close
close

Storms on the west coast cause the Santa Cruz Pier to collapse, and snow falls on the east coast

Posted on by Taylor Reeves
Storms on the west coast cause the Santa Cruz Pier to collapse, and snow falls on the east coast

Topline

Both US coasts are experiencing inclement weather ahead of Christmas, with snow on the East Coast while parts of the West Coast are hit by storms – which led to the partial pier collapse in Santa Cruz, California on Monday – potentially impacting the busy holiday travel season effects. However, conditions are expected to improve by Christmas Day.

Important facts

West Coast Storms: Areas of northern California and western Oregon are facing storms through Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service. Warnings are now in effect across the Pacific Coast for dangerously high waves, coastal flooding and thunderstorms, bringing 5 to 10 cm of rain and snow in some areas.

The storm system is a continuation of Monday’s severe storms that caused the Santa Cruz Wharf — about 80 miles south of San Francisco — to partially collapse Monday afternoon, sending three people falling into the sea (they suffered only minor injuries, NBC News reports ). ).

Snow on the East Coast: According to the National Weather Service, much of the region from the central Appalachians to New England will see “light to occasionally moderate” snowfall on Tuesday, with snow reported Tuesday morning in areas including New Jersey, New York City, Philadelphia and Boston became .

The snow is expected to end Tuesday afternoon and temperatures in the Mid-Atlantic region will rise above freezing after a days-long cold snap.

Southern storms: According to the National Weather Service, parts of East Texas, Arkansas and southern Missouri will experience thunderstorms and precipitation, some of which could exceed an inch, through Wednesday morning.

Mild weather: In other parts of the country where there are no storms, the weather is expected to be quite pleasant until Christmas. The National Weather Service expects temperatures to be above average across much of the country in December.

How will the weather affect Christmas travel?

Snow on the East Coast is causing worsening road conditions Tuesday morning, which could impact leisure travel. Speed ​​limits will be in effect starting at 9 a.m. on some roads in Pennsylvania and the New Jersey Turnpike, with icy and snowy conditions on some roads in parts of Massachusetts and New York. Boston Logan Airport is reporting some flight delays due to weather, and the Federal Aviation Administration reported Tuesday morning that New York LaGuardia and Dallas/Ft. Worth International is also experiencing delays. According to the FAA, most other major U.S. airports are generally seeing on-time departures and landings as of Tuesday morning. About 1,448 flights within, to or from the U.S. have been delayed so far as of 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, according to FlightAware, although only 28 have been canceled.

What will the weather be like on Christmas Day?

According to the National Weather Service, the weather is expected to improve across the country by Christmas Day as the East Coast storm system bringing snow to the region is set to move away Tuesday evening. The West Coast storm system will take a “brief pause” on Christmas Day, the National Weather Service reported early Tuesday, before returning with another round of rain and snow in the mountains.

tangent

Christmas Eve air travel was also impacted Tuesday morning as American Airlines briefly suspended all of its nationwide flights, which CNN said was due to a “technical issue.” The ground stop was lifted at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday.

Big number

119 million. That’s the total number of Americans expected to travel more than 50 miles from home between Dec. 21 and Jan. 1, a record high, according to AAA. That includes about 107 million Americans expected to travel by car, 7.85 million by plane and 4.5 million by other modes of transportation such as rail.

Surprising fact

The snow on the East Coast means there’s a good chance of a “white Christmas” in parts of the country – which doesn’t just mean some snow on the ground. The National Weather Service officially defines a “white Christmas” as when there is at least an inch of snow on the ground on Christmas morning.

Further reading

AAA: Record number of holiday travelers expected by 2024 (AAA)

California wharf collapse sends three people into the sea (NBC News)

American Airlines resumes flights and the FAA lifts its nationwide ground stop (CNN)

Related Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *