Winter storm packing snow and strong winds to descend on Great Lakes and Northeast
A severe winter storm is expected to bring high winds, heavy snow and freezing temperatures to the Great Lakes and the Northeast on Tuesday, a day after a bomb cyclone struck the northern United States and left tens of thousands of customers without power.
The storm that hit parts of the Plains and Great Lakes Monday brought significantly colder air, strong winds and a mix of snow, ice and rain that made travel treacherous. Forecasters said it intensified quickly enough to meet the criteria for a bomb cyclone, a system that strengthens rapidly as pressure drops.
Nationwide, more than 153,000 customers were without power early Tuesday, more than a third of them in Michigan, according to Poweroutage.us.
As Monday’s storm moved into Canada, the National Weather Service predicted even more adverse weather conditions for the eastern United States, including rapid bursts of heavy snow and gusty winds known as snow squalls.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul warned that whiteout conditions were expected Tuesday in parts of the state, including the Syracuse metro area.
“If you are in an affected area, avoid unnecessary travel,” she said in a post on social media platform X.
Snow accumulated quickly Monday in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, where up to 2 feet fell in some areas, according to the National Weather Service. Meteorologist Ryan Metzger said additional snow was expected in the coming days, although totals would be much lighter.
Waves on Lake Superior, expected to reach 20 feet Monday, sent all but one cargo ship into ports for shelter, according to MarineTraffic.com. Weather forecasts on the lakes have improved significantly since the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald in 1975 after waves of up to 16 feet (4.8 meters) were forecast.
High winds on Lake Erie caused water to rise toward the eastern end of the basin near Buffalo, New York, while lowering water on Michigan’s west side, exposing the normally submerged lake bed and even the wreckage of a car and snowmobile.
Kevin Aldrich, 33, a maintenance worker from Monroe, Michigan, said he had never seen the lake recede so much and was surprised Monday to spot the remains of old piers dating to the 1830s. He posted photos on social media of wooden pilings protruding several feet from the mud.
“Where they are would probably probably be 12 feet deep,” he said. “We can usually drive our boat on it.”
Dangerous wind chills plunged to minus 30 F (minus 34 C) in parts of North Dakota and Minnesota on Monday. And in northeastern West Virginia, rare winds, close to hurricane force, were recorded on a mountain near Dolly Sods, according to the National Weather Service.
In Iowa, after blizzard conditions eased Monday morning, high winds continued to blow fallen snow onto roads, keeping more than 200 miles of Interstate 35 closed. State troopers reported dozens of accidents during the storm, including one that killed one person.
On the West Coast, the National Weather Service warned that moderate to strong Santa Ana winds were expected in parts of Southern California through Tuesday, raising concerns about downed trees in areas where soils have been saturated by recent storms. Two more storms were forecast for later this week, with rain on New Year’s Day that could soak the Rose Parade in Pasadena for the first time in about two decades.
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Associated Press writers Julie Walker in New York; Corey Williams in Detroit; Margery Beck in Omaha, Nebraska; Susan Haigh in Norwich, Conn.; and Becky Bohrer in Juneau, Alaska, contributed.
