Colosseum closes and drivers abandon cars as snow falls on Rome for the first time in 26 YEARS

Italian capital grinds to halt as severe weather halts traffic
Locals shiver in tiled homes thanks to city's heating restrictions
-36C temperatures across eastern Europe send death toll to 176
Military on alert in the UK as temperatures drop and snowfall is predicted
Over 11,000 villagers in Serbia trapped by snowdrifts and blizzards
Death toll in Ukraine now 122, with 38 people killed by cold last night

 By Emma Reynolds

Last updated at 4:58 PM on 4th February 2012


The Colosseum and other ancient tourist sights closed to tourists as Rome saw snow for the first time in 26 years.

Traffic in the Italian capital ground to a halt as buses struggled to climb icy hills and authorities accustomed to a warm climate fought to cope.

Visitors were stopped from entering the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill, the former home of Rome's ancient emperors, over fears they could slip on ice.
 
Roman roads: An aerial view showing the snow-covered Colosseum, which was closed to tourists today
 
Island in the snow: The rare cold snap leaves the Italian city's Tiber island blanketed with frost
 
Breathtaking: Historical sights including St Peter's Square in Vatican City looked as if they had been frozen in time

Desolate grace: The capital's iconic Colosseum, left, and Roman Forum, right, have not been snowed upon in nearly three decades

The news came as as the big freeze took hold of Europe, taking the continent's death toll to more than 176.

The last substantial snowfalls in Rome were in 1985 and 1986, though there have been other cases of lighter snow since then, including in 2010.

Snow began falling on Friday morning, leaving a light dusting on trees and cars and forming slush on the roads.

After easing for a few hours, wind-driven snow started falling again heavily in the city before midnight and continued into this morning.

 More...
Big freeze Britain: Forecasters warn 15cm of snow on the way as icy weather settles in across country
Towns cut off and thousands trapped by worst flooding in Eastern Australia for 35 years (but at least the fishing's good)
At least someone's not shivering: Visitors treated to 22c heat at Kew Garden's new Tropical Extravaganza

The authorities ordered cars without tyre chains off the road till at least noon as vehicles were trapped for hours on the ring road after many cars skidded and frustrated drivers abandoned their vehicles having waited hours for accidents to be cleared.

Since the capital rarely sees freezing temperatures, heating in homes is only legally allowed for 10 to 12 hours a day, to cut down on pollution. The cold snap, with temperatures hovering at or just below the freezing point, left Romans shivering in their homes, many of which have tile and marble floors.

Snow dusted pine and palm trees and changed into slush on the cobblestone streets in the centre. In many neighbourhoods, 6cm (2.5 inches) of snow accumulated.

After hearing the forecasts on Thursday night, Mayor Gianni Alemanno cancelled classes on Friday and Saturday, but said school buildings would stay open so working parents could drop off their children if they had no other place to leave them.

Buses were stuck at the bottom of the steep streets of the Monteverde neighbourhood near the ancient Janiculum Hill, and commuters and residents ascended the hill by foot. Balconies resembled skating rinks as overnight rain froze and snow covered the ripe fruit on orange trees growing on the Roman terraces.
 

Icing on the cake: The city's pretty Spanish Steps are piled with frosting following heavy overnight snowfall
  Rome, Italy: Tourists walk past the iconic Colosseum during snowfalls today, while a resident in the city shivers under his umbrella 
 Rome, Italy: Tourists are forced to bring out their brollies as they walk past the Arco di Costantino during snowfalls today. The snowflakes are the first in the city for 26 years
 
Snowy surprise: A rarely used snowplough clears a road in Rome, while Saint-Peter's Basilica is blanketed in white

North of Rome, a ferry that was just leaving the port of Civitavecchia for Sardinia slammed into a dock when the ship in the wind, Italian news agency ANSA reported early Saturday. The impact left a gash in the ferry's side above the water line, and two tugs pulled the ferry back toward the dock so the 262 passengers and 53 crew members on board could be evacuated, the report said.

Authorities appealed to Italians to avoid unnecessary travel, as the cold spell was forecast to continue well into the next week.

As snow covered Italy, air travellers faced problems, as Alitalia said it was cancelling about 40 departures and landings as a precaution.

In several parts of the country, some passengers on commuter trains as well as high speed lines complained that they were left in the dark or cold for hours after snow and ice blocked tracks.

In the northern Italian town of Maranello, Ferrari unveiled its overhauled Formula One car in a low-key internet presentation after the full launch was cancelled because of the snowstorm.

The storm dumped 40 or more centimetres (more than 3 feet) of snow, with even higher drifts, across the central-north, which was hit even harder than Rome.
Road chaos: A pile-up involving up to a hundred cars on the Lahti motorway, close to the Jakomaki district of Helsinki, Finland
 Blizzard: The collision on the motorway in the Jakomaki district took place in slippery conditions and blowing snow
 Slushy sand: Children play on a snow-covered beach near the Majorca's Cathedral in Palma, Majorca
 
Travel chaos: A tow truck lends assistance to a car on a country road in Merignies, northern France, left, while a police car drives with snowchains in Rome, right Temperatures plunged as low as minus 22C (-7F), in Trepalle, a village in the Italian Alps.
In the northern financial capital of Milan, a homeless man who had covered himself with a blanket and taken shelter under a bush, was found dead of exposure to the cold on Thursday, officials said.

EU BRACED FOR RUSSIAN GAS SHORTAGE

The European Union is bracing for another potential energy crisis in the dead of winter as Russian gas supplies to some of its member states suddenly have dwindled by up to 30 percent.

The European Commission put its gas coordination committee on alert today, but insisted the situation had not yet reached an emergency level since coordination between nations to help each other had improved and storage facilities had been upgraded.

Commission spokeswoman Marlene Holzner said Russia was going through an extremely cold spell and needed more gas to keep its citizens warm.

She said that Russia's gas contracts 'allow for certain flexibility in case they also need the gas. And that is the situation that Russia is facing at the moment.' The severe winter in Russia has seen temperatures drop to minus 35 C (minus 30 F).


Meanwhile, the death toll across Europe reached 176. Temperatures have plummeted as low as -36C in parts of Ukraine and Siberia.

Snowstorms have trapped people in their homes and vehicles across Bosnia, and even prevented the leaders of neighbouring Serbia and Croatia from travelling home.

More than a metre (3ft) of snow fell on Sarajevo, while around 30 people spent the night in their vehicles in a tunnel south of the capital and called local radio stations Saturday to appeal for help, saying they had children with them and were running out of fuel.

Snow ploughs sent to help trapped drivers got stuck, and the presidents of Serbia and Croatia - who attended a summit at a ski resort near Sarajevo yesterday - were not able to leave the mountain after the meeting.

In Serbia, at least 11,000 villagers are stranded in their homes by heavy snow and blizzards which have hit remote areas that cannot be reached due to icy, snow-clogged roads.

The worst weather is near Serbia's southwestern town of Sijenica, where it has been freezing cold or snowing for 26 days, and diesel fuel supplies used by snowploughs are running low.

Thirty-eight more people have died overnight as freezing weather grips Ukraine, authorities say. The death toll there from the past week is now 122.

The Emergency Situations Ministry in Ukraine said more than 1,200 other people have been treated in hospital for hypothermia and frostbite as temperatures in some parts of the country sank to -32C (-26F).

Authorities have closed schools and colleges and set up nearly 3,000 heating and food shelters across the country. Health officials instructed hospitals not to discharge homeless patients, even after treatment is finished, to save them from the cold.

Experts said the high death toll reflects the country's inability to deal with the homeless, although there have still been dozens of death elsewhere in Eastern Europe.

The extreme weather has caused more than 200 road accidents and left 40 people hospitalised in Finland, some with severe injuries.

A pile-up of up to 100 cars took place on Helsinki's Lahti motorway yesterday, as travel chaos caused delays for rail and air passengers too.
Snow fell across large parts of the UK, where fountains, fences and phone masts resembled ice sculptures.  Ice queen: A hiker stands at the frozen shores of Lake Neuchatel in Yverdon, Switzerland
 
Fragile foliage: A man passes frozen plants on the edge of Lake Neuchatel in Yverdon, Switzerland
 Krasnoyarsk, Russia: Members of a local winter swimming club warm up on the bank of the Yenisei River in the town of Divnogorsk
 Krasnoyarsk, Russia: The brave swimmers shiver in the river as the air temperature around them falls to -25c. The icy temperatures have been repeated across eastern Europe

London: The fountain next to Westminster Bridge demonstrates how low the temperatures have dropped in the capital  North Yorkshire, UK: Snow falling and freezing on wire fences and walls in the Pennines make ice sculptures as the whole landscape turns white

The east of the country will be covered in snow today and the South-East, Midlands and North will be hit tomorrow afternoon.
The Met Office said up to 15cm of snow could fall across much of England and Wales, with southern and central areas likely to see the worst of it.
A level three ‘amber’ cold weather alert - the second most serious - was issued, which warns of health risks to the elderly and vulnerable, and the likelihood of disruption to transport.

The alerts are tied in to the Government’s Cold Weather Plan and are relayed to organisations such as Age UK, which help the elderly through winter. The military have been put on alert should conditions deteriorate to a level four.

When freezing conditions struck in 2010, members of the armed forces were called in to help clear snow from the roads and assist residents in particularly hard-hit areas and help clear special locations such as hospitals and care homes.
 Kosovo, Serbia: A truck drives through heavy snowfalls near the town of Obilic. 122 people have died across Eastern Europe since the cold snap began on Friday last week
 
Belgrade, Serbia: Heavy snowfall in the town of Nis, 200km south of the Serbian capital. Freezing temperatures have killed six people and trapped some 11,500 others.  Partnachklamm, Germany: A tourist walks past icicles at the gorge

   A man views icicles on a window in Uzice 200km southwest of Belgrade, left, while snow clings to the tower of the Wendelstein church, Germany's highest church, 1838 metres up on Wendelstein mountain near Bayrischzell, southern Germany  Medvedja, Serbia: A car is almost completely buried by snow

The stranded people in eastern Europe are those that live in homes in remote mountainous areas. Many of the dead have been homeless people unable to find shelter.

Parts of the Black Sea froze near the Romanian coastline and there was a rare snowfall on Croatian islands in the Adriatic Sea. In Bulgaria, 16 towns recorded their lowest temperatures since records started 100 years ago.

Police spokesman Predrag Maric said emergency crews were pressing hard to try to clear the snow and deliver badly needed supplies.
He said: 'We are trying everything to unblock the roads since more snow and blizzards are expected in the coming days,' Maric said.
 
 The Nettuno fountain is covered by snow in downtown Bologna, Italy while a man shovels snow in front of in Milan Cathedral
 Trees weighed down by heavy snow in the German city of Winterberg.  Ducks swim in the frozen Elbe-Luebeck canal near Moelln in Germany

'We hope to get the supplies there today, or tomorrow at the latest.'
 
More...
Big freeze Britain: Forecasters warn 15cm of snow on the way as icy weather settles in across country
Towns cut off and thousands trapped by worst flooding in Eastern Australia for 35 years (but at least the fishing's good)
At least someone's not shivering: Visitors treated to 22c heat at Kew Garden's new Tropical Extravaganza

Newly reported deaths on Thursday because of the cold included 20 in Ukraine, nine in Poland, eight in Romania, and one more each in Serbia and the Czech Republic. Officials said most of victims were homeless.

Polish government spokeswoman Malgorzata Wozniak said her country's victims were mostly homeless people under the influence of alcohol who had sought shelter in unheated buildings.

Officials appealed to the public to quickly help anyone they saw in need.

In Romania, the health ministry on Thursday raised the number of cold-related deaths there to 22.

About 180 schools were closed in Romania because of the freezing cold. Three ships were blocked on the Danube River - one German, one Dutch and one Romanian - and efforts were made to unblock them from ice.

In Bulgaria, where 16 towns recorded their lowest temperatures since records started 100 years ago, 1,070 schools across the country remained closed Thursday and large sections of the Danube were frozen, hampering navigation.
 
Bulgaria: A woman shields herself under an umbrella as she walks through a heavy snowfall in Sofia
 
A frozen fountain near the main railway station in Zurich, Switzerland

 The Kremlin building is barely visible during a blizzard in Moscow
 
 Snow covered bicycles lie on the ground in St. Gallen, Switzerland as workers clear snow from a path in downtown Skopje, Macedonia

In Serbia and Bosnia, helicopters evacuated dozens of people from snow-blocked villages this week and airlifted in food and medicine.

Some Bosnian villages have had no electricity for days and crews were working around-the-clock trying to fix power lines.

The airport in Montenegro's capital, Podgorica, was shut down for the second day Thursday because of heavy snowfall.

However, the cold wave wasn't causing hardship everywhere.
 
Mist rises from the partially frozen Vistula River in front of the national stadium in the centre of Warsaw, Poland
 
A thin layer of snow covers the sand on La Concha beach in San Sebastian, north Spain
 
The Ferrari headquarters in Maranello, near Modena, northern Italy
 
The snow covered Ferrari test track at the sports car manufacturer's headquarters in Maranello, near Modena, northern Italy
 
Icicles hang from a shipping pier opposite Cologne Cathedral on the Rhine
 
 A Kamchatka brown bear plays with ice at the Gelsenkirchen zoo in Gelsenkirchen, Germany while a woman looks out of a window covered in frost while travelling on a bus in Bucharest, Romania

Dutch authorities banned boats from some of Amsterdam's canals and waterways in the hope the big freeze gripping the city would turn the still water to ice and allow residents to go skating. They also turned off mills and pumps that regulate water levels in the low-lying, flood-prone nation to improve the chances of canals freezing over.

Speed skating is a winter obsession in the Netherlands and hopes are about the possibility of holding the Elfstedentocht - or '11 Town Tour' - skating race being staged for the first time since 1997.

The 200-kilometer (125-mile) tour route takes skaters over frozen canals and lakes linking 11 towns in the northern Netherlands. The tour, which is also a race for elite skaters, has only been staged 15 times since the first official event in 1909.
 

Horsepower: A man rides through snow in the village of Vrapce 300km south of Belgrade in Serbia

A fierce storm with winds of up to 165mph has battered northern parts of Britain, with people warned to stay indoors, schools forced to close and flights and rail links cancelled.

Localized flooding has also caused major disruptions on roads - and more than 30,000 homes have been left without power.

In North Yorkshire, a RAF helicopter plucked a couple to safety after their car was swept away in flood waters near Aysgarth. They were flown to hospital with suspected hypothermia.

A third person was also rescued from his car in a separate incident near the village of Gunnerside.

Police have advised against all travel until at least 2am Friday, when winds are expected to ease.

The Met Office earlier issued its strongest warning - a red alert - for winds in Scotland and warned parts of England and Wales to "be aware", as temperatures were expected to drop and snowfall was predicted as far south as Birmingham.

It said the Highland observing station at Glen Ogle reported a gust of 104mph at 11am. The Met Office later tweeted that a gust at the Aonach Mor ski area peaked at 137mph.

A lorry makes its way along the A66 between Yorkshire and Cumbria

But further north in the Cairngorms, winds topped 165mph - the fastest gust recorded in the UK since 1986 when 173mph was felt, also on the top of the summit.

A Met Office spokeswoman said: "We do not issue red warnings lightly. That is why people need to take heed of it and take appropriate action."

By 2.45pm Scottish Rail confirmed it was suffering severe disruptions on express routes and minor disruptions across Highland, central, southwest and sleeper services.

It later suspended all routes from Edinburgh to Aberdeen, Perth and Dundee.

:: Upload your snowy photos and video on the Sky News website.

Flights to and from Scotland were also affected by the wild weather. Up to 5pm, Glasgow Airport had cancelled 37 flights and Edinburgh Airport said it was forced to cancel 21 flights with a further three also having to be diverted.

Passengers have been advised to check the status of their flight before going to the airport.

Police blocked a country road in Scotland after a tree toppled onto a house during the wild and windy weather battering the area

Flood warnings were issued for parts of northern England, with train speed restrictions in place between Carlisle, Leeds and Skipton.

In the Republic of Ireland, Malin Head was hit by steady winds of 58mph and gusts of 80mph, while ferry crossings to Cairnryan were cancelled.

Meanwhile, the Welsh Environment Agency warned of strong winds, with heavy rain expected for both mid and north Wales.

:: Latest updates on weather and transport:

Scottish Hydro reported thousands of customers left without electricity in Argyll and the Western Isles.

While Scottish Power said that, as of 3.30pm, as many as 12,000 homes in the Perthshire area were without power. Wind also disrupted power supplies in Dumfries, Central Scotland and the Clyde coast, it said.

The electricity company added that engineers have been prevented from fixing the problem as roads are blocked by fallen trees and the high winds have made it too dangerous to climb up poles.

The Forth Bridge was closed at around 10am, five hours ahead of an expected precautionary closure.

The fierce wind was too much for the turbines at Ardrossan Wind Farm in North Ayrshire, Scotland Pic: Stuart McMahon

Council-run schools and nurseries in the Borders, Renfrewshire, East Renfrewshire and Stirling council areas closed at lunchtime, while North Ayrshire recommended that parents keep children at home.

All classes at Glasgow and Strathclyde universities were cancelled, while Glasgow Caledonian university remained opened but asked students to take travel advice.

The Government said travel conditions could be "dangerous" and that road users may experience severe delays of several hours or more.

In particular, high-sided vehicles, HGVs and buses were advised not to travel during the onslaught.

Strong wind blasts have hit wide areas across Northern Ireland

Central Scotland Police assistant Chief Constable Allan Moffat extended the warning to motorists in northern and eastern areas of Scotland on Thursday night, as the severe weather spreads from the central belt.

:: Read the latest weather forecast from the Sky News weather team.

"This decision is based on the continued monitoring of weather activity which now predicts that the extreme winds will travel northwards and have a similar impact across the Northern, Grampian and Orkney Regions as has been occurring throughout the day in the central belt," he said.

"We are advised that this weather will impact from about 7pm and continue until about 2am, in addition to storm force winds there will also be snow especially in inland areas giving blizzard conditions at times.

"The wind will abate slightly after 2am with a possibility of ice thereafter.

"There are clear indications that the high winds will affect wide areas of those regions both inland and in coastal regions and in the Northern Isles."

No damage from Northern California tornado

Posted at 07:09 PM on Wednesday, Jun. 01, 2011

Weather service forecaster George Cline says no damage has been reported after the tornado was spotted in a rural area about 5 miles north of Yuba City around 5:30 p.m. Wednesday.

The tornado formed as a powerful rainstorm whipped through the area. The weather service had issued tornado warnings for the region, but Cline says they have since expired.

Besides the tornado, three-quarter inch hail was reported during the storm in the Folsom area, east of Sacramento.

The twister struck not far from where three tornadoes touched down last week, destroying hundreds of acres of almond orchards.

Several Tornadoes Touch Down In Massachusetts

June 1, 2011 11:59 PM

Springfield Damage (credit: Springfield Falcons hockey team)

Reporting Todd Gutner

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communities.

By Wednesday evening, at least four people were confirmed dead, along with dozens of injuries.  Governor Patrick has declared a State of Emergency.

The governor asked schools in the 19 affected communities to close for the day Thursday.

Gov. Patrick added that there were preliminary reports from State Police Col. Marian McGovern of looting in downtown Springfield after the first of two tornadoes ripped through the city.

The Roman Catholic diocese of Springfield said a retired priest was among those injured.

“You could see things were coming,” said Deborah McCarthy, who witnessed the tornado in Springfield from inside an office building. “Trees were starting to snap around us and the windows smashed on the upper floors. You can see cars flipped over, too.”

PICTURES: Pictures From Viewers & Listeners

“This is a major, major, major situation; a very dangerous situation,” said WBZ-TV meteorologist Todd Gutner during the height of the storms.

Pictures of Springfield show severe damage. There are many buildings missing roofs, others with their fronts torn off, and some completely flattened. There is also an obvious path of trees torn down.

The state police activated its Special Emergency Response Team and members of the K-9 Unit to assist in searching damaged structures for survivors.

Dana Markawitz of the Springfield Falcons talks with WBZ NewsRadio 1030′s Anthony Silva about the damage he’s seeing

Highway ramps into Springfield were closed, and many roads in Springfield were impassable because of downed trees and power lines.

Michelle Lepianka Carter  /  AP

Janette Bentley stands near an uprooted tree in front of her Tuscaloosa, Ala., home on Veterans Memorial Parkway on Friday after a tornado went through.

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Fox-affiliate WALA reported

those killed in Washington County were a mother and two of her children.

It said the father and two other children were seriously injured when a possible tornado struck near the Vinegar Bend community at about 8:15 pm Friday.

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Don Faulkner, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Mobile, estimated mobile homes make up around 40 percent of the houses in the area of Washington County where the storm hit.

In Tuscaloosa, Ala., a suspected twister touched down on state Highway 69 near Shelton State College Friday, the Tuscaloosa News reported. Some 18,000 customers had lost power and initial reports included damages to a motel and bank.

NASCAR fans 
Some 30,000 NASCAR fans were camped out Friday at the Talladega Superspeedway for a race Sunday."This is causing us to do some extra planning," said Art Faulkner, director of the Alabama Emergency Management Agency.

Rogelio V. Solis  /  AP

Alvin Lenoir points to a pile of income tax forms under insulation and ceiling panels in his demolished kitchen in Clinton, Miss., Friday. Lenoir had recently removed trees from his property to prevent storm damage, but his neighbor's trees were blown over his home and through the roof and sides.

The system showed no mercy on Mississippi either as it rolled eastward, damaging or destroying dozens of homes, businesses and churches.

Crews worked to clear roads, find shelter for displaced families and restore power to thousands.

In Marengo County in west-central Alabama, four separate tornadoes hit over the span of about five to six hours, emergency management director Kevin McKinney said.

"They weren't simultaneous, they were back-to-back," he said.

The mobile home that had been tossed was a pile of rubble, along with another 30 homes or businesses that were destroyed, McKinney said. In addition to the man who died in the mobile home, four people had minor injuries.

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Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley declared a state of emergency for the entire state, and the first race of a busy weekend at the Talladega Superspeedway was postponed until Saturday morning.

The storms began late Thursday in Oklahoma, where at least five tornadoes touched down and two people were killed. The system then pushed into Arkansas, killing seven more. Dozens of others were hurt.

By midday Friday, the storms had marched into Tennessee, Louisiana and later into Georgia. At least three twisters touched down in Mississippi, where a state of emergency was declared in 14 counties, causing widespread damage but only one serious injury.

The hardest hit was Clinton, a city of about 26,000 people just west of Jackson, the state capital. At least seven people were taken by ambulance to hospitals with injuries.

Debra Zepponi, 50, looked at her roof damage and was thankful for what she didn't lose.

Her Yorkshire-Maltese mix dog Bailey was not hurt, and her mother's favorite magnolia tree in the yard was the only one left standing.

 AND THE 2011 WINTER BEGINS!

Unusual Snow Followed by Record Lows

by Chris Dolce, Meteorologist

After bringing snow to the Pacific Northwest Wednesday into Thursday, a very cold storm originating from Alaska will continue southward along the coast of California.

The image to the right shows this low-pressure system moving from California into the Southwest Friday through Saturday, bringing snow to unusual places along its path.

Snow will fall to elevations as low as 1,000 feet in the San Francisco Bay Area on Friday. By Friday night into Saturday morning, it's not out of the question that some flakes may fall as low as sea level in the Bay Area. This is all dependent on how much moisture is leftover as the coldest air arrives.

Map: See Bay Area winter storm alerts

According to the National Weather Service, it has not snowed in downtown San Francisco since February of 1976. This gives an idea of the rarity of snow in San Francisco thanks to the marine influence of the Pacific Ocean.

According to the National Weather Service in Los Angeles, temperatures around 18,000 feet up in atmosphere could hit levels only seen one other time in the area since 1977. Just another example of how cold and unusual this storm is.

Snow in Southern California could fall to elevations as low as 1000 to 2000 feet in Ventura and Los Angeles Counties Friday night into Saturday. Light snow could fall in elevated valley locations of these counties, including the Santa Clarita Valley. Portions of San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties could see some flakes fall as low as 500 feet.

Map: See S. Calif. winter storm alerts | Snow forecast map

Travel will be tough on many mountain roads and passes, including I-5 through the Grapevine. A foot or more of snow will pile up in the higher elevations above 5,000 feet.

A band of rain will move through the lower elevations along the coast of Southern California Friday night. Scattered showers and possibly a thunderstorm may linger on Saturday.

There is also a cold side to this story and record lows will be threatened the next couple of mornings from the Northwest to California.  

Icy morning delays AM commute; Amtrak restored

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Last Updated: 11:51 AM, February 2, 2011

Posted: 6:01 AM, February 2, 2011

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/ice_warning_for_nyc_E4Bbc7COm73lzs5WqyzuuN#ixzz1CpJBk672An ice storm in New York's metropolitan area is causing headaches for travelers.

About three quarters of an inch of ice is expected by midmorning before the sleet/freezing rain changes to all rain by midday.

In Central Park, pathways were like an ice-skating rink. Commuters from north of the city getting off buses along Fifth Avenue had to carefully maneuver sidewalks covered in sleet.

- North of the city, Metro-North railroad reported delays of up to 25 minutes on its New Haven line due to crowded trains and weather-related equipment shortages.

- The Long Island Rail Road is operating on a weekend schedule.

AP

A woman makes her way along an icy sidewalk, Wednesday in New York.

- NYC subway service is running on a normal schedule but straphangers should expect delays. Bus riders were also warned to expect weather-related delays and service changes on routes throughout the city.

- NJTransit restored bus service after 7 a.m. but riders should expect delays and detours due to local road and weather conditions. Limited train service has been restored on the Northeast Corridor and North Jersey Coast lines while service was suspended due to ice buildup on overhead power lines on the Morris & Essex and Montclair-Boonton routes.

- Amtrak passengers are still facing delays between New York City and Philadelphia.

The railroad resumed service on that stretch of the Northeast Corridor after it was suspended for more than an hour because of power problems Wednesday.

Amtrak says passengers can expect delays of 30 to 45 minutes due to intermittent power and signal problems between the cities.

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/ice_warning_for_nyc_E4Bbc7COm73lzs5WqyzuuN#ixzz1CpInmD28- Flight disruptions are reported at JFK and LaGuardia airports. Travelers are advised to check with their airline before heading to the airport.

Motorists, meanwhile, had to deal with a slushy mess.

Transportation officials say major roadways throughout the city, Long Island and Westchester County are very slick. But traffic is light to moderate.

The Office of Emergency Management says city public schools and government offices are open.

Sso far only a few power outages have been reported in the New York City area.

The Long Island Power Authority reported more than 6,000 outages. Its crews are working 16-hour shifts to restore power.

Con Edison reported about 290 customers without power Wednesday morning, most of them in Queens

A colossal blizzard roaring across a third of the country paralyzed the nation's heartland with ice and snow, leaving motorists stranded for hours and shuttering airports and schools as it barreled toward the Northeast.

The monstrous storm billed as the worst in decades delivered knock-out after knock-out as it made its way from Texas to Maine, bringing a huge swath of the country to a halt.

In upstate New York, Mike Schumaker was already into his fourth hour of what he predicted would be a 24-hour plowing marathon as he cleared snow from a suburban Albany gas station around 5 a.m. Wednesday.

"I figure I'll be going to about 1 or 2 in the morning. That's my guess," said the 42-year-old private contractor from Latham.

"It's not so much about plowing as it is about to where to put it," he said. "We still have snow from Christmas that hasn't melted."

Over 5,300 flights have been canceled Wednesday as of 10 a.m. EST, according to flight tracking service FlightAware. Most were scratched well in advance of the fast moving storm. Boston's Logan Airport is closed as of 9 a.m.. It's expected to re-open later Wednesday morning.

Airlines canceling the most flights Wednesday morning were regional operators for bigger airlines, including American Eagle and ExpressJet, which Delta and Continental.

On Tuesday, nearly 7,000 flights were canceled. There have been about 13,000 cancellations so far this week as airports from Texas to New England shut down.

Cyclone Yasi Rocks the Web

6 hours ago

Snow in the desert: Now the U.S. West Coast is hit by storms as blizzards, hurricane-strength winds and heavy rain shut roads and cut power

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
Last updated at 2:52 AM on 1st January 2011

• Blizzards shut interstate 17 and 40 in Arizona after hundreds of accidents on icy road
• One person killed by falling tree and snowboarder missing
  

Heavy snow and strong winds has shut down major roads and left urban areas in a whiteout as winter storms now batter the U.S. West Coast.

States in the west were hit by blizzards in mountainous regions and heavy rain at lower levels, cutting power to thousands of homes and triggering hundreds of accidents.

Even the relatively warm Phoenix desert area has been hit by the freezing weather, with heavy rain and residents warned to expect rare icy conditions.

Prickly subject: A man and his son walk through snow flurries on Finger Rock Trail, Tucson, as winter storms hit the U.S. West Coast

Desert-ed: The grounds of the Biosphere 2 in Oracle, Arizona, are dusted with snow as the storm brought blizzards and shut roads in the region

Whiteout: Interstate 40 outside Flagstaff, Arizona, is reduced to a crawl as snow drifts and ice hit the area

In San Fernando and San Gabriel valleys, weather warnings were issued after rare blast of hurricane-strength winds reaching 94mph were recorded. 

In Fargo, two trucks jack-knifed on the icy road on Interstate I-94, causing a pile-up involving 100 vehicles. 

Snow and ice forced the closure of parts of Interstate 17 and 40, the two major thoroughfares in northern Arizona, stranding hundreds of motorists south of Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon.

Abel Gurrola was stuck for several hours on the I-17 as he drove north with his wife and three sons.

He said: 'As far as I can see, it's tail lights.'

The highways have since reopened, but conditions remain treacherous.

On the East Coast, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg admitted the city's response to a massive blizzard was 'inadequate and unacceptable'.

Cleanup efforts, which left streets covered in snow days after the storm finished on Monday, 'was slower than anyone would have liked' he said.

He added: 'Clearly the response to this storm has not met our standard or the standard that New Yorkers have come to expect from us.'

Clear up: A man uses a snow blower to clear the front of his home in Flagstaff

Stuck: A snowplough drives down a main road in Flagstaff. Cars were stuck for hours on interstates after a series of accidents in the bad weather

Big freeze: A lone person walks through the Civic Center Park in Denver, Colorado, in heavy snow

Yesterday it was revealed that Sanitation Department workers were told to deliberately skip streets and plough streets slowly in protest at budget cuts within the department.

The Sanitation Department said it had now ploughed every city street at least once, except for blocks where abandoned cars blocked the way.

New York's airports were operating normally by yesterday after thousands of holiday passengers were stranded by the snow.

Officials cautioned it could take days to clear the backlog of travellers bumped from cancelled flights.

The Arizona Department of Public Safety said it had received more than 100 calls reporting accidents in just three hours.

Snow forced California to closer Interstate 15 between Los Angeles and Las Vegas, where gusting winds caused drifting. The road was shut between Halloran Springs and the Nevada state line, but has since reopened with patrol officers escorting motorists.

Halo: The sun lights up snow blowing at the top of Mount Rainier in this image seen from Seattle, Washington

Scenic: Sunshine hits the Santa Catalina mountains near Tucson, Arizona

Storm: A man struggles through high winds in Las Cruces, New Mexico. The area is expected to be hit by freezing temperatures as the front moves further inland

Debacle: In a scene that looks like it could have come from a developing country, the Mayor of New York has apologised for the response to clear heavy snow after a massive blizzard earlier this week

Blizzard warnings have been issued in parts of Arizona and forecasters said the storm would likely hit neighbouring New Mexico by today.

Gusts of more than 50mph hit parts of Los Angeles County, with reports of downed trees on several routes.

One person was killed by a falling tree and a snowboarder was missing as the bad weather hit.

The U.S. Coast Guard searched it had searched in 20ft seas for a pleasure boat reported to be in distress with four people aboard. It was unknown if they had been rescued.

And a camping Boy Scout troop had to be rescued after a snowstorm stranded them near Pocatello, Idaho. The seven boys and three adults had planned to spend the night at Lariat Cave but were unable to get out.

They were rescued by snowmobile.

Total white out: U.S. East Coast travellers warned to stay indoors as airports, road and rail grind to a halt and 'monster blizzard' expected to last until tomorrow

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
Last updated at 8:29 PM on 27th December 2010

• Motorists stranded on snow-clogged routes as ploughs cannot get through
  
• 1,400 flights out of New York's three major airports cancelled
• Train and bus services on East Coast suspended after two foot of snow
  
• New York gets December average of snow in a day
  
• Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, New Jersey declare states of emergency
• 
  

Blizzard conditions have reduced parts of the U.S. East Coast to a virtual standstill after airports were forced to cancel flights, trains shut down and roads were clogged by heavy snow.

The winter storm has wreaked havoc on travellers returning from the Christmas period from the Carolinas to Maine, leaving many stranded by the freezing conditions.

Airlines are scrambling to rebook passengers on thousands of cancelled flights - more than 1,400 out of New York's three major airports alone - and said they did not expect normal service to resume until at least tomorrow.

There's a car in there! A taillight peeks out where a vehicle is buried in snow on a street in New York after a blizzard dropped 18 to 20 inches across the area

A man tried to dig his car out on 72nd Street in New York after the blizzard buried it

WATCH THE STEP: A man gingerly side-steps down a snow-covered flight of stairs in Central Park

Amtrak cancelled its service from New York to Maine, as well as other trains in Virginia.

The nation's largest commuter rail system, New York's Long Island Rail Road, also suspended its service.

Bus companies up and down the East Coast have closed routes and roads have been left with near zero visibility in the heavy snow and strong winds.

Epic: A satellite image shows the storm spinning up the U.S. East Coast and in to Canada

Five feet of snow has fallen in Monmouth County, New Jersey, and a bus with 50 passengers on board as become stranded on the Garden State Parkway with snow ploughs unable to get through.

Police officers have been forced to carry water and food to people on board who had become feeling ill in the cold.

Up to 25 inches of snow has fallen in some places, with the winter storm expected to create deep snow drifts.

A father and his son braved the streets by the iconic Flatiron Building by Madison Square Park

Snowed in: A car is buried under a deep snow drift in New York as more than two foot fell in some parts of the U.S. East Coast

Clear up: Snow plows attempt to clear runways at Philadelphia International Airport as thousands of flights were cancelled across the East Coast

Snow chaos: Drivers struggle to stay in control of their vehicles. This picture was taken from the last bus from Syracuse in Upstate, New York, before the blizzard started

States of emergency were declared in North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, Maine and Massachusetts, where Gov. Deval Patrick urged people who did not have to be on the roads to stay home, to ensure their safety and that of work crews. 

Nonessential state workers were told to stay home today.

State police in Rhode Island responded to several snow-related car accidents, including at least two rollovers, but no serious injuries were reported.

Air carriers began canceling flights on Saturday and warned that more cancellations were likely Monday. Operations were suspended Sunday at New York's John F. Kennedy International and LaGuardia airports and at New Jersey's Newark Liberty International Airport.

Delta Air Lines Inc., which has canceled 850 flights and expected cancellations Monday in New York and Boston, said it hoped to be back to normal by Tuesday morning, while United Airlines said it could add more flights Monday to accommodate stranded passengers.

Game over: A plow tries to clear the heavy snow from the pitch at Lincoln Financial Field. The match between the Philadelphia Eagles and Minnesota Vikings had to be postponed

Shut down: A sailboat is covered in snow in Great Bridge Locks Park, Chesapeake. Hundreds of flights across the U.S. have been cancelled because of the weather

White-out: A snowplow clears roads in Westport, Connecticut, with forecasters predicting up to a foot of snow in places

In Boston, Mayor Thomas Menino declared a snow emergency that bans parking on all major streets, and the New England Aquarium bubble-wrapped its four 5-foot-tall penguin ice sculptures to protect them from the wind and snow.

More than 2,400 sanitation workers were working in 12-hour shifts to clear New York City's 6,000 miles of streets.

'I understand that a lot of families need to get home after a weekend away, but please don't get on the roads unless you absolutely have to,' Mayor Michael Bloomberg said.

In Rhode Island, emergency officials encouraged businesses to let employees report to work late Monday, saying road conditions for the morning commute would be treacherous.

'You don't want to get your employees hurt,' said Steve Kass, a spokesman for the state Emergency Management Agency. 'The roads are not going to be good, that's for sure.'

The monster storm is the result of a low pressure system off the North Carolina coast and strengthened as it moved northeast, the National Weather Service said. Because of it, parts of the South had their first white Christmas since records have been kept.

Bleak: A man attempts to dig is 4x4 out of a snow drift in Hoboken, New Jersey

Hazardous: A car makes its way along an icy road in rural Chesapeake, Virginia

After the blizzard: People stand on a mound of ploughed snow in Time Square, New York

The snow began falling in New York in late morning, and by 5pm it had already eclipsed the average of 3.3 inches for the month of December.

Sledders, snowboarders, hikers and even a few skiers were soon out in the storm, but there was litle joy to be had for anyone trying to travel.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg warned that the storm could quickly turn dangerous, which could down trees, disrupt railroad signal systems and pose hazards for drivers.

He also expressed concern for the city's homeless, who had no way and nowhere to escape the freezing temperatures.

Mr Bloomberg promised that major roads would be cleared by ploughs overnight, and there was evidence that work had got underway.

But he told commuters to take mass transit into work. Trains, subways and buses were expected to be running. 

Scroll down for video

Blizzard: People walk through the heavy snow in Manhattan's Union Square as the winter storm continues to bite

Cold weather for dogs: A man walks his pet along Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, as snow falls around him

A bit nippy: A man walks his dogs along a beach in in Westport, Connecticut

Amtrak cancelled trains south of Washington to Richmond and Newport News, Virginia, and later those between New York and Boston, citing problems with high winds that affect signals, switches and overhead wires.

The service between Washington and New York was not affected. 

More than 2,000 flights were cancelled by major airlines on the Eastern Seaboard, 1,444 of them at Kennedy International and La Guardia Airports in New York and Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey. 

The knock-on effect of the cancellations affected hundreds of other flights from Chicago and Atlanta, and even from London and Paris. 

One terminal at Kennedy was turned into a campsite of refugees. Entire families rested on stacks of luggage, or slept restlessly on the floor. 

People who ventured out in cars found major roads treacherous. Bus carriers cancelled service between Washington and Boston.

The storm also put a damper on after-Christmas shopping on the East Coast today. 

But shoppers across the rest of the U.S. scoured clearance racks and spent gift cards during the afterglow of the best holiday season for retailers since 2007.

'The forecast will tend to keep (shoppers) at home. It's not the best day for shopping,' said Scott A Bernhardt, chief operating officer at weather research firm Planalytics.

Because the storm is after Christmas, the loss will hurt retailers less than last year's snowstorm the Saturday before Christmas that buried much of the same area. That one cost retailers about $2billion. 

This time, there's no December 25 deadline.

'People will just wait a day to do exchanges and use their gift cards. It's no big deal,' said Greg Maloney, CEO of the retail practice of Jones Lang LaSalle, which manages malls across the country.

He expects December revenue to grow a healthy seven per cent to 10 per cent from last year.

Strong spending this week would build on the highest-spending holiday season since 2007, a record year. December 26-January 1 makes up less than 10 per cent of the November 1-December 31 season but accounts for more than 15 per cent of holiday spending, research firm ShopperTrak says.

Predictions call for a retail revenue increase of three to four per cent for the whole season, the best percentage increase since 2006.

The snow will send some shoppers online, where sales have been stellar. IBM Coremetrics said online spending rose more than 16 per cent the week ending Christmas Day, while the average order rose 13 per cent to $192.52. 

From November 1 through December 19, total online spending rose 12 per cent to $28.36billion, according to research firm comScore Inc.

Grounded: More than 2,000 commercial flights were cancelled as the big storm rolled in, including about 1,400 flights from JFK, La Guardia and Newark, pictured above

Stranded: Optimistic travellers who turned up to Newark airport and others slowly saw their hopes disappear as almost all flights were cancelled

Hopeless situation: Travellers soon realised that they would be waiting a long time before flights returned to normal. JFK transformed part of its airport into a refugee camp

The day after Christmas was the second-highest revenue day for retailers last year with $7.9billion spent, according to ShopperTrak.

The nation's largest mall, the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota, expected 100,000 shoppers Sunday, a bustling crowd on a day of respite from heavy snow that has plagued the area.

'We happen to have good weather, unlike what we've been having,' spokesman Dan Jasper said. He expects holiday revenue for stores at the mall will rise eight per cent over last year.

The monster storm is the result of a low pressure system off the North Carolina coast that will strengthen into a major storm as it moves northeast, according to the National Weather Service.

The white Christmas in the South was one for the record books. Columbia, South Carolina, had its first significant Christmas snow since weather records were first kept in 1887.

Atlanta had just over an inch of snow - the first measurable accumulation on Christmas Day since the 1880s.

The North Carolina Highway Patrol said late Saturday that most of the roads in and around Asheville were either covered or partially covered with snow and ice.

Emergency management spokeswoman Julia Jarema said troopers in the two dozen westernmost counties answered 350 calls in 18 hours Saturday. Most were wrecks.

'We're busy,' Ryan Dean of Dean's Wrecker Service in Raleigh, North Carolina, said today. 'We've been out since three in the morning pulling people out of the ditch.'

Transportation officials in South Carolina deployed more than 200 plows, salt trucks and other equipment.

Residents of the top floors of the buildings were evacuated. A structural engineer was called in to assess the damage.

Investigators planned to spend several hours Friday looking over the area and mapping out the width and intensity of the storm to determine if a tornado touched down, said Kyle Struckmann, a National WeatherService meteorologist.

Eight twisters have hit New York City since 1950, he said. The last was in July, when a small one hit the Bronx during a thunderstorm that left thousands without power. In 2007, a tornado with winds up to 135 mph touched down in Staten Island and in Brooklyn, where it damaged homes and ripped the roof off a car dealership.

On Thursday, a grateful Townsend Davis stood outside his Brooklyn home, where a 40-foot tree that was uprooted from the sidewalk and crushed two cars still had a sign in the soil around its roots that read "Respect the trees."

"Someone up there wasn't listening," said Davis, 47. "I'm just glad it fell that way, as bad as I feel for the owners of that car, because if it fell this way, my house wouldn't be here."

Davis' children and wife were in the home when the storm hit.

"All of a sudden, we saw this dark cloud, and it was moving. I said `Let's go in!'" said Stephen Wylie, who was working in a backyard in Brooklyn.

Within seconds, the front door started lashing back and forth. Trees branches were falling and trees came flying from other yards, Wylie said.

"They smashed the whole backyard, a gazebo there. Then half the roof was torn off — eight layers of it" — leaving only a layer of wood, he said.

In Brooklyn's Park Slope neighborhood, witnesses say the sky went pitch black at about 5:30 p.m. Trees started waving around like blades of grass. Large branches snapped and hit cars, smashing windshields.

___

Associated Press Writer Charles Sheehan contributed to this report.