A winter storm that pushed a mix of ice and snow along the East Coast has crippled travel plans, made for a treacherous morning commute and killed at least 21 people as of Friday.
By the time the snow stopped, it reached 27 inches in parts of upstate New York. Pennsylvania and surrounding areas received between 12 and 27 inches of snow.
The wintery mix of snow, ice and rain grounded more than 6,500 flights nationwide and closed businesses and schools. About 1.2 million utility customers lost power as the storm moved from the South through the Northeast, dropping to about 440,000 outages by Friday morning, mostly in South Carolina and Georgia.
But in New York City, schools remained open — a move that angered teacher unions and weatherman Al Roker, who harshly criticized new Mayor Bill de Blasio.
“It’s going to take some kid or kids getting hurt before this goofball policy gets changed.”
He largely stood by his criticism on Friday but apologized on NBC’s “Today” show for a tweet forecasting “one term” for de Blasio, saying that was “below the line.”
Sadly, most of the fatalities and injuries reported have come from commuting as drivers braved the brutal conditions and icy roads.
And unfortunately, the weather isn’t getting better any time soon.
According to the Weather Channel, more snow is headed to the mid-Atlantic and Northeast Friday night into Saturday. Less than 6 inches is expected for West Virginia, northern Virginia and New Jersey and more than 6 inches is headed for Maine and other parts of New England.
Stay safe out there.
SOURCE: News Day | PHOTO CREDIT: Getty
