News

Stella Was A Bit Of A Letdown

by Ann-Derrick Gaillot
Scott Eisen/Getty Images News/Getty Images

The award for Most-Hyped Storm of the Season most definitely goes to Winter Storm Stella. And even before the nor'easter hit the Northeast, thousands of flights were canceled, several schools were closed, and grocery stores turned into mob scenes. All in anticipation of the possibly record-setting storm. And now that it has mostly died down, we can see just how much snow Winter Storm Stella brought.

When it comes to this storm, the hype was deserved, and especially so outside of the major city centers. According to the Weather Channel, as of the morning of March 15, some of the most snow fell in central and upstate New York. There, residents of West Winfield have about 42 inches of snow to dig out of. Their neighbors in northeastern Pennsylvania also got battered. Damascus, for example, got 30 inches of snow by 5 p.m. on March 14, according to the Associated Press.

As for the East Coast's major cities, snowfalls didn't match predictions, but ice and sleet made conditions especially dangerous. New York City was among the hardest hit, accumulating nearly 8 inches of snow in Manhattan. But this total fell far below earlier estimates of 20 inches. Meanwhile, Logan Airport in Boston reported 6.6 inches of snow, while the White House recorded only 2.5.

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Even though the impact of the storm varied throughout the Northeast, it seems everyone was inconvenienced in some way. According to the Guardian, the storm led to power outages for more than 100,000 customers in the Northeast. And icy roads made driving conditions especially dangerous. Perhaps most annoyed were the many, many people who had flights to catch. USA Today reports that as of Tuesday afternoon, about 9,400 flights scheduled for that day had been canceled due to the storm. It was so bad, even U.S. airline stocks were affected.

On the other hand, parts of coastal New Jersey, New York, and even Connecticut, were more affected by the tides than by snow during the nor'easter. ABC7 reports that Atlantic City was on the verge of major flooding by Tuesday morning, while outright flooding in other seaside towns led to road closures. And tragically, at least five deaths are being attributed to the storm.

Snow is expected to continue to fall into Wednesday night in parts of New York and New England. But overall, it seems the brunt of Winter Storm Stella has passed. And so continues the wait until spring.