BOSTON // New Englanders hit by a blizzard packing knee-high snowfall and hurricane-force winds began digging out on Wednesday as some New Yorkers and others spared its full fury questioned whether forecasts were overblown.
The storm was a bitter, paralysing blast to New England, with about half a metre of snow in most of Massachusetts, potentially making it one of the top snowstorms of all time there.
A blizzard warning for Boston ended Tuesday evening as the snow tapered off, but one remained in effect for the south coast, Cape Cod and nearby islands.
The area also was dealing with bitter cold: The low in Boston on Wednesday is expected to be -12°C, with wind chill of -20.5°C, and forecasters said it would not get above freezing for the next week or so.
The Boston area had more than 30cm of snow. Snowplow operators around New England struggled to keep up, and Boston police drove several dozen doctors and nurses to work at hospitals.
In New York, forecasters apologised for their predictions of a possible historic storm, and politicians defended their near-total shutdown on travel.
Some residents grumbled about the forecasts being overblown, but others sounded a better-safe-than-sorry note and even expressed sympathy for the weatherman.
Forecasters originally warned the storm could bring up to a metre of snow and punishing hurricane-force winds. But on Tuesday they downgraded most of those numbers, saying Boston and the northeastern New England region would be worst hit, but even then not as bad as expected.
A National Weather Service forecaster in New Jersey apologised on Twitter for the off-target forecast.
“You made a lot of tough decisions expecting us to get it right, and we didn’t. Once again, I’m sorry,” Gary Szatkowski tweeted.
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie defended his statewide ban on travel as “absolutely the right decision to make” in light of the dire forecast.
As the storm pushed into the Northeast on Monday, the region came to a near standstill, alarmed by forecasters’ dire predictions. More than 7,700 flights were cancelled, and schools, businesses and government offices closed.
As dawn broke, New York City had an almost eerie feel to it. No aeroplanes in the sky and no trains running underground made for an unexpected quiet. A few municipal lorries rumbled down empty streets.
But as the storm pushed northward, it tracked farther east than forecasters had been expecting, and conditions improved quickly in its wake. By midmorning on Tuesday, New Jersey and New York City lifted driving bans, and subways and trains started rolling again, with a return to a full schedule expected on Wednesday.
* Associated Press
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Confirmed%20bouts%20(more%20to%20be%20added)
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Pieces of Her
Stars: Toni Collette, Bella Heathcote, David Wenham, Omari Hardwick
Director: Minkie Spiro
Rating:2/5
OPTA'S PREDICTED TABLE
1. Liverpool 101 points
2. Manchester City 80
3. Leicester 67
4. Chelsea 63
5. Manchester United 61
6. Tottenham 58
7. Wolves 56
8. Arsenal 56
9. Sheffield United 55
10. Everton 50
11. Burnley 49
12. Crystal Palace 49
13. Newcastle 46
14. Southampton 44
15. West Ham 39
16. Brighton 37
17. Watford 36
18. Bournemouth 36
19. Aston Villa 32
20. Norwich City 29
The five pillars of Islam
Company%20Profile
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Director: Jon Favreau
Starring: Donald Glover, Seth Rogen, John Oliver
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
ENGLAND SQUAD
Joe Root (c), Moeen Ali, Jimmy Anderson, Jonny Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler, Alastair Cook, Sam Curran, Keaton Jennings, Ollie Pope, Adil Rashid, Ben Stokes, James Vince, Chris Woakes
Messi at the Copa America
2007 – lost 3-0 to Brazil in the final
2011 – lost to Uruguay on penalties in the quarter-finals
2015 – lost to Chile on penalties in the final
2016 – lost to Chile on penalties in the final
Ovo's tips to find extra heat
- Open your curtains when it’s sunny
- Keep your oven open after cooking
- Have a cuddle with pets and loved ones to help stay cosy
- Eat ginger but avoid chilli as it makes you sweat
- Put on extra layers
- Do a few star jumps
- Avoid alcohol
DUBAI%20BLING%3A%20EPISODE%201
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECreator%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENetflix%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EKris%20Fade%2C%20Ebraheem%20Al%20Samadi%2C%20Zeina%20Khoury%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, last-16. first leg
Atletico Madrid v Juventus, midnight (Thursday), BeIN Sports
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Company%20profile
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The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
North Pole stats
Distance covered: 160km
Temperature: -40°C
Weight of equipment: 45kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 0
Terrain: Ice rock
South Pole stats
Distance covered: 130km
Temperature: -50°C
Weight of equipment: 50kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 3,300
Terrain: Flat ice
UFC%20FIGHT%20NIGHT%3A%20SAUDI%20ARABIA%20RESULTS
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