New York faces `Jackpot' snow from potential record spring storm

A powerful storm is battering the U.S. East Coast, closing government offices in Washington and threatening New York City with the most snow ever to fall after the first day of spring.

More than 12 inches (31 centimeters) of snow are expected in the city, with some meteorologists calling for as many as 18. Mayor Bill de Blasio urged residents to stay home with the storm predicted to peak in the afternoon, potentially bedeviling the evening commute. More than 3,600 flights have been canceled.

"The snow is moving in now, and it will be steadier and heavier as the day progresses,” said Joe Pollina, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Upton, New York.

It’s the fourth storm in three weeks to wallop the region as a high-pressure system over Greenland has left conditions ripe for repeated nor’easters. The previous systems dropped snow by the foot from Long Island to Boston, left more than 2 million customers without power during their peak and caused more than an estimated $1 billion in damages from New Jersey to Massachusetts.

‘Jackpot Area’
The current storm threatens to do what the previous three did not: hit New York City with the brunt of its fury. A foot of snow would be a record for this date. The latest in the year that Central Park saw 12 inches was on March 15 and 16 from a storm in 1896, according to Rob Carolan, a meteorologist with Hometown Forecast Services Inc. in Nashua, New Hampshire.
"New York still seems to be in the jackpot area for precipitation,” said Carolan, who provides forecasts for Bloomberg Radio.
City schools were closed, and subways and commuter trains were emptier than normal as the first snow began to dampen sidewalks. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority tweeted that it’s "working to ensure service stays operational as long as it’s safe.” The subway and bus operator said it will let passengers know "around midday” if it plans to make any changes.
Amtrak and Metro North Railroad are operating with a reduced schedule, and the Long Island Rail Road plans to suspend some trains if more than 10 inches of snow falls. The lion’s share of the 3,600 flights canceled around the U.S. as of 9 a.m. were in and out of Newark Liberty International Airport and New York’s LaGuardia Airport, according to FlightAware, an airline tracking service in Houston.
Washington Closed
Government offices are closed in Washington -- where forecasters expect 4 to 6 inches -- but Congress plans to work through the snow. The Federal Reserve indicated in an emailed statement Tuesday that an announcement on interest rates scheduled for 2 p.m. will go ahead as planned. A press conference hosted by Fed Chairman Jerome Powell will follow at 2:30 p.m.
Leaders of the Senate Intelligence Committee told reporters Tuesday that their high-profile hearing on election security, which is part of the panel’s Russia probe, will be held Wednesday regardless of the weather conditions.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration expects to send its weekly data dump of oil supply and demand figures as planned at 10:30 a.m., a spokesman said. Schools are also closed in Washington.
North Carolina to Massachusetts
Winter storm warnings are in effect from North Carolina to Massachusetts. Boston could get 5 to 9 inches, the National Weather Service said. In New Jersey, Governor Phil Murphy declared a state of emergency.
"Please do not head out into the snow unless you absolutely have to,” Murphy said. There’s a chance for "the combination of gusty winds and wet snow, which could bring down power lines.”