A life-threatening Nor’easter known as the ‘bombogenesis’ is pounding the East Coast, threatening to wipe out homes and leaving hundreds of thousands without power as it lashes the region with heavy snow and rain in what is being described as a worse storm than the January 4 bomb cyclone.
Evacuations are in place along the Massachusetts coast where officials are gearing up for the worst.
Some 350,000 people are without power already from Michigan to North Carolina and more outages are expected as Winter Storm Riley batters the region throughout the day.
As much eight inches of snow are expected in parts of upstate New York and at least three inches will fall in New York City.
It is a sudden and dramatic change from the false-start Spring weather seen earlier in the week.
Commuters battled heavy rain which turned to snow and gusty winds in New York City on Friday morning as ‘bombogenesis’ pounded the East Coast
A high wind warning is in place across New York City and southern New York state but the worst of Winter Storm Riley is expected further north along the coast in Massachusetts
Hurricane strength winds of 80 to 90mph are a possibility in Cape Cod and heavy snow is also due to be seen in Ohio.
Republican Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker activated 200 National Guard members to help with the storm.
‘We’re expecting to see more severe flooding issues here than we did in the Jan. 4 storm,’ when a Nor’easter lashed the region with heavy snow and rain, he said.
Voluntary evacuation orders are in place in Salisbury and Duxbury in Massachusetts.
‘It will be dangerous to remain in the homes,’ said Massachusetts Emergency Management director Kurt Schwartz.
‘Not only may rescue not be possible, but homes will be subject to significant structural damage. We expect to lose homes during this storm. If you’re in one of those areas, you need to get out,’ he added.
Residents were taking matters into their own hands.
In Duxbury, south of Boston, officials urged people to evacuate as soon as possible, and the fire department was preparing to use a high water rescue vehicle for the first time to help any residents who wind up stuck in homes during high floodwaters.
Michelle Shaffer, 45, of the coastal Massachusetts town of Hull, lost her appliances under 5 feet of water during the last big storm.
Provincetown DPW worker Paulo Andrade moves sand bags around the lower entrance to town hall as preparations are underway for the approaching storm, Thursday, March 1, 2018 in Provincetown, Massachusetts
AmeriCorps worker Conor Terry lugs sandbags to a storage area at the town’s DPW facility as preparations are underway for the approaching storm, Thursday, March 1, 2018 in Provincetown, Massachusetts
‘I have a new washer, and my boyfriend just built a wooden platform for it. We got a couple of sump pumps,’ said Shaffer, who evacuated to higher ground Thursday night.
‘This storm is going to be worse because it’s going over three high tides,’ she said.
The Coast Guard advised boaters to exercise ‘vigilance and extreme caution.’
The National Weather Service warned that the storm would morph into heavier, wet snow later Friday.
In New Jersey, officials worried that the storm could take a chunk out of beaches just south of Atlantic City that are still being repaired because of damage from previous storms. Winds were expected to increase drastically throughout the day, peaking Friday afternoon with gusts from 50 mph to 60 mph that could leave downed trees and power lines.
The heaviest snowfall is expected to be in parts of western New York into northern Pennsylvania, with 8 to 12 inches likely.
Across the East Coast, authorities told residents of coastal communities to be prepared to evacuate if necessary in advance of Friday morning’s high tide. The weather service said all of Rhode Island was under flood and high wind watches through Sunday morning.
Airlines were making their own preparations. Delta, Southwest, JetBlue and American Airlines were allowing travelers to change their Friday and Saturday flights ahead of time to avoid delays and cancellations at key airports across the Northeast.
Regional power utilities said they had extra crews on standby to deal with expected outages.