North Eastern Blizzard

There was up to two feet of snow in the northeastern United States this weekend! It was in the northeastern states of Maine, New Hampshire, Washington D.C., Delaware, Maryland, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Long Island, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York. Other states affected were Tennessee, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia.

There have been over five deaths, travel delays, and empty stores this weekend, which is one of the busiest times of the year to go shopping in that rush to get Christmas presents!

New Jersey hit record with its highest snowfall totals in four years. One of the deepest locations was in Medford of New Jersey, with 24 inches.

Rhode Island and Massachusetts were reported gusts of wind up to 60 mph. There were 25 inches of snow in Upton, New York.

Bad outcomes of the blizzard:

In New Jersey, a bus was stuck on snow-covered railroad tracks in Pennsauken. The 26 passengers were evacuated only minutes before the crash, but the only injury was a minor one by the train's engineer.

Near Farmingdale of New York, there were up to 150 people trapped on a Long Island Rail Road train for more than five hours. There were no injuries, but the train that left Penn Station at 2:52 a.m. this morning had to be towed and the passengers had to be put on another train.

The storm was so bad that the Smithsonian museums in Washington and the Philadelphia Zoo were closed.

In West Virginia, blankets had been given to 100s of drivers, while other motorists were stranded for up to 27 hours on highways,

One person in Virginia was killed in a car crash because of icy roads. There was another death in this location. There was a third death in Virginia, which is believed to have been caused by exposure. In Ohio, two people were killed in accidents on snow-covered roads.

The Greyhound buses in Washington D.C. and states north were shut down. Also, the ferry service in Delaware and New Jersey was shut down.

Most flights were canceled at many airports, including two in the Washington area, one in the Philadelphia area and three in New York, as well as one in Massachusetts.

Driving tips:

There are many speed limit restrictions in these areas, and safe driving habits are a must. If you are a new driver, or elderly, do not attempt to drive fast or very far in a hurry. Leave plenty of room between you and the car in front of you in case you need to stop and you skid. If you skid, do not step on your brakes of gas! This will cause friction and make you skid even faster. If you skid and have standard brakes, pump the brakes gently. If you have anti-lock brakes, do not pump your brakes. Brake gently to avoid skidding. Turn on your lights, even if it is day-time, to increase your visibility to other drivers. Keep your lights and windshield clean. Use low gears, especially on hills. Don’t use cruise control! Be careful on bridges, overpasses and side roads, they freeze before regular road. Don’t pass snow plows and sanding trucks because they have limited visibility and you’re better off in back of them instead of behind because of the road conditions. If you get stuck, spin your wheels both directions to clear snow in front of your wheels. Push on the gas gently and try rocking the car to get out. Stay safe!