Winter storm Juno promises blizzard conditions

Millions of citizens in the Northeast are preparing for what promises to be one of the major storms of this winter season. The storm began yesterday and is predicted to last through Wednesday. In preparation for the storm, gas stations, grocery stores and more were soon flooded with customers. Twitter featured panic-stricken photos and tweets of empty grocery aisles stripped clean and lines to pay miles long. Scenes of the typical apocalyptic movie come to mind. People are resorting to hoarding, saving away everything they possibly can, hoping for the best and expecting the worst. New York’s Mayor announced schools would be closed through Wednesday as a safety precaution. Fortunately, there haven’t been any images on social media of customers elbowing each other for the last six-pack left on the shelf, but everyone in the tri-state area is anticipating a major snow storm. Some are preparing with provision, while others are preparing for an indoors blizzard party, complete with booze and party food. Like most panic buying, it started as a trickle, just after New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s dramatic televised speech during which he described the upcoming snow storm as “one of the largest snowstorms in the history of this city.” There have been some complaints about de Blasio’s claims being somewhat over-the-top. But anyone who has been paying attention to what the weathermen are saying, quickly realized that this could turn out to be an historic weather event. Winter Storm Juno has a high potential for blizzard conditions, and Weather.com predicts high sustained winds, likely 20 to 40 mph in a large area, with gusts up to 50 mph. Even higher winds are expected in Cape Cod, Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard where gusts up to 70 mph are possible. Widespread accumulations of 1 to 2 feet of snow are likely with some areas picking up over 2 feet with even higher snow drifts. SEE ALSO: Your flu vaccine may be less effective this winter The National Weather Service has issued blizzard warnings well in advance of the storm from the New Jersey shore all the way to Downeast Maine, including the cities of New York City, Boston, Providence, Hartford and Portland. By far, the heaviest snowfall amounts from Juno are expected from eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey to New England. Flurries are predicted as far south as north Georgia. Most warnings are in effect from Monday afternoon — or evening — through late Tuesday night. This is when the snowstorm will have its peak impacts At least 28 million people are in the zone of potential blizzard conditions, and millions more will have to face snow deep enough to inconvenience travelers. People are encouraged to not proceed with travel plans in the affected areas late Monday and Tuesday. Blizzard or near-blizzard conditions will make travel dangerous and, in some areas, impossible. SEE ALSO: 3 ways the winter can affect your sex life Preparations should have been made by yesterday afternoon. Northeastern citizens should prepare for power outages both during and in the days after the storm. Damaging wind gusts, power outages and coastal flooding also possible. Over 3,500 U.S. flights originally scheduled for Monday and Tuesday have been canceled, according to FlightAware. Any flights that have not already been canceled will likely be severely delayed. Airports are likely to be closed late Monday through Tuesday.The post Winter storm Juno promises blizzard conditions appeared first on Voxxi.