Fast-moving Snowstorm Causing Trouble for Southeast and Mid-Atlantic

Posted: January 3, 2022 4:23 pm

It had been a long time coming but parts of the Southeast and the mid-Atlantic have finally received the first measurable snowfall of the season. The drastic change in the weather caught many people off guard as crippling snow slammed into the region late Sunday night and into Monday. It has been a rough start to the work week after the holiday break with major travel disruptions and thousands of power outages.

Snow Delivers Winter Wonderland as Far South as Alabama

The storm fired up first throughout parts of Tennessee and North Carolina, dumping up to 11 inches of snow in the hardest-hit areas. The snow reached as far south as Alabama. The town of Moores Mill recorded an unseasonable 7 inches of snow out of this system.

A wintry landscape unfolded in Birmingham on Monday as snow and strong winds rushed into the area. This weather was a big change from New Year’s Day when the city reached 80 degrees. By Monday, temperatures were hovering in the 30s.

Storm Wreaks Havoc

Over 20 million people are under winter alerts stretching from Georgia to New England. Power outages are one of the biggest stories of this system with over 700,000 customers left without power by the middle of the day Monday. Nearly 400,000 customers are without power in Virginia with another 150,000 in the dark in North Carolina.

Virginia has been hit particularly hard by this storm system. The snow was coming down so hard on Monday morning that it triggered the weather phenomena known as thundersnow.

Officials have been cautioning residents to proceed carefully on roads. By 8 am local time Monday, the Virginia State Police had already responded to over 80 vehicle accidents.

The snow also caused massive delays and cancellations in the skies. There were over 2,100 flight cancellations reported by the middle of the day across the nation. Both Reagan International Airport in Washington, D.C. and Baltimore/Washington International Airport were under a ground stop because of the conditions.

Washington, D.C. Brought to Standstill

The nation’s capital has already recorded over 8 inches of snow by mid-day Monday. Returning from his home in Delaware, President Joe Biden was met with treacherous travel conditions when trying to get back to the White House. The runway at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland had to be cleared by snowplows so that Air Force One could safely land. The motorcade then had to battle strong winds and snowy roads en route to the White House.

The first two days of the new year brought temperatures in the 60s to the capital city before the sharp decrease on Monday. Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser declared a snow emergency for the city effective until 7 pm Monday. This declaration gives snowplows permission to clear snow emergency routes.

All local and federal offices in the city will be closed on Monday. In addition, the city’s health department was forced to cancel all COVID-19 testing for the day while the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority suspended services as a result of the snow emergency. The network of Smithsonian museums is also closed for the day.

System Moving Quickly to the North

This quickly moving system is now tracking to the north, bringing the same inclement weather conditions into New Jersey and beyond. Atlantic City, New Jersey had already measured over 9 inches of snow as the flakes continued to fly.

Five counties in southern New Jersey are under a state of emergency, including Atlantic, Burlington, Cape May, Cumberland, and Ocean County. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy urged residents in these counties to stay off the roads and practice extra caution.

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