WASHINGTON, Dec 21, 2008 (AFP) - A massive winter storm blanketed the US West Coast with snow, sleet and ice while the northeast was also struck with blizzards and snow squalls that made travel dangerous, officials said Sunday. The storm snarled holiday air traffic across the country, with delays of more than an hour at airports in San Francisco, California; Houston, Texas; Boston, Massachusetts; New Jersey and New York. Travel was treacherous in the northwestern states of Oregon and Washington, with heavy rain, sleet and snow expected until 10:00 am (1800 GMT) Monday, the National Weather Service said in its winter storm warning for the region.
Total snow amounts were forecast from five to 10 inches (13 to 25 centimeters) Monday morning across the region, with more than a foot (30 centimeters) in local mountains, it said. Highway drivers "should expect to encounter hazardous winter weather conditions," particularly at higher elevations, with four to six inches (10 to 15 centimeters) of new snow were expected overnight above 3,500 feet (1,066 meters), it added. Overnight snow, ice and freezing temperatures led to "treacherous conditions," road closures and downed powerlines throughout the state, the Oregonian newspaper reported. "I think we have to go back to the early 90s to get another storm of this magnitude," agency meteorologist Clinton Rockey told the daily. Washington state saw highway closures and "major problems" at its Seattle-Tacoma airport, with thousands of stranded passengers, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported.
In the northeast, which is more accustomed to wintry weather, blizzard conditions and strong winds caused frequent whiteouts, with the weather service warning that "travel will be extremely hazardous" through Monday due to a snowstorm sweeping from Lake Michigan to the Atlantic Coast. Bitterly cold temperatures ranged from the single digits (from negative 17 to negative 12 Celsius) in the Midwest's northern plains and northern Rocky Mountains, to 20-30 degrees Fahrenheit (negative seven Celsius to one degree below zero) in the northwest and northeast parts of the country.
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