Winter Storm Stella, a powerful Nor’easter that’s decided that 2017 needs more suffering already, is making its way up the East Coast. As of this morning, 18 million people are under a blizzard warning, and states of emergency have been declared in Maryland, Virginia, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
With the kids off school and everyone else “working from home,” you’ll probably want a way to get real-time updates of where the storm is hitting hardest and causing the most chaos. Luckily, the National Weather Service has got you covered.
The thing you probably care about most is the “Observed Snowfall Analysis,” or how much snow has fallen. The NWS has a slightly clunky interactive map, which lets you select any area of the lower 48 states and see snowfall in the last 24 or 48 hours. As the storm keeps moving, it will remain updated with new data from the NWS.
Currently, New York City is sitting at three to five inches of snow, which further west has taken the brunt of the storm. 18-20 inches has fallen in places including Wilkes-Barre and Scranton.
If you’re more interested in the forecast than what’s already happened, the NWS also provides hourly weather forecasts based on your zip code. Go to this page, select the desktop or mobile links, and then follow the directions to get a forecast.
It’s doubly important to stay up to date with Winter Storm Stella because with the forecast changing so rapidly, the dangers it presents shift. The forecast has gone from nearly two feet of snow, which brings obvious issues that need plows to solve, to things like freezing rain and high winds, which require a different approach to tackle.
For you as an individual, the changing forecast doesn’t really alter your best course of action: stay home, find blankets, ensure your laptop is fully charged, and fire up Netflix.
