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CNN Sunday Morning
Heavy Winds Cause Major Delays At Northeast Airports
Aired January 23, 2005 - 09:00 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.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Folks are waking up to a whiteout. A blizzard wallops the east and it is not over yet.
From the CNN Center here in Atlanta this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING. It's January 23rd and boy does it feel like January out there this morning. Good morning, I'm Betty Nguyen.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Tony Harris, 9:00 a.m. in the east, 6:00 a.m. in the west. Thank you for being with us and boy here's what we got coming up for you this morning.
Blizzards are blanketing the East Coast with snow. The plows are putting in overtime in New York's Time Square today. Further east in Boston, snow has closed down Logan Airport, which of course means air travel across the east just about impossible.
But the game, the game must go on. Heavy snow on the field has so far not halted preps for today's NFC championship. Atlanta and Philadelphia are on schedule for a very chilly game, kickoff 3:00 p.m.
NGUYEN: I want to give you a look at all the areas under this blizzard. Look at New Haven where the wind is just blowing. That's on the top right-hand corner. Then you have New York and you top -- actually New Haven was top left, New York top right, Philadelphia lower left and Boston. All you can see is white there in your lower right.
Tempers are running high because of this but the temperature is very, very low and the flakes just keep falling all around the northeast. Winter is unleashing its wrath pushing through with might and muscle and causing life-threatening conditions in some areas.
In New York City, up to 15 inches in some parts and the city's mayor warns drivers just to stay off of the roads. In Connecticut, about 900 people are without power and the severe conditions have about 100 National Guardsmen on standby.
HARRIS: The Massachusetts governor has declared a state of emergency. Boston's Logan Airport is virtually shut down and the City of Brotherly Love is getting very little of it this morning.
In Philadelphia, hundreds of workers are using 65 tons of ice melt to clear off the football field ahead of today's NFC Championship game between the Falcons and the Eagles. In Philadelphia they might be dashing through the snow but they're surely not laughing all the way. The city's airport is back open for business but just a few flights are scheduled, this after it was shut down for five hours yesterday. That might make it easier for football fans traveling to the city for today's game.
And for an update on what's falling in Philly, we bring in CNN Meteorologist Chad Myers, who is knee deep in the mess. Chad, but you had found your inner child and you are making the most of it.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I'm trying to make a snowman but it's impossible. The snow is too light. Look at this. You can throw it up in the air and that's what the wind is going to do later on today.
The winds are actually picking up here. It feels colder right now than it did last night at this time. Things were really calming down last night. Now we have this coastal low that's developing out there in the Atlantic. It's using the energy from the Atlantic actually and now the winds are picking up here.
And so the wind chills have obviously gone down just in the past couple of hours but the road crews, the crews here that have been working overnight. In fact, the first crew started at 11:00 a.m. yesterday when the first snowflakes fell getting the first bits of salt down.
That salt didn't do anything with eleven and a half inches of snow. It tried to melt some but they have been shoveling all night long. They've had the front end loaders. They've had everything.
They're taking all the snow over to the naval yard on the other side of the freeway here and they're dumping it over there. Talking to some of the managers here of the dumping company they're running out of space over there to put it. So, this is almost done.
They are letting the tailgaters in. They are having some fun now but I will say it almost looks like that the whole city of Philadelphia is on strike because there are barrels, there are barrels and barrels and barrels of wood stuck in 55-gallon drums and all these guys standing around, huddling around it. So, oh well, it's a measure of my youth.
HARRIS: There you go. All right, Chad, we'll see you in about 15 minutes, man. Thanks.
MYERS: All right, fair enough.
NGUYEN: Well, in Gotham gusty winds and a few brave souls, check it out. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg says they are trying to get things cleared up by tomorrow's morning rush hour that's if the storm doesn't mind.
For the latest out of New York, we bring in our Alina Cho, who couldn't think of a better place to be right about now than, of course, in Manhattan's Central Park, isn't that right Alina? ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I'm still trying to decide that. You know, Betty, I may regret saying this later but New York City is actually a wonderful place to be at this time of year because it is one of the few times of the year that the city is actually quiet and calm.
Now that's not to say that people aren't out and about enjoying the weather or working in it in some cases, if you take a look behind me you see a couple of guys with the shovels there and these guys are volunteers.
Now elsewhere inside Central Park we found people spending the morning jogging, skiing and walking their dogs. In fact, I'm starting to wonder if the dogs are outnumbering the people at this point. And, remember, this is New York City so the dogs are dressed very fashionably here.
Now, the dogs have to get out of the house but the joggers don't have to, which is why it was very interesting that we found one man who just couldn't take a day off from his training for a marathon.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MATTHEW PATRICK: We're expecting our second daughter in April, so I was going to run the Boston Marathon in April so now I'm training for the March marathon earlier than that so it's down in Cape May, New Jersey, so I've got, what, eight weeks to train for it and so if I miss this, my long runs in the snow then I miss my training.
CHO: Well, couldn't you have skipped one day?
PARICK: Yes, I could but it's a beautiful day. The park is plowed. It's not so bad and, yes, no one is out, no traffic. It's a nice day. It's not that cold.
CHO: Sublime?
PATRICK: It's 15 degrees. It's a beautiful day. It could be zero. It's a little cold with the wind in your face but other than that, if you dress right, it's OK. It's a nice day.
CHO: OK. The mayor says stay inside.
PATRICK: Well that's if you're driving. You know if you're out and you're dressed right, it's OK. You're running. You stay warm. My toes are warm.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: His toes are warm. Well, he's doing better than I am.
Now keep in mind that the city has 2,000 pieces of equipment, including salt trucks and snow plows and snow melters and the sanitation commissioner told us this morning that every piece of equipment, all 2,000 of them are out in force today.
NGUYEN: And, Alina, as that runner said just keep this in mind. It's a beautiful day, 15 degrees, not that bad.
HARRIS: Yes.
NGUYEN: Keep saying that over and over in your head. You may get a little bit warmer then. Thanks Alino Cho in New York City for us this morning. Thank you.
HARRIS: I don't think she's having it.
It's Sunday morning and that means most of you won't have to deal with getting around in the snow today, so go ahead put another pot of coffee on and think about this driving, driving to work across New York City at 2:00 a.m. in the morning.
CNN writer Shannon Travis is one of our team members who wakes up in the middle of the night every weekend to prepare the morning shows. He lives in Brooklyn and usually has an eight mile drive to the Time Warner Center in Manhattan. This morning, well it was a challenge. Shannon joins us to tell about the overnight commute. Shannon, you made it.
SHANNON TRAVIS, CNN WRITER: Yes, I did. Tony, you know, Alina just said that the mayor is telling people to stay off the roads. I think that might be calling in sick to work. But for those of us who actually wouldn't think of doing such (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...
HARRIS: There you go.
TRAVIS: The commute was pretty tough.
HARRIS: How tough was it really? I mean it's two o'clock in the morning. There isn't any traffic on the road. I mean could you get around pretty easily?
TRAVIS: There isn't any traffic. There isn't any traffic just a lot of snow to block you.
HARRIS: Oh.
TRAVIS: Pretty much avoid the side streets and just try to stick with the bigger avenues. Coming over the Brooklyn Bridge just basically trying to steer clear of the snow because virtually, again, (UNINTELLIGIBLE) out there.
HARRIS: Right.
TRAVIS: The few that are, are slipping and sliding and thank goodness for the sanitation crew that are out there plowing...
HARRIS: Right.
TRAVIS: ...the streets and keeping them clear.
HARRIS: Hey, did you get stuck at all?
TRAVIS: Not stuck. I did see a few other cars that were stuck. HARRIS: OK.
TRAVIS: Literally saw a few cars parked in the street because they just couldn't make it over to the curb because there's just too many mountains of snow to get close to.
HARRIS: And at this time you've got the snow emergency routes are in place, which means a lot of those cars on those side streets got to get out of there, right?
TRAVIS: Exactly, exactly. One interesting sight, probably disturbing even, was I saw a police car with the sirens blaring.
HARRIS: Yes.
TRAVIS: And lights turning and everything but literally doing maybe 30 miles an hour, so there might be some emergency issues also.
HARRIS: Glad you made it in Shannon. We appreciate it. Thanks for taking the time.
TRAVIS: Absolutely.
NGUYEN: Well, people in Boston, Massachusetts are waking up to a whiteout as well. Winds of up to 55 miles an hour are whipping up the heavy snow bringing air travel to a standstill.
Our Chris Huntington joins us now from Boston with the latest there, hi Chris. Boy is it blowing there.
CHRIS HUNTINGTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Betty. Good morning.
Well don't even talk about air travel right now. You probably can get a bit of the sense of the wind, ferocious winds buffeting the coastal areas around here. Down in Woods Hole (ph), which is right sort of at the base of Cape Cod, reports of 70 mile-per-hour winds.
Here in Boston we're regularly seeing 40, 50-mile-per-hour gusts. We're down around the waterfront of Boston, high tide here in less than an hour and already the boats floating right up just about even with the pier level that I am on.
The good news here in downtown Boston is that it's quite cold, which is keeping the snow light and fluffy. Of course, it's difficult to control and plow with the winds.
They are expecting now a record accumulation of over 28 inches. That would surpass the famous blizzard of '78 and indeed the concern here is that the snow will drift and continue to move around and basically make snow removal pretty much a task (UNINTELLIGIBLE) if you will. The snow plows can chase it but they just can't corral it.
The tide surge is the real issue and especially for any of the coastal areas that have a northern exposure. The wind is coming from the north. It's a full moon tide, so for the next couple of hours along the coastal regions that will be the concern. There is a state of emergency in effect in Massachusetts which basically means the National Guard is on standby to help folks evacuate should that be the case -- Betty.
NGUYEN: So basically move over blizzard of 1978. This one is making its own history today. All right, Chris Huntington thank you from Boston today.
HARRIS: Rob, did you see those pictures?
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes.
HARRIS: This is, I mean...
NGUYEN: Blowing.
HARRIS: Blowing, it's blowing sideways.
MARCIANO: Yes, that looks like fun.
(WEATHER FORECAST)
NGUYEN: Thank you, Rob.
MARCIANO: You bet.
HARRIS: OK, put another log on the fire.
But before you do that, let us know how you're faring this morning. E-mail us your best snow pictures at wam@cnn.com.
NGUYEN: And can we say it enough snow, snow and just more snow. It just keeps coming.
Just ahead this chilly Sunday morning, how a blizzard sweeping the eastern seaboard might affect your travel plans.
HARRIS: Oh, and good morning Philadelphia. It may be cold but the game is on. We'll get a live report on the state of the NFC Championship game when CNN SUNDAY MORNING returns.
NGUYEN: But as we go to break we want to show you some images that are best appreciated from inside a warm house, hopefully where you are. This photo from West Hartford, Connecticut speaks volumes about the brutal conditions there.
And, along Philadelphia's Market Street, desperate times call for desperate measures. Frankly, we're kind of surprised the lawn tractor cranked up in this winter weather.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(NEWSBREAK)
NGUYEN: Back to the snow. It is on the ground but it might not stay put. The worst of the blizzard may have passed the nation's capital but people there now face another threat and we'll take you to Washington a little bit later this hour for that.
HARRIS: Well, Betty, the blizzard forced cancellation of lots of things but not the NFL Conference Championship games. Both Pittsburgh and Philadelphia expect to be dug out in time for their respective playoff games.
CNN Meteorologist Chad Myers is back with the latest from Philly's Lincoln Financial Field where the Eagles and the Falcons go head-to-head today in the NFC Championship game. And, Chad, the tailgaters, we need to see some tailgaters.
MYERS: We have some pictures. But aren't we thankful that there isn't a game in Foxborough today.
HARRIS: Yes.
MYERS: Because it would be -- you wouldn't be able to see it even on television.
Here's the problem. Look at this snow. It is so light and fluffy. It's like going -- it's like going skiing in Utah. But here's the snow, probably, I don't know we're looking at ten and a half, almost eleven inches there and the snow has been continuing all night long.
But the snow has not stopped the guys and ladies from getting out and starting those fires and starting those tailgates. Here are some pictures we just shot from the other side of the field. They are ready to go. I haven't heard so many Eagles cheers ever. They are ready for the game. They are ready to stay warm now.
But I think that three o'clock is six hours of drinking, maybe even six and a half for some of them and I'm afraid, I hope they're drinking Diet Coke because if they're drinking anything else it's not going to be good for you to be in the stadium with that much alcohol in your system, even though you think it makes you feel warmer. In fact, it does not make you feel warmer at all.
So, yes, they are all ready. They think it's noon somewhere and, in fact, Tony it's not.
HARRIS: It's not, no, it's not. And, Chad, I got to tell you what's the advice here? You got to go in layers right? They look like they're -- well they're football fans but you need to dress in layers here.
MYERS: Well, of course. I actually have three layers on under my pants here. I have four layers on here. I feel like a red Michelin man here I have so many layers on.
HARRIS: Well, you kind of look like it. Oh, Chad, hi good to see you. We're still on the air. Have fun out there.
MYERS: I will.
HARRIS: You know what you're doing a great job. Thank you, man, tough conditions.
MYERS: All right, thanks man.
NGUYEN: Had to give him a hard time. He's already out in the snow, Tony.
HARRIS: I know. Yes.
NGUYEN: Right now we want to check in on some of those other stories making news around the world.
HARRIS: And for that let's go to Anand Naidoo at the international desk, Anand, good morning.
Good morning, Tony, Betty and time right now to check out some of the big stories around the globe.
First to Ukraine, major celebrations there today, Viktor Yushchenko, the reformist leader takes the presidential oath of office in Kiev. It's been a long time coming and no easy paths to victory for Yushchenko. Along the way he had to deal with a fraudulent election and poisoning, which left him severely disfigured.
Dozens of international dignitaries among today's guests in Kiev, including the outgoing United States Secretary of State Colin Powell, and I heard just a few minutes ago that Powell held a meeting with Yushchenko this morning. That was before the inauguration festivities began.
Moving on to the Middle East, conflicting reports but could this be the news everyone has been waiting for? Well, don't hold your breath. This is the Middle East after all.
But on a more positive note, Israel Radio is reporting that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has secured a 30-day ceasefire with Hamas and Islamic Jihad. No word from Abbas himself except that the talks are ongoing. Israel says it's willing to suspend attacks if the ceasefire holds.
And it's worth reminding you that the second Palestinian uprising or intifada as it's known is now four years old and thousands of people on both sides have died in that time.
Another grim milestone it's exactly four weeks since the tsunami disaster in Asia, the tsunami that struck with such devastating consequences. But a month later the recovery effort is slow and difficult.
We received reports overnight that in Indonesia's Aceh Province the World Food Program is warning that 200,000 survivors are not being adequately fed. After four weeks the latest casualty reports we have puts the death toll at more than 220,000.
That's all for me, Anand Naidoo. We'll do this again next weekend. In the meantime, have a great day. Stay indoors if you can. Let's send it back to Betty and Tony. HARRIS: Yes, good advice, thank you.
NGUYEN: Midwesterners got the first taste of the blizzard now slamming the East Coast. They are cleaning up and shoveling out. We have a look at the aftermath ahead.
HARRIS: But first a CNN extra. Researchers have found a drink a day can help older women maintain sharper minds. Compared to non- drinkers, women who had one drink daily, wine, beer, or even hard liquor had better memories and showed less deterioration in memory over time. But scientists say more research is needed to show whether moderate drinking can prevent Alzheimer's Disease.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Crosby Stills and Nash, "Southern Cross." Hum, interesting music.
Good morning Philadelphia, a live picture for you this morning. Philadelphia is just one of the places to be hard hit by the northeast blizzard.
Rob Marciano, busy man, is here with a storm update in just about 30 seconds.
NGUYEN: But first the storm did a number on the Midwest before heading east. This was the scene yesterday in Marion, Ohio. For states along the Great Lakes it was just the latest in a series of snowstorms since Christmas.
Milwaukee, well it's among the countless places digging out today and dealing with frigid cold. Some communities have been so busy with snow removal this winter they already used more than half of their road salt.
And the windy city, well it is living up to its nickname. Winds were clocked at 60 miles-per-hour at the height of yesterday's storm. The lake effect dumped up to eight inches yesterday now that is on top of the eight inches that they had seen the day before. Temperatures throughout the region are in the low teens right about now and that doesn't count the wind chill effect.
HARRIS: The wind chill, that's right.
You know there's a storm brewing in that weather center this morning. There's got to be stuff flying everywhere.
NGUYEN: (UNINTELLIGIBLE.)
HARRIS: That's the picture that's in my mind, Rob, with all of this going on.
(WEATHER FORECAST)
NGUYEN: Hey, Rob, as we're talking about snow, did you know that Eskimos have over 100 words for snow? HARRIS: They do?
NGUYEN: They do.
MARCIANO: Well, we got some time. Let's (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
NGUYEN: Here are some examples. We won't go through all 100 of them but fritla (ph) is fried snow, never thought about frying snow.
HARRIS: OK.
NGUYEN: And grisla (ph) is deep fried snow. And here's one that's very interesting mitlana (ph) that is pink snow.
HARRIS: Pink.
NGUYEN: I don't know what pink snow is. I've heard of another color but that's a whole other story.
MARCIANO: That was a word developed after they made pink antifreeze.
HARRIS: There you go.
NGUYEN: Oh, OK, all right. Well thanks for that.
MARCIANO: Or lots of vitamins.
HARRIS: Thanks, Rob.
Changing gears now how do you hold the marriage together when one spouse is in Iraq for months and the other is home with the kids? That's the subject of our "Soldier's Story" this morning and our soldier is Chaplain Gerald Nelson of the 81st Regional Readiness Command headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, Chaplain Nelson good to talk to you this morning. Chaplain Nelson, can you hear us?
Oh, we're having problems with a connection there, so we'll take a break and come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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Aired January 23, 2005 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Folks are waking up to a whiteout. A blizzard wallops the east and it is not over yet.
From the CNN Center here in Atlanta this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING. It's January 23rd and boy does it feel like January out there this morning. Good morning, I'm Betty Nguyen.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Tony Harris, 9:00 a.m. in the east, 6:00 a.m. in the west. Thank you for being with us and boy here's what we got coming up for you this morning.
Blizzards are blanketing the East Coast with snow. The plows are putting in overtime in New York's Time Square today. Further east in Boston, snow has closed down Logan Airport, which of course means air travel across the east just about impossible.
But the game, the game must go on. Heavy snow on the field has so far not halted preps for today's NFC championship. Atlanta and Philadelphia are on schedule for a very chilly game, kickoff 3:00 p.m.
NGUYEN: I want to give you a look at all the areas under this blizzard. Look at New Haven where the wind is just blowing. That's on the top right-hand corner. Then you have New York and you top -- actually New Haven was top left, New York top right, Philadelphia lower left and Boston. All you can see is white there in your lower right.
Tempers are running high because of this but the temperature is very, very low and the flakes just keep falling all around the northeast. Winter is unleashing its wrath pushing through with might and muscle and causing life-threatening conditions in some areas.
In New York City, up to 15 inches in some parts and the city's mayor warns drivers just to stay off of the roads. In Connecticut, about 900 people are without power and the severe conditions have about 100 National Guardsmen on standby.
HARRIS: The Massachusetts governor has declared a state of emergency. Boston's Logan Airport is virtually shut down and the City of Brotherly Love is getting very little of it this morning.
In Philadelphia, hundreds of workers are using 65 tons of ice melt to clear off the football field ahead of today's NFC Championship game between the Falcons and the Eagles. In Philadelphia they might be dashing through the snow but they're surely not laughing all the way. The city's airport is back open for business but just a few flights are scheduled, this after it was shut down for five hours yesterday. That might make it easier for football fans traveling to the city for today's game.
And for an update on what's falling in Philly, we bring in CNN Meteorologist Chad Myers, who is knee deep in the mess. Chad, but you had found your inner child and you are making the most of it.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I'm trying to make a snowman but it's impossible. The snow is too light. Look at this. You can throw it up in the air and that's what the wind is going to do later on today.
The winds are actually picking up here. It feels colder right now than it did last night at this time. Things were really calming down last night. Now we have this coastal low that's developing out there in the Atlantic. It's using the energy from the Atlantic actually and now the winds are picking up here.
And so the wind chills have obviously gone down just in the past couple of hours but the road crews, the crews here that have been working overnight. In fact, the first crew started at 11:00 a.m. yesterday when the first snowflakes fell getting the first bits of salt down.
That salt didn't do anything with eleven and a half inches of snow. It tried to melt some but they have been shoveling all night long. They've had the front end loaders. They've had everything.
They're taking all the snow over to the naval yard on the other side of the freeway here and they're dumping it over there. Talking to some of the managers here of the dumping company they're running out of space over there to put it. So, this is almost done.
They are letting the tailgaters in. They are having some fun now but I will say it almost looks like that the whole city of Philadelphia is on strike because there are barrels, there are barrels and barrels and barrels of wood stuck in 55-gallon drums and all these guys standing around, huddling around it. So, oh well, it's a measure of my youth.
HARRIS: There you go. All right, Chad, we'll see you in about 15 minutes, man. Thanks.
MYERS: All right, fair enough.
NGUYEN: Well, in Gotham gusty winds and a few brave souls, check it out. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg says they are trying to get things cleared up by tomorrow's morning rush hour that's if the storm doesn't mind.
For the latest out of New York, we bring in our Alina Cho, who couldn't think of a better place to be right about now than, of course, in Manhattan's Central Park, isn't that right Alina? ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I'm still trying to decide that. You know, Betty, I may regret saying this later but New York City is actually a wonderful place to be at this time of year because it is one of the few times of the year that the city is actually quiet and calm.
Now that's not to say that people aren't out and about enjoying the weather or working in it in some cases, if you take a look behind me you see a couple of guys with the shovels there and these guys are volunteers.
Now elsewhere inside Central Park we found people spending the morning jogging, skiing and walking their dogs. In fact, I'm starting to wonder if the dogs are outnumbering the people at this point. And, remember, this is New York City so the dogs are dressed very fashionably here.
Now, the dogs have to get out of the house but the joggers don't have to, which is why it was very interesting that we found one man who just couldn't take a day off from his training for a marathon.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MATTHEW PATRICK: We're expecting our second daughter in April, so I was going to run the Boston Marathon in April so now I'm training for the March marathon earlier than that so it's down in Cape May, New Jersey, so I've got, what, eight weeks to train for it and so if I miss this, my long runs in the snow then I miss my training.
CHO: Well, couldn't you have skipped one day?
PARICK: Yes, I could but it's a beautiful day. The park is plowed. It's not so bad and, yes, no one is out, no traffic. It's a nice day. It's not that cold.
CHO: Sublime?
PATRICK: It's 15 degrees. It's a beautiful day. It could be zero. It's a little cold with the wind in your face but other than that, if you dress right, it's OK. It's a nice day.
CHO: OK. The mayor says stay inside.
PATRICK: Well that's if you're driving. You know if you're out and you're dressed right, it's OK. You're running. You stay warm. My toes are warm.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: His toes are warm. Well, he's doing better than I am.
Now keep in mind that the city has 2,000 pieces of equipment, including salt trucks and snow plows and snow melters and the sanitation commissioner told us this morning that every piece of equipment, all 2,000 of them are out in force today.
NGUYEN: And, Alina, as that runner said just keep this in mind. It's a beautiful day, 15 degrees, not that bad.
HARRIS: Yes.
NGUYEN: Keep saying that over and over in your head. You may get a little bit warmer then. Thanks Alino Cho in New York City for us this morning. Thank you.
HARRIS: I don't think she's having it.
It's Sunday morning and that means most of you won't have to deal with getting around in the snow today, so go ahead put another pot of coffee on and think about this driving, driving to work across New York City at 2:00 a.m. in the morning.
CNN writer Shannon Travis is one of our team members who wakes up in the middle of the night every weekend to prepare the morning shows. He lives in Brooklyn and usually has an eight mile drive to the Time Warner Center in Manhattan. This morning, well it was a challenge. Shannon joins us to tell about the overnight commute. Shannon, you made it.
SHANNON TRAVIS, CNN WRITER: Yes, I did. Tony, you know, Alina just said that the mayor is telling people to stay off the roads. I think that might be calling in sick to work. But for those of us who actually wouldn't think of doing such (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...
HARRIS: There you go.
TRAVIS: The commute was pretty tough.
HARRIS: How tough was it really? I mean it's two o'clock in the morning. There isn't any traffic on the road. I mean could you get around pretty easily?
TRAVIS: There isn't any traffic. There isn't any traffic just a lot of snow to block you.
HARRIS: Oh.
TRAVIS: Pretty much avoid the side streets and just try to stick with the bigger avenues. Coming over the Brooklyn Bridge just basically trying to steer clear of the snow because virtually, again, (UNINTELLIGIBLE) out there.
HARRIS: Right.
TRAVIS: The few that are, are slipping and sliding and thank goodness for the sanitation crew that are out there plowing...
HARRIS: Right.
TRAVIS: ...the streets and keeping them clear.
HARRIS: Hey, did you get stuck at all?
TRAVIS: Not stuck. I did see a few other cars that were stuck. HARRIS: OK.
TRAVIS: Literally saw a few cars parked in the street because they just couldn't make it over to the curb because there's just too many mountains of snow to get close to.
HARRIS: And at this time you've got the snow emergency routes are in place, which means a lot of those cars on those side streets got to get out of there, right?
TRAVIS: Exactly, exactly. One interesting sight, probably disturbing even, was I saw a police car with the sirens blaring.
HARRIS: Yes.
TRAVIS: And lights turning and everything but literally doing maybe 30 miles an hour, so there might be some emergency issues also.
HARRIS: Glad you made it in Shannon. We appreciate it. Thanks for taking the time.
TRAVIS: Absolutely.
NGUYEN: Well, people in Boston, Massachusetts are waking up to a whiteout as well. Winds of up to 55 miles an hour are whipping up the heavy snow bringing air travel to a standstill.
Our Chris Huntington joins us now from Boston with the latest there, hi Chris. Boy is it blowing there.
CHRIS HUNTINGTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Betty. Good morning.
Well don't even talk about air travel right now. You probably can get a bit of the sense of the wind, ferocious winds buffeting the coastal areas around here. Down in Woods Hole (ph), which is right sort of at the base of Cape Cod, reports of 70 mile-per-hour winds.
Here in Boston we're regularly seeing 40, 50-mile-per-hour gusts. We're down around the waterfront of Boston, high tide here in less than an hour and already the boats floating right up just about even with the pier level that I am on.
The good news here in downtown Boston is that it's quite cold, which is keeping the snow light and fluffy. Of course, it's difficult to control and plow with the winds.
They are expecting now a record accumulation of over 28 inches. That would surpass the famous blizzard of '78 and indeed the concern here is that the snow will drift and continue to move around and basically make snow removal pretty much a task (UNINTELLIGIBLE) if you will. The snow plows can chase it but they just can't corral it.
The tide surge is the real issue and especially for any of the coastal areas that have a northern exposure. The wind is coming from the north. It's a full moon tide, so for the next couple of hours along the coastal regions that will be the concern. There is a state of emergency in effect in Massachusetts which basically means the National Guard is on standby to help folks evacuate should that be the case -- Betty.
NGUYEN: So basically move over blizzard of 1978. This one is making its own history today. All right, Chris Huntington thank you from Boston today.
HARRIS: Rob, did you see those pictures?
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes.
HARRIS: This is, I mean...
NGUYEN: Blowing.
HARRIS: Blowing, it's blowing sideways.
MARCIANO: Yes, that looks like fun.
(WEATHER FORECAST)
NGUYEN: Thank you, Rob.
MARCIANO: You bet.
HARRIS: OK, put another log on the fire.
But before you do that, let us know how you're faring this morning. E-mail us your best snow pictures at wam@cnn.com.
NGUYEN: And can we say it enough snow, snow and just more snow. It just keeps coming.
Just ahead this chilly Sunday morning, how a blizzard sweeping the eastern seaboard might affect your travel plans.
HARRIS: Oh, and good morning Philadelphia. It may be cold but the game is on. We'll get a live report on the state of the NFC Championship game when CNN SUNDAY MORNING returns.
NGUYEN: But as we go to break we want to show you some images that are best appreciated from inside a warm house, hopefully where you are. This photo from West Hartford, Connecticut speaks volumes about the brutal conditions there.
And, along Philadelphia's Market Street, desperate times call for desperate measures. Frankly, we're kind of surprised the lawn tractor cranked up in this winter weather.
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NGUYEN: Back to the snow. It is on the ground but it might not stay put. The worst of the blizzard may have passed the nation's capital but people there now face another threat and we'll take you to Washington a little bit later this hour for that.
HARRIS: Well, Betty, the blizzard forced cancellation of lots of things but not the NFL Conference Championship games. Both Pittsburgh and Philadelphia expect to be dug out in time for their respective playoff games.
CNN Meteorologist Chad Myers is back with the latest from Philly's Lincoln Financial Field where the Eagles and the Falcons go head-to-head today in the NFC Championship game. And, Chad, the tailgaters, we need to see some tailgaters.
MYERS: We have some pictures. But aren't we thankful that there isn't a game in Foxborough today.
HARRIS: Yes.
MYERS: Because it would be -- you wouldn't be able to see it even on television.
Here's the problem. Look at this snow. It is so light and fluffy. It's like going -- it's like going skiing in Utah. But here's the snow, probably, I don't know we're looking at ten and a half, almost eleven inches there and the snow has been continuing all night long.
But the snow has not stopped the guys and ladies from getting out and starting those fires and starting those tailgates. Here are some pictures we just shot from the other side of the field. They are ready to go. I haven't heard so many Eagles cheers ever. They are ready for the game. They are ready to stay warm now.
But I think that three o'clock is six hours of drinking, maybe even six and a half for some of them and I'm afraid, I hope they're drinking Diet Coke because if they're drinking anything else it's not going to be good for you to be in the stadium with that much alcohol in your system, even though you think it makes you feel warmer. In fact, it does not make you feel warmer at all.
So, yes, they are all ready. They think it's noon somewhere and, in fact, Tony it's not.
HARRIS: It's not, no, it's not. And, Chad, I got to tell you what's the advice here? You got to go in layers right? They look like they're -- well they're football fans but you need to dress in layers here.
MYERS: Well, of course. I actually have three layers on under my pants here. I have four layers on here. I feel like a red Michelin man here I have so many layers on.
HARRIS: Well, you kind of look like it. Oh, Chad, hi good to see you. We're still on the air. Have fun out there.
MYERS: I will.
HARRIS: You know what you're doing a great job. Thank you, man, tough conditions.
MYERS: All right, thanks man.
NGUYEN: Had to give him a hard time. He's already out in the snow, Tony.
HARRIS: I know. Yes.
NGUYEN: Right now we want to check in on some of those other stories making news around the world.
HARRIS: And for that let's go to Anand Naidoo at the international desk, Anand, good morning.
Good morning, Tony, Betty and time right now to check out some of the big stories around the globe.
First to Ukraine, major celebrations there today, Viktor Yushchenko, the reformist leader takes the presidential oath of office in Kiev. It's been a long time coming and no easy paths to victory for Yushchenko. Along the way he had to deal with a fraudulent election and poisoning, which left him severely disfigured.
Dozens of international dignitaries among today's guests in Kiev, including the outgoing United States Secretary of State Colin Powell, and I heard just a few minutes ago that Powell held a meeting with Yushchenko this morning. That was before the inauguration festivities began.
Moving on to the Middle East, conflicting reports but could this be the news everyone has been waiting for? Well, don't hold your breath. This is the Middle East after all.
But on a more positive note, Israel Radio is reporting that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has secured a 30-day ceasefire with Hamas and Islamic Jihad. No word from Abbas himself except that the talks are ongoing. Israel says it's willing to suspend attacks if the ceasefire holds.
And it's worth reminding you that the second Palestinian uprising or intifada as it's known is now four years old and thousands of people on both sides have died in that time.
Another grim milestone it's exactly four weeks since the tsunami disaster in Asia, the tsunami that struck with such devastating consequences. But a month later the recovery effort is slow and difficult.
We received reports overnight that in Indonesia's Aceh Province the World Food Program is warning that 200,000 survivors are not being adequately fed. After four weeks the latest casualty reports we have puts the death toll at more than 220,000.
That's all for me, Anand Naidoo. We'll do this again next weekend. In the meantime, have a great day. Stay indoors if you can. Let's send it back to Betty and Tony. HARRIS: Yes, good advice, thank you.
NGUYEN: Midwesterners got the first taste of the blizzard now slamming the East Coast. They are cleaning up and shoveling out. We have a look at the aftermath ahead.
HARRIS: But first a CNN extra. Researchers have found a drink a day can help older women maintain sharper minds. Compared to non- drinkers, women who had one drink daily, wine, beer, or even hard liquor had better memories and showed less deterioration in memory over time. But scientists say more research is needed to show whether moderate drinking can prevent Alzheimer's Disease.
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HARRIS: Crosby Stills and Nash, "Southern Cross." Hum, interesting music.
Good morning Philadelphia, a live picture for you this morning. Philadelphia is just one of the places to be hard hit by the northeast blizzard.
Rob Marciano, busy man, is here with a storm update in just about 30 seconds.
NGUYEN: But first the storm did a number on the Midwest before heading east. This was the scene yesterday in Marion, Ohio. For states along the Great Lakes it was just the latest in a series of snowstorms since Christmas.
Milwaukee, well it's among the countless places digging out today and dealing with frigid cold. Some communities have been so busy with snow removal this winter they already used more than half of their road salt.
And the windy city, well it is living up to its nickname. Winds were clocked at 60 miles-per-hour at the height of yesterday's storm. The lake effect dumped up to eight inches yesterday now that is on top of the eight inches that they had seen the day before. Temperatures throughout the region are in the low teens right about now and that doesn't count the wind chill effect.
HARRIS: The wind chill, that's right.
You know there's a storm brewing in that weather center this morning. There's got to be stuff flying everywhere.
NGUYEN: (UNINTELLIGIBLE.)
HARRIS: That's the picture that's in my mind, Rob, with all of this going on.
(WEATHER FORECAST)
NGUYEN: Hey, Rob, as we're talking about snow, did you know that Eskimos have over 100 words for snow? HARRIS: They do?
NGUYEN: They do.
MARCIANO: Well, we got some time. Let's (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
NGUYEN: Here are some examples. We won't go through all 100 of them but fritla (ph) is fried snow, never thought about frying snow.
HARRIS: OK.
NGUYEN: And grisla (ph) is deep fried snow. And here's one that's very interesting mitlana (ph) that is pink snow.
HARRIS: Pink.
NGUYEN: I don't know what pink snow is. I've heard of another color but that's a whole other story.
MARCIANO: That was a word developed after they made pink antifreeze.
HARRIS: There you go.
NGUYEN: Oh, OK, all right. Well thanks for that.
MARCIANO: Or lots of vitamins.
HARRIS: Thanks, Rob.
Changing gears now how do you hold the marriage together when one spouse is in Iraq for months and the other is home with the kids? That's the subject of our "Soldier's Story" this morning and our soldier is Chaplain Gerald Nelson of the 81st Regional Readiness Command headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, Chaplain Nelson good to talk to you this morning. Chaplain Nelson, can you hear us?
Oh, we're having problems with a connection there, so we'll take a break and come back.
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