USA Mild March gives way to April snow storms in the Northeast en>fr fr>en
By TexanForever  Comments: 21061, member since Thu Jun 10, 2004On Mon Apr 23, 2012 07:44 AM
Global Warming, ... er, ... ah, ... Climate Change, ... well, ... whatever, ... is bringing the heaviest snowfall in more than half a century to the northeast.
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Mild March gives way to April snow storms in the Northeast
By Ed Payne, CNN
updated 2:54 AM EDT, Mon April 23, 2012
Snow starts to fall in Dubois, Pennsylvania, on Sunday.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
The heavy snow could bring down trees and power lines
Up to 12 inches of snow is forecast for western Pennsylvania
Delays to air and ground traffic are expected, officials said.
March 2012 was the warmest on record for the United States
(CNN) -- A powerful spring storm threatened to disrupt Monday morning commutes across the northeastern United States with potentially historic snowfall and heavy rains.
The blustery blast follows a mild winter that saw little snow and the warmest March on record.
Snowfall amounts of 6 to 14 inches are forecast for the Allegheny Mountains of western Pennsylvania and near Lake Erie, the National Weather Service said. Snow advisories also are posted for West Virginia, western New York and extreme northeastern Ohio. Such storms are rare for late April in the region and records are expected to fall.
The highest recorded snowfall for Pittsburgh on this date was half an inch in 1956. Up to 5 inches of snow are forecast for Monday, the weather service said.
The spring snow storm could be a nightmare for public works crews as the heavy wet flakes weigh on the new spring foliage.
"We have a forestry division on standby that they're going to be ready to respond to any tree problems and issues that we have," Rob Kaczorowski, of Pittsburgh Public Works, told CNN affiliate KDKA-TV. "The snow removal part ... will be a wet, slushy snow and we'll be in a plow mode actually pushing the slush off the street."
Rain will challenge commuters along the Eastern Seaboard, spilling precipitation from the Washington area into Maine. Flood advisories are in place across the region as the forecast calls for 2 to 4 inches of rain and widespread urban flooding.
The storm could also play havoc with air traffic in major business centers like New York, Philadelphia, Boston and Washington, which will be subject to wind gusts of up to 31 mph in addition to the rain, forecasters said.
Delays of up to two hours were reported at New York area airports Sunday evening, affiliate WPIX-TV reported.
Storm could also snarl the Big Apple's sprawling mass transit system.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority was preparing for what could be a rough morning commute Monday, especially with the possibility of snow affecting Metro North service upstate.
"The MTA has put together its emergency plans and preparations," Joseph Lhota, executive director of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, told affiliate NY1. "The subway system, Long Island Railroad and Metro North as well as all of our bridges and tunnels are on alert with the concern of wind as well as the amount of water that we're about to receive."
The Long Island Power Authority also braced for the storm's fury. "LIPA crews are ready to respond to any potential power outages caused by damaging winds and will work ... to restore power as quickly and safely as possible," the utility's website said.
The system rained out both the Mets and Yankees baseball games on Sunday.
www.cnn.com . . .
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