Another winter storm hits US East Coast

WASHINGTON: The latest in an unending parade of winter storms moved over the US East Coast on Saturday, dropping a wintry mix as far south as northern Georgia and potentially causing more headaches for the snow-weary northeastern New England states. The National Weather Service said the storm was expected to bring six inches (15 cm) or more of snow to some areas in the Northeast by Sunday morning, By Saturday night, about eight inches (20.3 cm) had fallen in Baltimore, while Washington had five inches (12 cm) and New York City had 2 inches (5 cm) . Once the storm leaves, another round of bitter cold temperatures will linger across the region for most of the upcoming week. The storm caused hassles all over: Rain and above-freezing temperatures in Tennessee prompted state emergency officials to warm of possible flash flooding from melting snow. Officials in the Washington area, where up to 8 inches (20 cm) was expected, urged drivers to avoid unnecessary travel. Blowing snow swirled through the streets of Philadelphia and New York City. “The arctic air mass we’ve been dealing with means this storm will overachieve,” said Lance Franck, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Mount Holly, New Jersey. The Federal Aviation Administration briefly issued a ground stop on Saturday to keep flights from taking off for Philadelphia International Airport because of reduced visibility and high winds, airport spokeswoman Mary Flannery said. She said about 20 percent of the flights into and out of the airport were canceled, and many others were delayed. The FAA was reporting that Logan International Airport in Boston, John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York and Memphis International Airport in Tennessee also were experiencing significant delays because of the weather. As much as eight inches (20 cm) of snow was possible in some inland areas of the Northeast, while areas farther south and closer to the coast were expecting a wintry mix of snow, sleet, freezing rain and rain. The eastern US did not have the market cornered on misery, however: A winter storm is threatening to bring 2 feet (60 cm) or more of snow to parts of Colorado by the beginning of the work week. Heavy snow up to 3 inches (7.5 cm) an hour began falling Saturday on the Front Range, while in Wyoming, a 50-mile (80-km) stretch of highway between Cheyenne and Laramie was closed. -arabnews