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US weather: Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont upgrade advisories to warnings amid winter storm scare
Winter weather advisories in various parts of the US were upgraded by National Weather Service (NWS) meteorologists to a more severe winter storm warning.
Winter weather advisories in various parts of the United States were upgraded by National Weather Service (NWS) meteorologists to a more severe winter storm warning on Monday afternoon, December 1. This comes as millions of people in America are bracing for heavy snow and dangerous travel conditions.
The snow will start in New York early Tuesday morning, December 2. Snowfall rates are expected to be between 1 and 2 inches through the early afternoon. It will later taper, NWS meteorologist Bryan Greenblatt told Newsweek.
Much of the United States had seen at least double its average snowfall from September 30 to November 30, according to a report from Ben Noll of The Washington Post. Heavy snow will likely continue for the Great Lakes, Northeast, and Mid-Atlantic. Another winter storm is expected on Tuesday into Wednesday.
The NWS offices in Albany and Binghamton, New York, issued a winter storm warning at 12:19 pm ET for areas that were previously under a winter weather advisory. NWS offices in Maine, Massachusetts, and Vermont, too, upgraded their advisories to warnings.
Impacted areas
Impacted areas include southern Vermont, northern and western Massachusetts, southern New Hampshire, southern Maine, and southern and eastern New York, where a foot of snow could fall. Snow will begin early Tuesday morning in most cases, It is expected to continue throughout the day, and some warnings have even stretched into early Wednesday morning, December 3.
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Almost the entire Northeast remains under the less severe winter weather advisory. People have been advised to delay unnecessary travel during the worst of the storm. If one must travel, they should keep a survival kit in the car, including an extra flashlight, food, and water, NWS suggested.
The NWS office in Gray, Maine, said in a winter storm warning, "A snowstorm will bring plowable snow to the region with a period of moderate travel impacts expected. Periods of moderate snow and low visibility will be the biggest hazards. The potential exists for snowbands that will bring periods of locally heavy snowfall, which will lead to rapid snow accumulations and extremely dangerous travel conditions. Periods of moderate and heavy snow will combine with low visibility to create dangerous driving conditions. The hazardous conditions could impact the Tuesday morning and evening commutes."
Meanwhile NWS said in a Monday forecast, "Moist onshore flow in the colder air north of the system will help to enhance winter precipitation across much of New England and the Mid-Atlantic, especially inland from the coast, bringing the first impactful winter storm of the season. Although uncertainty remains with respect to specific totals, the threat for significant snow accumulations across the interior is rising, with more than 6" possible north and west of the I-95 corridor. In addition, treacherous icing is expected further south along portions of the central/southern Appalachians."
