A predicted ‘snowmageddon’ that had been forecast for the U.S. northeast largely failed to materialize Tuesday morning, but travel disruptions spilled over as travellers tried to re-book cancelled flights — including six out of Ottawa — and other adjustments.
However, concerns remain for Atlantic Canada and the Boston area as the storm remains on the move.
The nasty weather on the East Coast has caused a number of flight delays and cancellations to areas affected, including Halifax, St. John’s and Boston. Travellers are strongly advised to check the status of their flight with their airline prior to arriving at the airport.
According to the Weather Network, strong northwesterly winds will develop today with gusts of up to 80 km/h. Parts of the Gulf of St. Lawrence will see gusts of up to 100 km/h. Parts of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket in the U.S. are being warned to brace for costal flooding as a result of the wind.
Among other preparations, the Canadian forces announced that CFB Halifax, including Shearwater, will close due to the forecast blizzard conditions. It’s described as: “A precaution to limit traffic under hazardous travel conditions. Essential services will be maintained at the base to meet Government of Canada security requirements.
The mega-storm that had been forecast to to wallop New York City with as much as 30-inches of snow left a more manageable 12 inches or so, before moving further east than expected.
Airlines that had cancelled thousands of flights in preparation for the expected storm, and New York’s public transit systems have resumed operations. A travel ban within the boundaries of New York City has also been lifted.
But, while New York escaped relatively unscathed, areas of Massachusetts as well as Atlantic Canada are getting pounded by the storm with the next six to eight hours expected to bring the worst of the blizzard.
New York officials were unapologetic for the chaos caused in preparation for the potential blockbuster storm.
“This is a better-safe-than-sorry scenario,” New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said on CNN Tuesday. “We dodged a bullet.”
Rescheduling flights that had originally been cancelled will likely backup travel into to New York. Compounding the problem is that several flights into New York airports are still showing as being cancelled early Tuesday morning, according to the Ottawa International Airport’s website. The airport is urging passengers to check with their carriers to determine any flight delays as well as details of rescheduled trips.
On Monday, six flights out of Ottawa International Airport to New York and Boston were cancelled as airlines prepared for a potentially devastating winter storm bearing down on the northeastern United States.
More than 1,993 flights into the U.S. for Monday and Tuesday had already been cancelled according to FlightAware, a website that tracks arrivals and departures. Travellers were urged to monitor their flight’s status online. The website for the Ottawa International Airport showed the local situation.
The nor’easter was expected to rage from late Monday through Tuesday, hitting New York New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts and moving north into the Maritime provinces, with winds of up to 90 km/h and 15 to 30 centimetres of snow, according to Environment Canada.
Environment Canada senior climatologist David Phillips said Ottawa would be spared.
“We are far removed from it,” Phillips said.
“It will be nice and sunny on Wednesday, a high of -9 C and then we see periods of snow come, maybe, Thursday. So no major system.”
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So how does this winter compare to last year’s?
Phillips said that by this time last year, Ottawa had received 156 cm of snow; so far this year, 88 cm has fallen. And while Ottawa has been in the grips of a deep freeze for most of this month, last winter was colder for a longer period of time, with “consistent” cold from December 2013 to April 2014.
This past December was almost two degrees warmer than average. But, Phillips stressed, January has so far made up for that by being colder than the average temperature of -13 by about three degrees, with the coldest day on Jan. 8 at -29.9.
Given a low is expected to dip to -17 on Tuesday and Wednesday, the city has issued a frostbite advisory until Wednesday.
CAA spokesperson Amy Orfanakos said motorists experiencing vehicle issues can expect to wait as long as 30 minutes on the road, which is standard. Wait times have been extended to 60 minutes for motorists who are in a safe location, and to 90 minutes from a caller’s home, compared with the typical 45- and 60-minute waits, respectively.
CAA suggests keeping an emergency kit that includes a blanket, food and water inside the car.
Winterlude organizers, meanwhile, will be happy to hear that February will experience continued below-average temperatures.
“On the weekend, it will be nine or 10 degrees colder than normal, and I see that continuing for two or three days in February,” said Phillips, adding that March is also shaping up to be a colder-than-average month.
With files from Paula McCooey
