'Tidal Wave of Snow' Forecast to Cripple North-eastern US

Winter storm Juno

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: 50 million told to 'go home and stay home' as planes are grounded and cars ordered off streets before giant storms sweep into New York and Boston

A crippling blizzard predicted to dump historic snowfalls swept into the American north-east as shops reported panic buying, airlines cancelled thousands of flights and governors announced states of emergency and travel bans.

Meteorologists forecast up to two feet of snow would fall in New York city in a few hours while 30 inches could carpet Boston.

But just as alarming were the heavy winds that would drive the snow as gusts were expected to reach 50mph in New York and near hurricane-strength 70mph in Cape Cod, whipping up towering drifts and exacerbating the rapid accumulations.

As the storm bore down on America’s most populated corridor, a 250-mile stretch from New Jersey to New England, political leaders had the same message for the 50 million residents in its path: go home and stay there.

“It will be like a tidal wave of snow,” predicted Henry Margusity, a meteorologist with AccuWeather forecasting company, while the National Weather Service described the storm as “life-threatening”. Some regions were expected to be battered by “thundersnow” with thunder and lightning accompanying intense downpours of snow. » | Philip Sherwell, New York | Monday, January 26, 2015

USA: Record Snow, New Power Outages as Storm Slams Northeast

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Hurrikan "Sandy": "Zerstörungen unvorstellbaren Ausmaßes"

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Der öffentliche Verkehr ist zusammengebrochen, Teile New Yorks sind überflutet: Nur allmählich kehrt Leben zurück in die Straßen der Stadt. Hurrikan "Sandy" dürfte Zerstörungen von historischem Ausmaß verursacht haben; besonders dramatisch ist die Lage im Bundesstaat New Jersey, sagte Gouverneur Christie.

New York - Es war vor einem Sturm der Superlative gewarnt worden, nun werden die Ausmaße seiner Zerstörungskraft allmählich messbar: Ersten Schätzungen zufolge beläuft sich die Schadenssumme auf zehn bis 20 Milliarden Dollar. Damit wäre "Sandy" eine der teuersten Naturkatastrophen in der Geschichte der USA.

Millionen Menschen an der Ostküste der USA waren am Montagabend zu Bett gegangen, ohne zu wissen, wie die Welt vor ihren Fenstern am nächsten Tag aussehen würde. Wenn sie denn überhaupt Schlaf finden konnten: Gegen acht Uhr am Abend war das Zentrum von "Sandy" auf die Küste New Jerseys getroffen, es folgte eine extrem stürmische Nacht.

Der Gouverneur von New Jersey, Chris Christie, zeigte sich bei einer Pressekonferenz schockiert über die Schäden in seinem Staat. "Das Ausmaß der Zerstörung an der Küste von New Jersey ist unvorstellbar", sagte er CNN. Die Behörden seien weit davon entfernt, den meisten Bewohnern die Rückkehr zu gestatten, sagte der Politiker. » | bim/dpa/Reuters/AP/AFP | Dienstag, 30. Oktober 2012

Hurricane Sandy: New Jersey Residents Ordered to Evacuate Coast as Hurricane Approaches
Residents living [a]long New Jersey's coastal areas are ordered to evacuate as hurricane Sandy approaches. Several states have declared states of emergency. Meanwhile streets in parts of Norfolk in Virginia are flooded making the roads impassable to drivers. Several building were blocked off to keep water out

USA: Millions on East Coast Brace for Impact ahead of Rare Storm
Monster storm ready to strike East Coast

Hurricane Sandy Moves Up US Atlantic Coast
Category 1 system menaces large swathe of Eastern Seaboard as forecasters predict catastrophic hybrid "Frankenstorm"

Related »

"Super Storm" Sandy Heads Toward U.S. Northeast Coast
REUTERS.COM: Hurricane Sandy was downgraded on Saturday morning but remained highly menacing as it pulled away from the Bahamas, making a slow path toward the U.S. northeast coast where it threatens to become one of the worst storms in decades.

The late-season storm has been dubbed "Frankenstorm" by some weather watchers because it will combine elements of a tropical cyclone and a winter storm and is forecast to reach the U.S. coast close to Halloween.

Forecast models show it will have all the ingredients to morph into a so-called "super storm", stirring memories of the 1993 'Storm of the Century', whose impact in the United States was particularly destructive.

Governors in states along the U.S. East Coast declared emergencies on Friday, with officials urging residents to stock up on food, water and batteries. » | Kevin Gray | MIAMI | Saturday, October 27, 2012

WEATHER.COM VIDEO: Sandy: Major Impacts Expected in Northeast »

Maine Voters Reject Same-sex Marriage
THE TELEGRAPH: Voters in the US state of Maine have rejected a law allowing same-sex couples to marry.

The defeat was seen as a major setback for homosexual rights advocates.

In a closely fought referendum in the north-eastern state, 53 per cent of voters defeated a law passed by the state legislature in May, while 47 per cent voted for the measure, with 87 per cent of precincts reporting by early Wednesday.

The outcome from Tuesday's vote made Maine the third US state where voters repealed their local government's move granting same-sex couples the right to marry, following California and Hawaii. Homosexual marriage has not yet won a popular vote in any US state. >>> | Wednesday, November 04, 2009

New England Economy Could See Gay-marriage Boost
Gay marriage supporter Josh Drew shows off his wedding ring outside the Massachusetts State House in Boston November 9, 2006. Photo courtesy of Reuters
REUTERS: BOSTON - The expansion of legal gay marriage across New England could deliver an economic windfall by attracting a youthful "creative class" of workers to a region with an aging population.

In the past year, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine have joined Massachusetts, which in 2004 became the first U.S. state to allow same-sex weddings, in blessing gay and lesbian weddings.

That makes the region the first in the United States where same-sex couples can move from one state to another while retaining marriage benefits.

New arrivals include John Visser and Nick Keffer, who recently moved to Hartford, Connecticut, from Raleigh, North Carolina. They plan to wed later this month.

"The sole, only reason why we moved was because it was now legal for us to get married here," said Visser, 42. "No other reason whatsoever other than marriage equality. We were perfectly happy in North Carolina."

New England has long burnished an image of tolerance. Early European settlers in the 17th-century escaped religious persecution, although they imposed their own stern doctrines and sometimes expelled dissenters. Later, the region led the right for the abolition of black slavery.

Five out of the region's six states now endorse gay weddings after New Hampshire legalized same-sex marriage on Wednesday, leaving Rhode Island as the sole holdout.

The spread of gay marriage could serve as a recruiting tool for universities, health care companies and financial services firms that dominate the region's economy, experts said. >>> By Scott Malone | Thursday, June 04, 2009