Daily Blog for January 4, 2018: Winter storm 2018: almost the entire East Coast is covered in snow

A winter storm is threatening much of the East Coast with dangerous blizzard conditions.

If you live on the East Coast of the United States, know this: A major winter storm is underway.

Yesterday, almost the entire East Coast was under a winter storm watch or warning. And today blizzard conditions are expected in many coastal areas in the mid-Atlantic and in New England. It’s the last thing East Coasters are looking forward to after enduring one of the coldest holiday seasons on record.

Even Florida is experiencing weirdly cold weather, with a freeze watch or warning in place for much of the state. Wednesday, the light dusting of snow has brought some Florida cities to a standstill since they don’t have snow removal equipment or ice trucks. (Check out all the watches and warnings for each county here.)

As the storm crawled up the East Coast, it experienced a rapid drop in pressure, and grew intense, quickly. The storm now resembles something like a hurricane: a cyclone spinning around a central eye.

And you can already see the snow accumulations from the storm from space. Almost the entire East Coast is either covered in snow or by the storm.

NASA/NOAA GOES

As the storm reaches New England, it’s expected to gust with strong 30 to 50 mph winds(and could reach as high as 70 mph), bringing dangerous, power-line-snapping blizzard conditions and coastal flooding.

Boston could see a foot of snow, and officials are worried about power outages, which bring the threat of cutting heat for many residents. The storm is also causing dangerous, icy flooding in Boston and in other coastal New England areas.

New York may see half a foot of snow as well. Accumulations will decrease the further South you travel. (There are some exceptions, like Virginia Beach, which saw blizzard conditions) Though Southern cities like Charleston, South Carolina, and Savannah, Georgia, are only expecting a few inches of snow and freezing rain, it can quickly create a dangerous situation on roadways. And as the South has shown us before, a tiny amount of snow can cause mayhem.

Two notable things are happening right now.

The first is that it’s intensely, oddly cold in the Eastern United States.

Here’s a map modeling the average temperature anomaly (how far temperatures are from average, around the world, for this time of year). Overall, the world is 0.5 degrees Celsius warmer than average (thanks, climate change!). But parts of the East Coast of the United States are 10 degrees below normal.

Canada and the United States are currently the most unusually cold places on Earth right now. 

Climate Change Institute

This strange weather pattern has been with us for more than a week.

Remember: Winter weather is very dangerous!

CNN reports that 11 people have already died in the outbreak of winter cold throughout the country. So it’s important to stress: Winter weather is very, very dangerous. Cold temperatures and high winds are a recipe for frostbite and hypothermia. Hospitals routinely see an uptick in admissions for cold-related symptoms and heart problems in the days after a snowstorm. And then there’s traffic: About 800 people die in cold-weather related traffic accidents every year. So stay warm, stay off the roads, and be safe.