A powerful winter storm called a "bomb cyclone" has barreled into the US Northeast bringing heavy snow and high winds. The storm has led to travel chaos with thousands of canceled flights and dangerous roads.
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The US East Coast hunkered down on Thursday as a massive winter storm walloped the region with sub-freezing temperatures, heavy snowfall and high winds.
Blizzard warnings were in place from the southern state of North Carolina up to the northern state of Maine. The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) posted an image of the spinning storm on Twitter.
The National Weather Service forecast winds as high as 70 miles per hour (113 kilometers per hour) that could knock down powerlines, leaving people without electricity or heat.
"We can handle snow," New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said at a news conference. "It's snow plus the wind which is going to cause the trouble today. The wind is going to be high all through the day."
Up to a foot (30.5 centimeters) of snow is expected in New York City while the city of Boston could possibly see 14 inches (35.6 centimeters) of snow.
Gusting winds were expected to continue through Friday on Long Island and in the state of Connecticut, with wind chills that could be as low as -20 degrees Fahrenheit (-29 Celsius).
Bitter cold weather has hit the northern United States and is expected to stay into the New Year. Two Minnesota cities have set record low temperatures and the city of Erie in Pennsylvania has seen a record snowfall.
People in Erie, Pennsylvania have seen a record snowfall over the past few days. Residents are still shoveling snow after a storm brought 34 inches (86 cm) on Christmas Day, smashing the Christmas snowfall record for the Great Lakes city of 8 inches, and also the daily record of 20 inches. 26.5 more inches fell on Tuesday. More than 65 inches in total fell on the city in just a few days.
While Erie saw the record snowfall, two Minnesota cities experienced record-breaking cold temperatures. The National Weather Service reported International Falls, the self-proclaimed Icebox of the Nation, plunged to -37 degrees fahrenheit (-38.8 celsius), breaking the old record of 32 below set in 1924. Hibbing, Minnesota, bottomed out at 28 below, breaking the old record of 27 below set in 1964.
Image: Reuters/R. Frank
'Storm's timing was good'
Officials said the storm's timing was good, since people were off the streets and staying home for Christmas, giving plows more space to clear streets. One woman said she was going to build a snowman but didn't know where to start, and when she went outside to clear off the satellite dish she fell face-first into the snow because she couldn't figure out where the porch ended.
Image: Reuters/R. Frank
Rugged up
The chilly temperatures also hit New York as the The National Weather Service said wind chills could make temperatures feel below zero. Wind chill advisories or warnings have been put in effect for much of New England, northern Pennsylvania and New York.
Image: picture-alliance/AP/S. Wenig
Forecasters warn of hypothermia
The cold temperatures sweeping across northern US cities saw forecasters warn of hypothermia and frostbite from arctic air settling in over central areas of the country and spreading east. Here, pedestrians are rugged up in beanies as steam rises from a manhole in Lower Manhattan, New York.
Image: Getty Images/D. Angerer
'Unprecedented' amount of snow
By Wednesday, County Executive Kathy Dahlkemper said Erie's roads were relatively clear, emergency calls were relatively slow and the big task was digging out. Here, a traffic engineering employee clears snow from traffic lights. "We're used to a lot of snow here in Erie, but this is unprecedented, the amount we got," Dahlkemper said.
The weather has caused large travel delays on highways and in airports. Over 3,300 flights in the US were canceled ahead of the storm's arrival. New York's John F. Kennedy (JFK) International Airport temporarily suspended all flights due to "whiteout conditions," the airport said on Twitter.
The coastal Southeast was hit by the snowstorm on Wednesday, with heavy snowfall reported in the typically sunny states of Florida, Georgia and South Carolina.
Ice storm experiment: 'Winter Wonderwoods' in New Hampshire
To look into the effects ice storms have on vegetation, US researchers sprayed trees in the Hubbard Brook research forest with water when it was freezing outside. The result looks like something out of a fairytale.
Image: picture-alliance/AP/Hubbard Brook Research Foundation/J. Klementovich
Fake ice storm
US researchers from the American Society of Agronomy want to learn more about ice storms and their effects on plants and trees. The weather phenomenon is hard to predict and occurs without much warning - that's why the scientists created their own. They sprayed trees in an area the size of three basketball courts.
Image: picture-alliance/AP/Hubbard Brook Research Foundation/J. Klementovich
Preparing for the future
The results of the experiment could be useful in the future. Meteorologists believe that ice storms will occur more frequently in years to come because of climate change.
Image: picture-alliance/AP/Hubbard Brook Research Foundation/J. Klementovich
Ice ice, baby
In the cold New England winter, the hosed-down branches turned to crystal in no time. Tree trunks and branches were covered by layers of ice between six and 19 millimeters thick.
Image: picture-alliance/AP/Hubbard Brook Research Foundation/J. Klementovich
Pretty - but dangerous
While Hubbard Brook looks magical, ice storms in the US can have devastating consequences. Falling rain freezes almost immediately and covers everything with a thick layer of ice. Trees and utility poles can't support the added weight, fall on cars and houses and cause great damage or even power outages.
Image: picture-alliance/AP/Hubbard Brook Research Foundation/J. Klementovich
Ice storms not necessarily bad
While the study is still ongoing, first results from the experimental forest are already in. A light ice shower could be beneficial for the forest, because a thin layer of ice kills surplus sprouts so other branches have more room. Since trees store a certain amount of carbon, they can survive under ice for a little while. But strong, frequent ice storms would be a threat.
Image: picture-alliance/AP/Hubbard Brook Research Foundation/J. Klementovich