‘Blast of misery’ to batter America as northeast pummelled by heavy snow

It follows a barrage of ‘atmospheric river’ storms which have left a trail of destruction across California, killing at least three people.

On the east coast, a brutal ‘nor’easter’ named Winter Storm Lorraine, yesterday triggered a ‘snow emergency’ in New England grounding hundreds of flights and closing schools.

The storm is expected to sweep away from the US and into the Atlantic today as the west coast braces for the latest onslaught.

The National Weather Service (NOAA) last night issued fresh severe weather warnings for flooding and disruption from snow.

A NOAA spokesperson said: “A new storm system will also be arriving in from the Pacific Ocean on Wednesday and Thursday which will bring in a new surge of moisture and areas of locally heavy precipitation.

“This will include heavy rainfall for the coastal ranges of the Pacific Northwest and down into northern California.

“Over the higher terrain of the Cascades, Sierra Nevada, and gradually the northern Rockies, this precipitation will fall as heavy snow.”

Up to two feet of snow could settle over high ground in the worst-hit areas, the NOAA warned.

Meanwhile, Winter Storm Lorraine triggered a ‘snow emergency’ in Boston, closing dozens of schools and leaving almost 150,000 homes and businesses without power.

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The ferocious nor’easter storm­, an unusually large storm which blows in from the northeast and is characterised by heavy snowfall, hit suddenly bringing major travel routes to a standstill.

People in New Jersey were urged not to travel yesterday while New York was hit by the biggest snowstorm for two years.

Weather Channel meteorologist Domenica Davis said: “Some of the heaviest snow trended to the south, especially through south-eastern Massachusetts.

“This is where we could pick up five to eight inches along Cape Cod and through parts of Rhode Island as well.”

New York was in the firing line for three to five inches of snow before the storm swept off into the Atlantic last night, she added.

A Weather Channel spokesman said: “The Big Apple is going to get at least five inches, which would make this its biggest snowstorm in over two years.

“The system was named Winter Storm Lorraine by The Weather Channel.

“After a warm weekend in the city, this weather is likely to take some people by surprise.”

A clash between warm and cold air masses through the middle of the month will drive stormy conditions across the US, experts say.

Florida, Georgia and Louisiana are on alert for thunderstorms and the risk of tornadoes as the boundary between hot and cold triggers volatile weather.

Jim Dale, US weather correspondent and meteorologist for British Weather Services, said: “There is the potential for some more heavy rain and thunder across this region, and along the boundary of air masses, there could be a risk of tornadoes.

“However, in the immediate forecast, the northwest United States is going to see most of the rainfall through this week.”

A separate but smaller storm hitting the central Plains, the Midwest and the Great Lakes will bring a mixture of rain and snow.