New York Faces Big Snowstorm – Flights Called Off

As of December 5 to 7, 12 northeastern states in the United States, including New York, faced three consecutive days of blizzards and large snowstorms, resulting in a series of accidents.

A storm warning has been advised for New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Maine. Tens of thousands of minor traffic accidents have taken place on the highways in these areas, bringing the number of those killed in car accidents in New Jersey to eight.

Due to the big snowstorms, at a pace of 2.5 cm per hour, the major airports in New York and Boston have been isolated from other regions. About 60 to 95 percent of the flights have been cancelled, most from overseas and long distances domestically. Because of this blizzard, tens of thousands of passengers had to stay overnight at the airport.

In addition to the snowstorm, a harsh wind has been stirred up around the waters near New Jersey, New York State, and Long Island as tidal wave warnings were also declared.

Until the evening of December 6, 80 cm in snowfall had been recorded, stopping the cars on the New York highways. Various sports activities, the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scheduled to be held on December 6, and other outdoor events have been cancelled or delayed. Some stores closed earlier than usual, and shop keepers expect total sales to be 20 percent lower than before.

“Since we started meteorological observations back in 1869, this is the first time that we have received this much of snow in early December in New York,” remarked Todd Miner, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania.

Kwan-Hee Hong konihong@donga.com