Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Sneeuwstorm treft New England.. ( BBC)

Heavy snow hits New England

After the snow temperatures are set to rocket in northeast North America

A late-season snowstorm battered northern parts of New England on Tuesday with over 30cm (12 inches) of snow across Vermont. Heavy snow fell during much of Tuesday in an area from New York to Maine, causing localised travel chaos and power outages.

North Underhill, Vermont topped the snowfall totals with 34cm (13.3 inches). With temperatures around freezing, the snow is heavy and wet in nature, breaking tree limbs and downing power cables. Forecasters are warning of a further 8 to 15cm (3 to 6 inches) during Wednesday.

The snowstorm was the back end of an intense low pressure system that spread east across the central Plains last week, producing severe tornadic thunderstorms that caused huge damage and killed at least 10 people in the deep south.

The current snowstorm is expected to ease during Thursday, and temperatures will climb quickly across the Eastern USA by the end of the week, with temperatures in New York reaching 23C. Early indications of another cold front sweeping through the warming central Plains next week may generate another round of severe spring storms with possible tornado risk.