US struck by Snowzilla

The winter storm Jonas seems finally to be moving toward the ocean but not before burying a large portion of the Northeast urban corridor- from Washington D.C. area to New York city- with more than 2 feet of snow.

The snowstorm is the largest one on record for Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Baltimore; and JFK airport in New York City with all of these locations receiving over 2 feet of snow. The US capital was dumped over by a record 30 inches of snow. At least 18 deaths, not only from road accidents but also snow shovelling have been blamed on the weather since Friday. States of emergency were declared in New York, Tennessee, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, New Jersey, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and the District of Columbia. Traffic jams lasting more than 12 hours were reported in Kentucky and Pennsylvania on Saturday.

“The roads are now impassable and where we live it’s pretty much a driving town so it’s hard to get anywhere right now,” a citizen said. “We’ve been told not to take to the roads, which is smart because the roads aren’t gritted at all so they’re very treacherous. I mean everyone’s making light of it and having fun. The street we’re living on the kids are playing out in the street now and having a great time.”

The storm will be among the top five biggest ever for Washington and New York, says the National Weather Service’s Paul Kocin.

Jonas is forecast to easily surpass the 2010 storm dubbed “Snowmageddon”.

It could even top the 28in of snow in January 1922 that was Washington’s worst recorded storm.

The lingering snow associated with the blizzard is believed to be moving off the Atlantic coast. Temperatures should rise above freezing to allow the clean up process to begin.