A blizzard is set to hit New York City and Boston on Friday morning, prompting residents of the north-east to prepare for a major winter storm that could produce up to 2 feet of snow on Friday and Saturday.
The blizzard, which is expected to be the heaviest snowfall in the Northeast in a century, will also affect Rhode Island, Connecticut and parts of the New Jersey. The National Weather Service advised people in affected areas not to risk going out during the storm when conditions are extremely dangerous for travel with near zero visibility in white-out conditions.
Northeast USA will experience blizzard on Friday and Saturday (Photo credit: http://www.myfoxny.com)
The NWS has issued a blizzard warning for Hudson County in New Jersey and Bronx, Kings, Queens, Suffolk, Richmond, Fairfield Counry in Connecticut and Westchester Counties in New York. They have also set out a Winter Storm Watch for the entire New York metropolitan area, which includes the city, the Hudson Valley, Long Island, northern New Jersey, and all of Connecticut.
Airlines have also began declaring travel warnings after the National Weather Service informed that snow will start falling in the north-east early on Friday morning and will become heavier overnight into Saturday. Suspension of flights out of New York and Boston airports starting Friday night have been announced .
In Boston, all schools will be closed on Friday to keep people off the roads as forecasters called for more than 2 feet of snow to fall on Saturday. In Long Island, the power company assured customers that they are prepared this time even if forecasters warned there could be more than 18 inches of snow to hit the area.
The winter season has also gone extreme for those living in the United Kingdom.
Earlier this week, cities in the UK such as Glasglow, Scotland, London and Edinburgh have been battered by sustained winds of 15-25 mph with gusts to 40-50 mph. The strong winds not only added to blowing snow across parts of Scotland and northern England, but also produced fierce waves that reached up to 62.3 feet off the Western Isles of Scotland on Monday.
Heavy snowfall covered the cars on the road in Scotland (Photo credit: http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk)
Moreover, the Met Office issued a harsh weather warning for the whole Britain on Tuesday, where the worst weather happened down the west of Scotland, across the Pennines and north Midlands. Authorities warned residents of affected areas of ice on the roads as forecasts said the snow could reach up to 4 inches.
Good thing technology has helped men to accurately predict the direction of storms, and has consequently enabled forecasters to warn people in advance of the condition they must face. Most people are forced to stay indoors to keep safe as the wintry weather bashes some cities in the UK and US. Unfortunately, extreme cold weather like this is one of the culprits why there are blood shortages. Donors cancel their blood donation appointments for safety reasons, but blood supplies are compromised.
That is why we, at BloodBanker, are constantly encouraging you to donate blood whenever you can before calamities like tropical storms or blizzards attack our towns. Having sufficient blood supplies at hospitals allow surgeries and treatments of patients with blood disorders to continue even in a bitter cold weather.
Would you wait for the time when doctors scramble at hospitals to look for blood supplies to save lives before we decide to roll up our sleeves and give a pint?
I hope you’re answer is NO.
Donate blood now! Join the Blood Registry!