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CNN Live At Daybreak
Blizzard Express Making Final Stop in New England
Aired February 18, 2003 - 05:34 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Oh, I know you're busy today if you live in the Northeast digging out from one of the region's largest snowstorms in recorded history. More than three feet of snow fell in some places, but I don't need to tell you that. At its worst, many areas had whiteout conditions. Snow fell as fast as three inches an hour in Connecticut, where Bradley Airport is not expected to reopen until later this morning.
In Philadelphia, the mayor is urging patience, saying the streets will be plowed, but it could take some time. And people in Delaware can get back on the roads beginning in the next hour. A 48 hour driving ban ends statewide except for Wilmington.
This blizzard express is making its final stop, though, in New England, and when the totals are in for Boston, the storm could rank as one of the city's biggest ever.
CNN's Michael Okwu was on the scene late last night for us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAEL OKWU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Local media in Boston already have a name for it. They're calling it Blizzard '03. And it is the worst snowstorm in this state since 1996. We want to give you a sense of what it looks like here in Brookline, Massachusetts, which is essentially a metropolitan residential part of Boston.
State officials say that the snow is falling at about two inches every hour. This evening, the worst of it will come down. They say that by the time it's all over, some 18 to 30 inches will have fallen. There are whiteout conditions throughout the state and in the Boston area. Winds gusting as high as 50 miles an hour. And officials are saying essentially stay off the roads. There have been a number of incidents mainly involving SUVs, small, minor accidents around the Massachusetts area. And officials saying that this is costing them a lot of labor and a lot of manpower.
Some 4,000 pieces of equipment are being used to clear off the roads at a cost of some $68,000 an hour. And one other interesting fact. At Logan Airport, about half of the flights were canceled or delayed by mid-afternoon. But one runway is still open.
Michael Okwu, CNN, Brookline, Massachusetts.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired February 18, 2003 - 05:34 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Oh, I know you're busy today if you live in the Northeast digging out from one of the region's largest snowstorms in recorded history. More than three feet of snow fell in some places, but I don't need to tell you that. At its worst, many areas had whiteout conditions. Snow fell as fast as three inches an hour in Connecticut, where Bradley Airport is not expected to reopen until later this morning.
In Philadelphia, the mayor is urging patience, saying the streets will be plowed, but it could take some time. And people in Delaware can get back on the roads beginning in the next hour. A 48 hour driving ban ends statewide except for Wilmington.
This blizzard express is making its final stop, though, in New England, and when the totals are in for Boston, the storm could rank as one of the city's biggest ever.
CNN's Michael Okwu was on the scene late last night for us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAEL OKWU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Local media in Boston already have a name for it. They're calling it Blizzard '03. And it is the worst snowstorm in this state since 1996. We want to give you a sense of what it looks like here in Brookline, Massachusetts, which is essentially a metropolitan residential part of Boston.
State officials say that the snow is falling at about two inches every hour. This evening, the worst of it will come down. They say that by the time it's all over, some 18 to 30 inches will have fallen. There are whiteout conditions throughout the state and in the Boston area. Winds gusting as high as 50 miles an hour. And officials are saying essentially stay off the roads. There have been a number of incidents mainly involving SUVs, small, minor accidents around the Massachusetts area. And officials saying that this is costing them a lot of labor and a lot of manpower.
Some 4,000 pieces of equipment are being used to clear off the roads at a cost of some $68,000 an hour. And one other interesting fact. At Logan Airport, about half of the flights were canceled or delayed by mid-afternoon. But one runway is still open.
Michael Okwu, CNN, Brookline, Massachusetts.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
