The East and West coasts are facing a “double whammy” of powerful storms Tuesday, with storm-battered California facing potentially “catastrophic” flooding as the Northeast braces for a powerful nor’easter, forecasters said.
A coastal low was expected to strengthen rapidly into a major nor’easter that will significantly impact the Northeast through Wednesday, the National Weather Service said.
The weather service warned early Tuesday that rates of 2-3 inches plus per hour and strong winds were expected to make travel “dangerous to impossible.” It said the heavy-wet nature of the snow, combined with maximum wind gusts of 55 mph would also likely cause power outages and damage to trees.
By early Tuesday, travel was already being affected by severe weather, with a ground stop issued for Delta Air Lines at LaGuardia Airport until at least 6:30 a.m. ET due to snow and ice.
Snowfall totals of 12 inches or higher were forecasted over swaths of New England and Upstate New York, with localized max totals of 24-30 inches possible, it said.
The National Grid said in a statement that its storm readiness team was “monitoring the weather forecast and preparing to ensure reliability of the energy delivery system” ahead of the nor’easter.
By Monday night, the nor’easter had brought heavy rain to Philadelphia as it moved up the East Coast. Five New Jersey counties were under a weather-related state of emergency, and as much as a foot of snow was expected along Pennsylvania’s I-80 corridor, according to the National Weather Service.
‘Lives and property’ at risk in California
In California, the National Weather Service warned that excessive rainfall over parts of the state’s central and southern areas could cause “severe, widespread flash flooding” that could imperil “lives and property.”
The warning came as a front extending from the Northern Rockies to Central California was expected to bring a wave of low pressure onshore over the Golden State on Tuesday, the weather…
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