Cars attempt to drive through the snow covered roads in Nashville as Winter Storm Izzy bears down on the southeast in Brentwood, Tenn., on Jan. 16, 2022
At least two people have died as winter storm Izzy — nicknamed the ‘Saskatchewan screamer’ — unleashed fury across the U.S., dumping over a foot of snow across the Midwest and South East before barrelling up the East Coast today, according to the Daily Mail.
The brutal storm has already caused chaos across much of the country, bringing tornadoes, heavy snowfall, power outages for 260,000 and cancelations of over 3,000 flights, but now the extreme weather is headed for New York and the North East, with torrents of snow, sleet and rain triggering widespread flood warnings.
Much of upstate New York, northern Ohio, Virginia, northern Pennsylvania, Maine and New Hampshire will see up to a foot of snow today before the storm recedes, according to FOX weather, with areas of higher elevation expected to see as much as two feet of snow as the Weather Channel reported many communities could be brought to a ‘standstill’.
The storm is also expected to cause some coastal flooding, and the National Weather Service (NWS) warned that winds could near hurricane force on the Atlantic coast. Most of the New York City area, including parts of New Jersey, is under a coastal flood warning or advisory, the Weather Service said.
The Ohio Department of Transportation tweeted overnight: ‘If travel is not necessary, stay home.’ The department said it has dispatched more than 880 crews clearing snow and treating roadways across Ohio in a desperate attempt to keep the state moving.
NYC Gov. Kathy Hochul gave New Yorkers a stern warning: ‘Please stay home. But if your work requires you to be out or you have to be somewhere, make sure that you are fortified even in your own vehicle with food and water and whatever else you may need, including blankets or clothing.’
Virginia, Georgia, and North and South Carolina meanwhile have all declared states of emergency as workers attempt to clear debris and restart public transport reels from the brutal conditions.
Areas such as central Mississippi and central North Carolina received around nine inches of snow over the weekend, while parts of central South Carolina had up to a half-inch of ice, according to the NWS.
