle includes the threat of tornados and severe thunderstorms along its southern fringe, from southeast Texas to Alabama, the National Weather Service said.

The storm is expected to bring blizzard conditions and 6 to 8 inches of snow as it strengthens and moves northeast into the upper Ohio River valley through southern Missouri and Illinois, it said.

Freezing drizzle overnight led to 10 separate collisions on Interstate 40 at Oklahoma City just before 3 a.m., said Trooper Betsy Randolph, a spokeswoman for the Oklahoma Highway Patrol.

The 21-vehicle pile-up included three tractor-trailers and shut down the westbound lanes for about five hours, she said. Twelve people were taken to hospitals, and troopers are checking on the severity of their injuries.

In a rare taste of Christmas snow, Oklahoma City is forecast to get 3 to 6 inches of the white stuff on Tuesday. The city's biggest Christmas snowfall was 6.5 inches in 1914, and measurable amounts have been recorded only a handful of times on the date.

Several flights were canceled at Oklahoma City's Will Rogers World Airport on Monday ahead of the storm, but conditions on Tuesday morning were good, the airport said in a statement.

Ahead of the storm's path, parts of eastern West Virginia are under a winter storm warning. Ice accumulations of up to half an inch are expected in higher elevations, the National Weather Service said.

source: interaksyon.com