Parts of the Massachusetts island of Nantucket are underwater following a winter storm that lashed the Northeast with deep snow and gusts of wind close to hurricane force.
In a video posted to TikTok on Saturday, homes appear to be completely stranded as a street became submerged.
The houses were surrounded by cold grey water coming in from the Atlantic as a howling wind continued to blow waves ashore.
Gusty winds and falling temperatures have plunged the East Coast into a deep freeze as people dig out after a powerful nor’easter dumped mounds of snow, flooded coastlines and knocked out power to tens of thousands.
Dangerous wind chills were expected to fall below zero across the region on Sunday after the storm dumped snow from Virginia to Maine. Philadelphia and New York had plenty of snow, but Massachusetts bore the brunt of the storm, with the town of Sharon getting more than 30 inches of snow before the storm moved out.
Winds gusted as high as 83 mph on Cape Cod in Massachusetts. It scoured the ground bare in some spots and piled the snow into huge drifts in other
Parts of Nantucket were seen to be underwater on Saturday as a winter storm lashed the region
The houses were surrounded by cold grey water coming in from the Atlantic as a howling wind continued to blow waves ashore.
Nantucket High School students row a canoe along a road during heavy flooding, in Nantucket, Massachusetts
Millions of Americans were under winter weather alerts Saturday as a nor’easter slams the Northeast
Other video showed wind and waves battering North Weymouth, south of Boston, flooding streets with frigid water while another saw waves crashing against the windows of a building in Plymouth.
Tens of thousands of homes and businesses lost power in Massachusetts, with the failures mounting. No other states reported widespread outages.
At its peak, 120,000 customers were without power across the state. By 9pm on Saturday night 89,000 were still in the dark.
Winds gusted as high as 70mph on Nantucket and over 60mph elsewhere in eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
Forecasters had warned that conditions would get worse as the day goes on with more than 30 inches of snow in the forecast.
A snow plow can be seen piling up snow at the side of the road near Boston
Boston, in the crosshairs of the ‘nor’easter’, could get as much as 2ft of snow
Forecasters watched closely for new snowfall records, especially in Boston, where the heaviest snow was expected later on Saturday
A record-breaking blizzard hit Boston on Saturday with whiteout conditions
People cross Congress Street in Boston. Forecasters watched closely for new snowfall records, especially in Boston which tied its record for biggest single-day snowfall on Saturday, with 23.6 inches, the National Weather Service said
By early Saturday afternoon more than a foot of snow had fallen on parts of New Jersey’s shore and eastern Long Island.
Boston, in the crosshairs of the ‘nor’easter’ tied its record for biggest single-day snowfall on Saturday, with 23.6 inches, the National Weather Service said. The Boston area’s modern snowfall record is 27.6 inches, set in 2003.
New York City and Philadelphia were far from setting all-time records but still saw significant snowfall, with at least 7.5 inches in New York’s Central Park and at the Philadelphia airport.
Boston resident Jesse Ledin owns a home-goods rental business startup. He was out walking his dog in the storm, wearing ski goggles Saturday as he navigated gingerly through huge snow drifts and painful wind gusts.
‘It´s pretty intense with the winds getting up to 70 miles an hour. As for the depth, it´s pretty deep in spots with the wind and the snow drifts, but it´s pretty nasty out and I definitely wouldn´t want to be driving. So it´s nice to be able to walk through these huge snowdrifts and in pretty tough conditions,’ Ledin said.
Climate change, particularly the warming ocean, probably influenced the strength of the storm, atmospheric researchers said.
Much warmer ocean waters ‘are certainly playing a role in the strengthening of the storm system and increased moisture available for the storm,’ said University of Oklahoma meteorology professor Jason Furtado. ‘But it isn´t the only thing.’
A man with a snow plow fills up his car with gas for the hours ahead
Streets were largely quiet save for several snow plows that were on the roads clearing the way
Roads looked more like rinks as they were covered with thick layers of snow and ice
If you need to get around in the northeast, you’d better have a plow on the front of your ride…
Most flights into and out of the airports serving New York, Boston and Philadelphia were cancelled on Saturday, according to FlightAware.
More than 4,500 flights were cancelled across the US, while Amtrak cancelled all of its high-speed Acela trains between Boston and Washington and cancelled or limited other services in the region.
Across the region, residents hunkered down and avoided travel at the behest of government leaders, who warned of whiteout conditions. Business closed or opened late.
In the seaside town of Newburyport, north of Boston near the New Hampshire border, officials strongly encouraged residents living along the shore to move to higher ground.
An abandoned shopping cart is seen sitting on a pile of the white stuff on Saturday morning
Snow plows fill up with gas before heading back out onto the road to clear paths
A truck is covered in snow during Winter Storm Kenan on Saturday
A man is dressed in fluorescent clothing helping him stand out in the white-out conditions
Across New York City, Coney Island reported 11 inches of snow throughout the day, so too did Howard Beach in Queens.
Almost 10 inches fell in parts of Staten Island, and 7.5 inches were reported in Central Park, according to the National Weather Service
‘Be careful, bundle up,’ city’s Mayor Eric Adams told residents. ‘It’s a good day to stay home if you don’t have to go out.’
After the snow had moved out, temperatures were expected to fall to 14 degrees Fahrenheit overnight with the wind chill plunging temperatures to minus 5 degrees.
The frigid temperatures are expected to last until Tuesday. Temperatures on Monday are forecast to be slightly warmer at 18 degrees.
Those in Long Island were hit harder with 16 inches having fallen in parts of Nassau County.
Long Island MacArthur Airport in Suffolk County was under more than 22 inches, according to the weather service.
New York’s Governor Hochul said the storm was a ‘classic Nor’easter.’
‘This is a very serious storm,’ Hochul said. ‘It could be life threatening. But we’ve prepared for this.’
Pedestrians cross the street in Midtown during a Nor’easter storm on Saturday in New York City
A couple cross an intersection in Midtown during a Nor’easter storm on Saturday
Snow falls on the beachfront in Atlantic City, New Jersey on Saturday
A plough clears snow from a roadway during blizzard conditions in Atlantic City
Snow falls on the casino area in Atlantic City, N.J. The first Nor’easter of 2022 blanketed New York and New Jersey with snow and high winds
A powerful Nor’easter and winter storm affects daily life in New Jersey on Saturday
An SUV slowly drives up a steep road covered in snow and slush in West New York, New Jersey. Parts of New Jersey have accumulated more than a foot of snow with wind gusts reaching above 40 mph
The streets of New York City were treacherous with snow and ice blanketing the streets
The streets of New York were eerily quiet with the storm keeping most people inside their homes
A person carries a shopping bag during a snow storm on the Upper West Side on Saturday in New York City
An aerial view of Central Park is seen with snow covered in New York City, United States as massive snow storm hit the east
A woman pulls a child in a snow sled across Ninth Avenue in New York. The large storm hit a substantial portion of the East Coast of the United States
Pedestrians cross the street in Midtown during a Nor’easter storm in New York City. The first Nor’easter of 2022 blanketed New York City with snow and high winds
The storm had two saving graces: Dry snow less capable of snapping trees and tearing down power lines, and its timing on a weekend, when schools were closed and fewer people were commuting.
Officials from Virginia to Maine warned people to stay off the roads.
Rhode Island, all of which was under a blizzard warning, banned all nonemergency road travel starting at 8am. Fierce winds blew the snow sideways for hours in Providence.
In West Hartford, Connecticut, a tractor-trailer jack-knifed on Interstate 84, closing several lanes. Massachusetts banned heavy trucks from interstate highways.
On New York’s Long Island, East Hampton officials reported near-whiteout conditions, as much as 8 inches of snow by mid-morning and wind gusts of over 50mph.
A couple walks through snow on Beacon Street past the Public Garden in Boston.
Snow covers the entrance to a subway station. People from New York City to Maine awoke to deep snow and high winds as a powerful nor’easter kicked up blizzard conditions
A man carefully walks down the snow covered subway stairs during a snow storm in Bushwick section of Brooklyn borough of New York
A stranded motorist, at right, gets help shoveling out their car from a passerby with a shovel in Providence, Rhode Island
Signage outside of a motel is covered in snow in Ocean City, Maryland
Water reaches flood level in the East Boston neighborhood of Boston
A worker clears the sidewalk at East Pier in the East Boston neighborhood of Boston
Heavy snow is predicted for much of New England, Long Island and the New Jersey shore and coastline
‘There’s a lot of drifting of snow, so of course we’re urging people not to go out at all, allow the highway crews to do their job,’ town supervisor Peter Van Scoyoc said.
‘It’s going to be challenging enough without people getting stuck in the roadway.’
In Philadelphia, where 6in of snow was reported by early Saturday, few drivers ventured onto streets covered in knee-high drifts.
Some parts of the Jersey Shore had more than 13in by midday, the National Weather Service reported.
Delaware allowed only essential personnel to drive in two of its three counties.
Many hardy New Englanders took the storm in stride.
‘This is nothing,’ said 34-year-old Nicky Brown, who has lived in Waltham nearly her whole life, except for a brief stint in northern Maine. ‘I’ve seen way worse up there.’
Dave McGillivray, race director for the Boston Marathon, jokingly invited the public to his suburban Boston home on Saturday for a free snow-shoveling clinic.
David Bowling, right, of Salisbury, Maryland walks with his children Liam Bowling, 9, center, and Kaylee Bowling, 17, as they check out the snow near amusement rides along the Ocean City Boardwalk on Saturday
Xavier Martinez scrapes snow off his windshield during a storm in Providence, Rhode Isalnd
A dog is followed by a couple as the stroll on the snow-covered boardwalk
A pedestrian walks past a news ticker announcing a historic storm in Boston during a snow storm in New York’s Times Square. A powerful nor’easter swept up the East Coast on Saturday
‘I will provide the driveway and multiple walkways to ensure your training is conducted in the most lifelike situation,’ he said.
Parts of 10 states were under blizzard warnings: Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York and New Jersey, along with much of the Delmarva Peninsula in Delaware, Maryland and Virginia.
Areas closest to the coast bore bear the brunt of the storm.
Virginia, where a blizzard this month stranded hundreds of motorists for hours on Interstate 95, did not hesitate to get resources at the ready.
In Maryland, the governor mobilized the National Guard. Washington and Baltimore were spared the worst of the storm.
The worst of the storm was expected to blow over by Sunday morning into Canada, where several provinces are now under warnings.
Visitors make their way through New York’s Times Square during a snow storm
People make their way over the Williamsburg bridge during a snow storm
A maintenance person spreads salt in front of a high rise building with snow stuck to it’s windows during a snow storm
Visitors to New York’s Times Square take in the sights during a snow storm
A person cross country skis through New York’s Times Square during a snow storm
People walk in the snow outside Faneuil Hall, Saturday in Boston. Forecasters watched closely for new snowfall records, especially in Boston, where the heaviest snow was expected late Saturday
