Winter Weather Wallops U.S.

Snow, Ice, Freezing Wind Snarl Travel And Leave Parts Of The Country Snowbound

(CBS/AP) 

For the Mid-Atlantic states, the storm took the form of weekend snow and rain - followed by a cold snap early Monday. High winds overnight cut off power to 13,000 homes and businesses in Maryland. Baltimore Gas & Electric said on its Web site that all but 1,200 had service restored by midafternoon.

Kelly Dagostino of Texarkana, Ark., was visiting New York for the first time and bundled up Monday so the cold wouldn't keep her from her plans.

"It's still cold, very cold, but I want to see stuff, so we're out and about in it," she said as she checked out Macy's holiday windows along 34th Street. The temperature in Central Park had dropped into the low teens overnight, and wind gusts near 30 mph made it feel like it was below zero.

The big snowfall in Maine was the result of a nor'easter. Before the storm even arrived, the National Weather Service issued a rare blizzard warning for eastern and northern Maine. Brooklin, on the coast, recorded a gust of 59 mph.

The town of Eustis in western Maine received a whopping 41.8 inches of snow by Monday morning. Eric Schwibs from the National Weather Service called it "the sweet spot of the storm."

For residents, however, it wasn't so sweet.

"It's beautiful, but it's a little crazy," said Linda Shane, who had to call for help when the snow jammed her car doors shut as she tried to get out of her driveway. Finally at her job at Camden National Bank, she looked out the window and said: "You can't see the gas station across the street."

In New Hampshire, the deep snow added to the misery for nearly 11,000 customers still in the dark from an ice storm more than a week earlier.

Nearly 50,000 customers remain without power across northern Indiana because of an ice storm last week. There were also more than 7,000 customers still out in Illinois on Monday and about 5,000 in northwest Ohio.

In the Seattle area, the city remained largely snowbound Monday. Limited service resumed at Sea-Tac Airport, but thousands of people were stranded because of all the flight cancellations over the weekend.

There were long, snaking lines at virtually every ticket counter at the airport Monday morning. Some travelers said they had spent 12 hours waiting for a ticket agent, taking turns sleeping while others held their places in line. The baggage claim area was littered with mounds of unclaimed luggage 6 and 7 feet high.

The bitter weather also created chaos at airports across the country, Price reports. Since Saturday nearly 700 flights were cancelled at Portland International in Oregon. New York City airports are still struggling to get back on track after cancelling more than a 1,000 flights over the weekend, Price reports.

Hundreds of travelers were marooned even in Los Angeles, where the line to rebook Alaska Airlines flights to the Pacific Northwest stretched out the door.

But some people were able to take advantage of the storm.

Toting a snow shovel as he stopped for coffee early Monday in Seattle, Ralph Goldman, said he and two fellow handymen were going from business to business offering to shovel snow and finding no end of takers.

"It's good. I can't complain," Goldman said. "I wanted the snow so much. It keeps me happy."

[questionnews]

Must be a nice position to take for the MMGW crowd.

If it gets really hot, it''s because of MMGW.
If it gets really cold, it''s because of MMGW.

No wonder people are jumping on board with this theory. With this kind of standard no matter the evidence, they will always be right. It''s the easiest & least risky position to take. Simply brilliant!!!
Al Gore is fricken a genius. You can bet I''ll be investing heavily in the carbon credit industry. Lots on money to be made there!!

an increase in the average temperature of the earth''s atmosphere (especially a sustained increase that causes climatic changes). See where is says "climatic changes" Read a book, maybe you''ll learn something.

jowand, you''re kidding right? Guess you need a lesson on the definition of global warming.

[jowand]

What have YOU done to prevent or slow down global warming? You think it is up to a president to do something? Get off of your fat butts and do something about it yourself, instead of always pointing fingers at someone else. This country has turned into a bunch of cry babies, God help us...

Posted by mitchoncbs at 09:37 AM : Dec 23, 2008

Global warming is over, since 1998, global cooling is here what are you doing to warm things up?

[jt_lancer]

Where is that *** global warming when you need it?

[barbaram99]

I am a Mainer by birth and grew up there . My senior parents are still there as are family. I am 54. Years ago it knowed and it stayed on the ground all winter. Sure it got cold. We shoved the bloody snow. Made snowmen,snowforts,and yep had snow ball fights. It was normal. We had rock salt,sand. We had the house winterised. We had lots of blankets ,warm clothes, etc. In the late 80s is when it changed. So the snow is new to a bunch of people who have never grown up with it. It is pretty. The thing is to be safe and be careful in it.
My friend would tell me, ye don''t need this/thar here in Seattle. I told him yep as ye never know. I wanted a really warm coat and warm boots. Combat boots are not warm. I wear them as my ankles needs the high tops. I have lived in cold Maine winters and I mean cold. It is the wind chill I hate. It is the ice/black ice that is a problem. Try to have a nice Chrismas. I will be here at home.

wvu7462, that''s what I thought, will sit and whine and cry about someone else not doing anything about it, but God forbid you doing anything to help prevent it. You are, like a lot of other morons a cause to the problem and not an answer....

wvu7462, you are corect, I am Not doing much about global warming, but doing things to help prevent it form my side.

drive a lot less, don''t let my car sit and run to warm up before I leave for work. Recycle my trash...went from a gas heater to an electric induction heating system. I opted for Wind Power from my electrical company.....and you?

Everyone here sitting on their butts complaining on which president has done for global warming, you people are complete morons. What have YOU done to prevent or slow down global warming? You think it is up to a president to do something? Get off of your fat butts and do something about it yourself, instead of always pointing fingers at someone else. This country has turned into a bunch of cry babies, God help us...

[ofbyfor3]

I betcha a dollar that Obama does''''nt do a sinlge thing to fight global warming, he may try to do something but he won''''t succeed. What did Clinton and Gore do in 8 years in the White House about "Global Warming". Maybe less time should have been spent chasing skirts and planning books and more time spent on "Global Warming".

Posted by wvu7462 at 06:36 AM : Dec 23, 2008

So, if you believe that global warming (aka, climate change) IS a problem, what did Bush do about it?

Only a fool would hope (as I think you do) that Obama won''t be willing or able to address the issue. Real Americans want his administration to succeed because the cost will be too great otherwise.

Bush redacted the findings of scientists if they didn''t meet his desired results. At least Obama is willing to put scientists in charge of the issue and not redact their findings.

[erasmus606]

We are going to have a white Christmas here in Seattle.

Posted by BarbaraM99 at 11:16 PM : Dec 22, 2008

We are going to have a white Christmas too.

I hope you have a "Merry Christmas", Barbara!

[jowand]

Where is Al Gore, everytime it turns really cold or it snows a lot he disappears?

[nearl4511]

Bigger fluctuations or even a year or two of colder weather generally dos not buck a statistical trend (i.e. look over the last 100 years).

The real debate has to do with carbon cycles (longterm and short term) and the relative impact of humans burning fuels deep in the earth relative to say natural or cyclic volcanic carbon expulsion.

[biomegaly]

Salt for the sidewalk... $ 5.00
Winter coat, gloves, hat, boots... $ 75.00
Gas for the snowblower... $ 3.50
Plane tickets to get you the heck out of the cold...
PRICELESS!

Its the day after the first day of winter and we already have 2 feet of snow, expecting another 9 inches in the next 24 to 36 hours. I LOVE WINTER, I LOVE WINTER, I LOVE WINTER, I LOVE WINTER.

[mediawatch50]

We seem to be breeding a generation of dimwit Denialists who are unable to understand that the more energy is put into a chaotic system, the bigger the fluctuations are going to be.

That''s what marrying your cousin will do. It''s a good thing Stupid isn''t contagious.

[nearl4511]

The reason that the weather is so bad is that Obama is the AntiChrist.


Ok. Really, I''m just hiding out here away from the usual neocon riff-raff.

[barbaram99]

We are going to have a white Christmas here in Seattle. It has never snowed like this. My friend asked what is going with them outdoors I told him the snow. They have never seen snow here stick to the ground. It is new to them. Portland Maine know it as use to live there. It used to get snow in the 80s. As did most of Maine. Moved to Seattle in 99.

[liselle3]

HawkSprings
Oh sure, the whole greenhouse effect is made up...
Thanks for weighing in.

[hawksprings]

"Vegas just had the worst snow storm here in recorded history. In fact, it never snows here. Whatever happens in Vegas, Al Gore will not be welcome. He is the joke of Las Vegas."
Posted by martelc08

It''s not the worst snow storm in Vegas history, it was the most snowfall for that date.
Vegas got more snowfall on a different date back in 1971.
Back when all the ''experts'' said we were going into another Ice Age.