hemingway gilgamesh: New, gentler snowstorm heads for Northeast

Friday, December 28, 2012

New, gentler snowstorm heads for Northeast

It won't be a blockbuster snowfall, but most of the big cities in the Northeast will get one to three inches of snow. The Weather Channel's Chris Warren reports.

By Miguel Llanos, NBC News

A second, smaller winter storm will hit the Northeast Friday night and into Saturday, dumping up to 4 inches of snow in major cities and up to a foot and a half of snow in less populated areas. But it won?t pack nearly the punch of the one earlier this week that brought twisters, high winds, icy roads, power outages and record snowfall, and that led to at least 17 deaths and thousands of grounded flights, affecting tens of thousands of holiday travelers.

"This storm will move at a rather brisk pace, so we don't expect any overwhelming snow amounts," weather.com reported.

New York City can expect 2-4 inches Saturday morning and into the evening, NBCNewYork.com reported, calling it a "postcard" storm ideal for sledding and strolling.

More storm coverage at weather.com

Washington, D.C., is looking at 1-3 inches, NBCWashington.com was forecasting. Some of that snow is likely to mix with rain.

Freezing rain -- making for treacherous travel conditions -- was predicted for parts of Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia while significant rain was likely along the New Jersey, Virginia and Maryland coasts, the?National Weather Service?said.

The weather service forecast 12 to 18 inches of snow for northern New England, accompanied by freezing rain and sleet.

Tom Olney, a 50-year-old stay-at-home father of two, was making plans to go sledding with his children in their hometown of Wayland, Mass.?

"We love snow," Olney told Reuters. "What else are you going to do when it's this wet and cold out?"?

Western Massachusetts, like much of the Northeast, had an uncharacteristically mild winter last year, but residents such as Olney say they are ready for a more typical cold season.?

"Mother Nature doesn't usually give you two in a row," he said. "We've still got a lot of supplies from last year, so I guess we're ready for it now."?

Eleven inches of snow was forecast for Buffalo, N.Y., where some 8 to 12 inches of snow fell overnight into Thursday. Prior to that, Buffalo was 23 inches below average for this time of year, the weather service said.

"It's just a reminder: Winter is here," said Tom Paone of the National Weather Service in Buffalo.

The earlier winter storm was tied to at least 17 deaths and?forced the cancellation of thousands of airline flights. It?dumped record snow in north Texas and Arkansas before sweeping through the South on Christmas Day and then veering north, where the Adirondacks got 20 inches of snow.

More than 2,000 flights have been canceled, and more than 200,000 customers are without power in several Southern states as the impact of severe winter weather was felt across the nation. NBC's Eric Fisher reports.

It also triggered tornadoes and left almost 200,000 homes and businesses in Arkansas and Alabama lost power on Wednesday.

In Arkansas, 135,000 homes and businesses were still without power Friday morning, and the state's largest utility said many might not get it back until after Jan. 1. Freezing rain was expected Friday, making it harder for utility crews to repair lines.

Deena Brazell spent a night in her car for warmth, though she hadn't planned it that way.

"Everything in the apartment is electric. I stayed in the apartment the first night. After that, it got cold really quick," she told The Associated Press. "I went out to charge the phone and fell asleep, then I just decided to stay."?

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.?