MrWords

Hello.

I'm booked onto the 183 tonight to JFK. All around me seem to be panicking and getting onto earlier flights because of the winter storm predicted for NE US.

Anybody got any sensible info on potential disruption, if any? Or is it all...ahem...a storm in a teacup?

gonesouth

Was just reading up about this as a colleague is flying to Boston on Saturday. I think the storm is further north than the NY area.

Here's the official line.
URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA
1012 PM EST WED FEB 6 2013

...A POTENTIAL HISTORIC WINTER STORM AND BLIZZARD IS EXPECTED TO
DROP 1 TO 2 FEET OF SNOW ACROSS MUCH OF THE REGION FRIDAY INTO
SATURDAY...

MAZ002>004-008>012-026-NHZ011-012-015-071115-
/O.CON.KBOX.WS.A.0002.130208T1200Z-130209T1800Z/
WESTERN FRANKLIN MA-EASTERN FRANKLIN MA-NORTHERN WORCESTER MA-
WESTERN HAMPSHIRE MA-WESTERN HAMPDEN MA-EASTERN HAMPSHIRE MA-
EASTERN HAMPDEN MA-SOUTHERN WORCESTER MA-NORTHERN MIDDLESEX MA-
CHESHIRE NH-EASTERN HILLSBOROUGH NH-
WESTERN AND CENTRAL HILLSBOROUGH NH-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...CHARLEMONT...GREENFIELD...ORANGE...
BARRE...FITCHBURG...CHESTERFIELD...BLANDFORD...AMH ERST...
NORTHAMPTON...SPRINGFIELD...MILFORD...WORCESTER... AYER...
JAFFREY...KEENE...MANCHESTER...NASHUA...PETERBOROU GH...WEARE
1012 PM EST WED FEB 6 2013

...WINTER STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM FRIDAY MORNING
THROUGH SATURDAY AFTERNOON...

* LOCATIONS...SOUTHERN NEW HAMPSHIRE AS WELL AS WESTERN AND
CENTRAL MASSACHUSETTS.

* HAZARD TYPES...HEAVY SNOW.

* ACCUMULATIONS...SNOW ACCUMULATION OF 12 TO 24 INCHES.

* TIMING...LIGHT SNOW WILL DEVELOP FRIDAY MORNING. THE SNOW WILL
INCREASE IN AREAL COVERAGE FRIDAY AFTERNOON...WITH THE
HEAVIEST OCCURRING FRIDAY NIGHT INTO SATURDAY MORNING.

* IMPACTS...HEAVY SNOW AND GUSTY WINDS WILL BRING THE POTENTIAL
FOR NEAR BLIZZARD CONDITIONS. THE WORST OF THE STORM WILL BE
FRIDAY NIGHT INTO SATURDAY MORNING. SNOWFALL RATES OF 2 TO 3
INCHES PER HOUR POSSIBLE. TRAVEL MAY BECOME NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE
WITH BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW.

* WINDS...NORTH 20 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 45 MPH.

* VISIBILITIES...ONE QUARTER MILE OR LESS AT TIMES.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A WINTER STORM WATCH IS ISSUED FOR THE POTENTIAL OF ACCUMULATING
SNOW OF 6 OR MORE INCHES IN A 12 HOUR PERIOD...OR 8 OR MORE
INCHES IN A 24 HOUR PERIOD. ANYONE TRAVELING IN THE NEXT 24 TO
36 HOURS SHOULD MONITOR LATER FORECASTS AND BE PREPARED TO MODIFY
TRAVEL PLANS SHOULD WINTER WEATHER DEVELOP.

Tiger_lily

IME when the National Weather Service issues Winter Storm Warnings, they're usually pretty much on the money.

Winter Storm Watch Issued by NWS New York City - Upton (Long Island and New York City)

Effective: 03:34 EST on 02-07-2013
Expires: 13:00 EST on 02-09-2013

...POWERFUL WINTER STORM TO AFFECT THE REGION THURSDAY NIGHT INTO SATURDAY MORNING...

...WINTER STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM FRIDAY AFTERNOON
THROUGH SATURDAY AFTERNOON...

* LOCATIONS...NEW YORK CITY...COASTAL PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST NEW
JERSEY...AND LONG ISLAND.

* HAZARD TYPES...HEAVY SNOW AND DAMAGING WINDS.

* ACCUMULATIONS...SNOW ACCUMULATION OF 8 TO 12 INCHES...ALONG
WITH AROUND A TRACE OF ICE.

* WINDS...NORTH 25 TO 35 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 60 MPH.

* TEMPERATURES...IN THE LOWER 30S.

* VISIBILITIES...ONE HALF MILE OR LESS AT TIMES.

* TIMING...FRIDAY EVENING INTO EARLY SATURDAY MORNING.

* IMPACTS...HEAVY SNOW WILL MAKE FOR DANGEROUS DRIVING CONDITIONS.
IN ADDITION...THE HEAVY SNOW AND STRONG WINDS COULD RESULT IN
NEAR BLIZZARD CONDITIONS...BRINGING DOWN SOME TREE LIMBS...AND
CAUSING SCATTERED POWER OUTAGES.

Instructions: A WINTER STORM WATCH MEANS THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT SNOW...SLEET...OR ICE ACCUMULATIONS THAT MAY IMPACT TRAVEL. CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE LATEST FORECASTS.
Target Area:
Bronx
Kings (Brooklyn)
New York (Manhattan)
Northeast Suffolk
Northern Nassau
Northern Queens
Northwest Suffolk
Richmond (Staten Is.)
Southeast Suffolk
Southern Nassau
Southern Queens
Southwest Suffolk

MrWords

Thank you.

I've actually switched onto 115 anyway, so looks like I'll get to experience the whole thing from the off...

Joely

Jolly good, I'm flying into BOS on Sunday, driving through central and western mas and into souther NH...lets hope they have ploughed by then!

randomflyer

If it helps I just saw the governor of Mass on the weather channel in the U.S.

Boston will get more than 2 feet of snow, ending on Saturday. Gale force winds accompany the snow between Friday and Saturday, some exceeding 30 MPH.

All public transport will be closed and non-essential vehicles will be asked to stay off the roads, beginning 2 p.m. Friday under orders of the governor. Boston will be in full shutdown through Saturday at least.

NYC is on the lower edge of the storm's heaviest snowfall up north, and the hot pink band showing the "2 feet" of snow seems to cover the area of JFK airport. The band on the weather map below JFK says 12 to 18 inches. Still pretty bad for transport.

It's just me, and this is highly tiring, but if I had to get to NYC or Boston, and I just HAD to, I'd reroute into IAD (only rain expected), take a taxi to Union Station in Washington ($70 approx), then try to get an Amtrak straight into NYC station at 3.5 hours.

Or just get to IAD, get a room at the Marriott there which is right on the airport premises and wait until i could either get a flight out to Boston or do the Amtrak run.

For Boston, though, it was just announced a minute ago that Amtrak has canceled services between NYC and Boston Friday and Saturday. But I guess depending on how desperate I was to get to Boston, one could lay low for a day in NYC waiting for Amtrak to reopen.

Am still waiting for the Weather Channel to report on closings NYC.

But in these really really big storms, sometimes Amtrak also stops entirely into NYC and Boston (as it did during Sandy.) We'll see.......

mec72

All flights to JFK/EWR from London tomorrow (Friday) are cancelled. Most flights on Saturday too - except the 17:25 flight to EWR and 18:00 flight to JFK.

I just managed to change my flight from tomorrow to Sat after holding the line for 40 minutes (and believe it or not - the only seat left on the upper deck was... 64K )

wanderingtheearth

Amtrak service in and out of the city may well be disrupted longer than flights; with much of the Northeast Corridor affected, clearing tracks could take some time. It took, IIRC, about four days before Amtrak restored service to NYC after Sandy.

Land-of-Miles

It was useful to have the GGL 24/7 line to rebook my LCY-JFK-SFO routing to just LHR-SFO. It will surely be pandemonium on the phone lines tomorrow.

PETER01

Sorry if this sounds like a silly question ( I am not a FFr) but me and Mrs P are due to fly to HKG on the BA27 tonight ( 2100 hrs)

Will BA put any transiting passengers en-route to NY/BOS etc into hotels or will T5 be heaving and pandemonium too ?

Swanhunter

T5 will be a bit busier but if you are flying anywhere other than the affected destinations nothing to concern you.

Pack a sweater for HK. It's quite chilly here right now.

brunos

Indeed, it is down to 15 C on my balcony. But compared to 1 C in London, that is warm

PETER01

Oh thanks for that Swanhunter, appreciated. ^

I've been keeping a close eye on the weather and I've heard it can be chilly at night just now so Mrs P has packed accordingly. (Although she doesn't know we are going there and thinks it an European break , all a surprise as a very early pre Silver Wedding getaway and she needs a break form her work!)

I do hope the storm passes quickly/clears up and feel sorry for all those affected with their plans in tatters as no doubt there will be even more disruption over the coming days and week ahead.

PETER01

15 C

That's a hot summers day here in Scotland. Must put some more shorts and T-shirts in the case

paulwuk

I was in NY for Sandy, then tried to get to Washington. Amtrak from Newark was available before the flights started, and pretty empty too. Amtrak from Manhattan took a lot longer due to flooding of the tunnels.