State and Local Agencies in Northeast Prep for Big Late-Season Coastal Storm
A major Nor'easter is set to dump a lot of snow on New York City and other places along the I-95 corridor. Shutterstock
Blizzard conditions and 18 inches of snow in some places between Washington, D.C., and Boston are primed to disrupt the heavily populated region starting Monday night.
State and local government transportation, public safety and public works agencies and utility providers are gearing up for what’s shaping up to be a highly disruptive late-season winter storm that could bring coastal flooding and blizzard conditions to an area between Washington, D.C. and Boston on Monday and Tuesday.
This weekend, as parts of the Midwest saw up to a foot of snow associated with a major blast of Arctic air from Canada, a storm with a lot of moisture is moving up the East Coast and the combination could dump upwards of 18 inches of snow in some places making travel treacherous.
The nation’s capital and its neighboring jurisdictions are “predicted to lie on the edge of the storm’s sweet spot, and slight changes in how it develops and moves could be the difference between a bust and a blockbuster,” The Washington Post ’s Capital Weather Gang reported Sunday.
But going northeast along the heavily populated Interstate 95 corridor, the forecast is far more certain: A lot of snow and gusty winds.
On Sunday, the Maryland State Highway Administration reported that it was pre-treating roads and prepping for snow. "Don't let the recent mild weather fool you — it's still winter and this storm is coming," said Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, according to The Sun .
In Philadelphia, the Office of Emergency Management urged residents to avoid travel for Monday evening and Tuesday due to the heavy snow.
The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency urged preparedness , especially for those planning on traversing the commonwealth’s roads and highways during and after the storm.
Gov. Tom Wolf said in a statement released Sunday: “State agencies are taking proactive steps to ensure Pennsylvania is ready for the incoming winter weather and Pennsylvanians should take their own precautions and prepare for adverse conditions, especially for travel.”
The message was similar in New York.
“The state will be proactively deploying resources to potentially impacted regions to stay ahead of the storm and keep New Yorkers safe,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a statement released Sunday. “I encourage all New Yorkers in affected regions to plan ahead, and avoid any unnecessary travel as the storm progresses."
Among the New York State Department of Transportation’s assets for snow-clearing: 1,600 large dump and plow trucks; 200 medium dump and plow trucks; 324 loaders and 42 truck and loaders with mounted snow blowers; 61 tow plows; 20 graders; and 15 pickup trucks with plows.
In New York City, the Department of Sanitation on Sunday issued a Snow Alert that will start on Monday at 11 p.m., which will allow the department to prepare its response “by loading salt spreaders, attaching plows, preparing tire chains and notifying other city agencies and supplementary personnel as needed.”
The department, the largest municipal sanitation agency in the world, has a fleet of 2,000 rear-loading collection trucks, 450 mechanical brooms and 689 salt and sand spreaders and will manage snow-clearing operations on about 6,500 miles of streets and roadways under the city’s jurisdiction.
Along the coast, the concern is flooding. Storm surges of 2-3 feet are expected between Delaware and New England.
“The coastal flooding for two, possibly three high tides is what we’re focused on protecting homes and businesses from,” said Belmar Mayor Matt Doherty. North Wildwood Mayor Patrick Rosenello said Tuesday morning’s high tide is what he is keep tabs on. “If that goes to a solid moderate flooding or even major that would be a concern.”
In The Boston Globe this weekend, meteorologist Eric Fisher noted this weekend that it’s hard to know the exact storm track at this point, so localized impacts are hard to nail down . “There’s been lots of lead time on this one, but as always the devil is in the details. . . Very small wobbles can have a huge impact on the overall outcome.”
Spring will come eventually in the Northeast. But not this week.
Michael Grass is Executive Editor of Government Executive’s Route Fifty and is based in Washington, D.C.
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