Snowzilla llega a Nueva York con mayor intensidad (fotos)
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A man walks up 14th Street during a winter storm in Washington January 23, 2016. A winter storm dumped nearly 2 feet (58 cm) of snow on the suburbs of Washington, D.C., on Saturday before moving on to Philadelphia and New York, paralyzing road, rail and airline travel along the U.S. East Coast. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts
La tormenta azotó la capital todo el sábado REUTERS/Joshua Roberts
La gran tormenta de nieve y fuertes vientos que paraliza desde ayer la costa este de Estados Unidos se intensificó hoy en diez estados y amenaza al área de Nueva York, donde se temen acumulaciones históricas e inundaciones.
A resident shovels a sidewalk next to a snow-covered car in Washington January 23, 2016. Thick snow covered the Washington, D.C. area on Saturday as a potentially record-breaking blizzard paralyzed road, rail and airline travel on the U.S. East Coast from North Carolina to New York. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
A car is buried in snow from an overnight snowstorm inside Washington DC Beltway in Annandale, Virginia, January 23, 2016. Thick snow covered the Washington D.C. area on Saturday as a potentially record-breaking blizzard paralyzed road, rail and airline travel on the U.S. East Coast from North Carolina to New York. REUTERS/Hyungwon Kang TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
Snow flakes are stuck to windows after a blustery snowstorm inside Washington DC Beltway in Annandale, Virginia, January 23, 2016. Thick snow covered the Washington D.C. area on Saturday as a potentially record-breaking blizzard paralyzed road, rail and airline travel on the U.S. East Coast from North Carolina to New York. REUTERS/Hyungwon Kang
A Capitol Hill employee uses a heavy earth moving machine to clear snow during a winter storm in Washington January 23, 2016. A winter storm dumped nearly 2 feet (58 cm) of snow on the suburbs of Washington, D.C., on Saturday before moving on to Philadelphia and New York, paralyzing road, rail and airline travel along the U.S. East Coast. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
A person walks on the snow-covered grounds of the U.S.Capitol in Washington January 23, 2016. Thick snow covered the Washington, D.C. area on Saturday as a potentially record-breaking blizzard paralyzed road, rail and airline travel on the U.S. East Coast from North Carolina to New York. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
Workers clear steps of snow during a snowstorm at Times Square in the Manhattan borough of New York January 23, 2016. A winter storm dumped nearly 2 feet (58 cm) of snow on the suburbs of Washington, D.C., on Saturday before moving on to Philadelphia and New York, paralyzing road, rail and airline travel along the U.S. East Coast. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton
People walk down 15th Street snow during a winter storm in Washington January 23, 2016. A winter storm dumped nearly 2 feet (58 cm) of snow on the suburbs of Washington, D.C., on Saturday before moving on to Philadelphia and New York, paralyzing road, rail and airline travel along the U.S. East Coast. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts
Capitol Hill police and snow plows work in Constitution Avenue during a winter storm in Washington January 23, 2016. A winter storm dumped nearly 2 feet (58 cm) of snow on the suburbs of Washington, D.C., on Saturday before moving on to Philadelphia and New York, paralyzing road, rail and airline travel along the U.S. East Coast. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts
People walk past the statue of Pierre Charles L’Enfant during a winter storm in Washington January 23, 2016. A winter storm dumped nearly 2 feet (58 cm) of snow on the suburbs of Washington, D.C., on Saturday before moving on to Philadelphia and New York, paralyzing road, rail and airline travel along the U.S. East Coast. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts
Fresh snow covers the steps of the U.S.Capitol in Washington January 23, 2016. Thick snow covered the Washington, D.C. area on Saturday as a potentially record-breaking blizzard paralyzed road, rail and airline travel on the U.S. East Coast from North Carolina to New York. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
Workers shovel snow during a snowstorm at Times Square in the Manhattan borough of New York January 23, 2016. A winter storm dumped nearly 2 feet (58 cm) of snow on the suburbs of Washington, D.C., on Saturday before moving on to Philadelphia and New York, paralyzing road, rail and airline travel along the U.S. East Coast. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton
People ride a sled on the snow-covered grounds of the U.S.Capitol in Washington January 23, 2016. Thick snow covered the Washington, D.C. area on Saturday as a potentially record-breaking blizzard paralyzed road, rail and airline travel on the U.S. East Coast from North Carolina to New York. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
Children play on the snow-covered grounds of the U.S.Capitol in Washington January 23, 2016. Thick snow covered the Washington, D.C. area on Saturday as a potentially record-breaking blizzard paralyzed road, rail and airline travel on the U.S. East Coast from North Carolina to New York. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
The White House grounds are covered in snow during a winter storm in Washington January 23, 2016. A winter storm dumped nearly 2 feet (58 cm) of snow on the suburbs of Washington, D.C., on Saturday before moving on to Philadelphia and New York, paralyzing road, rail and airline travel along the U.S. East Coast. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts
A child plays on the snow-covered grounds of the U.S.Capitol in Washington January 23, 2016. Thick snow covered the Washington, D.C. area on Saturday as a potentially record-breaking blizzard paralyzed road, rail and airline travel on the U.S. East Coast from North Carolina to New York. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
The White House grounds are covered in snow during a winter storm in Washington January 23, 2016. A winter storm dumped nearly 2 feet (58 cm) of snow on the suburbs of Washington, D.C., on Saturday before moving on to Philadelphia and New York, paralyzing road, rail and airline travel along the U.S. East Coast. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts
People take pictures in front of the White House during a winter storm in Washington January 23, 2016. A winter storm dumped nearly 2 feet (58 cm) of snow on the suburbs of Washington, D.C., on Saturday before moving on to Philadelphia and New York, paralyzing road, rail and airline travel along the U.S. East Coast. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts
The White House grounds are covered in snow during a winter storm in Washington January 23, 2016. A winter storm dumped nearly 2 feet (58 cm) of snow on the suburbs of Washington, D.C., on Saturday before moving on to Philadelphia and New York, paralyzing road, rail and airline travel along the U.S. East Coast. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts
Anthony Williams shovels his walk during a winter storm in the Capitol Hill neighborhood in Washington January 23, 2016. A winter storm dumped nearly 2 feet (58 cm) of snow on the suburbs of Washington, D.C., on Saturday before moving on to Philadelphia and New York, paralyzing road, rail and airline travel along the U.S. East Coast. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts
People walk during a winter storm in the Capitol Hill neighborhood in Washington January 23, 2016. A winter storm dumped nearly 2 feet (58 cm) of snow on the suburbs of Washington, D.C., on Saturday before moving on to Philadelphia and New York, paralyzing road, rail and airline travel along the U.S. East Coast. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts
A person walks on Constitution Avenue by the U.S. Capitol during a winter storm in Washington January 23, 2016. A winter storm dumped nearly 2 feet (58 cm) of snow on the suburbs of Washington, D.C., on Saturday before moving on to Philadelphia and New York, paralyzing road, rail and airline travel along the U.S. East Coast. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts
A winter storm affecting the U.S. East Coast is seen in a NOAA image from the Suomi NPP satellite taken at approximately 02:15 am ET (07:15 GMT) January 23, 2016. The storm dumped nearly 2 feet (58 cm) of snow on the suburbs of Washington, D.C., on Saturday before moving on to Philadelphia and New York, paralyzing road, rail and airline travel along the U.S. East Coast. REUTERS/NOAA/Handout via Reuters THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IT IS DISTRIBUTED, EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS
A man walks up 14th Street during a winter storm in Washington January 23, 2016. A winter storm dumped nearly 2 feet (58 cm) of snow on the suburbs of Washington, D.C., on Saturday before moving on to Philadelphia and New York, paralyzing road, rail and airline travel along the U.S. East Coast. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts
People walk during a winter storm on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington January 23, 2016. A winter storm dumped nearly 2 feet (58 cm) of snow on the suburbs of Washington, D.C., on Saturday before moving on to Philadelphia and New York, paralyzing road, rail and airline travel along the U.S. East Coast. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts
A man pulls a boy on a snow saucer during a snowstorm at Central Park in the Manhattan borough of New York January 23, 2016. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton
Diez estados y la capital, Washington D.C., están en estado de emergencia por una tormenta que afecta a 85 millones de personas, mantiene a 33 millones en máxima alerta y ya ha causado al menos 11 muertes.
La tormenta comenzó a intensificarse en la noche del viernes y, a medida que avanza hacia el norte, empeora su pronóstico: la nieve ya no es el único problema, ahora las autoridades temen las inundaciones, que ya han comenzado en la costa de Nueva Jersey.
Nueva York fue esta mañana el último estado en declarar la situación de emergencia, ya vigente en Washington D.C., Maryland, Virginia, Pensilvania, Carolina del Norte, Tennessee, Kentucky, Delaware, Nueva Jersey y Georgia.
La fuerte tormenta, bautizada como Jonas por The Weather Channel, podría convertirse en la mayor nevada de la historia de Washington D.C. con 76 centímetros de acumulación y situarse entre las peores cinco nevadas de Nueva York en más de un siglo, con 75 centímetros.
La circulación de vehículos en la ciudad de Nueva York está prohibida desde las 14.30 hora local (19.30 GMT), medida que afecta también a Long Island, que se extiende al este de la isla de Manhattan.
Las autoridades de Nueva York también decretaron el cierre de los puentes y túneles que enlazan a la isla de Manhattan con el resto del país a partir de la misma hora, algo que ya se ha coordinado con el vecino estado de Nueva Jersey.
La gran avenida de los teatros neoyorquinos, Broadway, canceló todos los espectáculos previstos para hoy ante el llamado del alcalde, Bill de Blasio, a que todos los establecimientos envíen a sus trabajadores a casa.
También se han cancelado las grandes competiciones deportivas que iban a celebrarse mañana en Washington D.C., Filadelfia, Nueva York y otras ciudades afectadas.
Las peligrosas condiciones en las carreteras, provocadas por el viento y la nieve, han causado la muerte de al menos diez personas, seis en Carolina del Norte, dos en Tennessee, una en Virginia, y una en Kentucky.
Además, otra persona murió mientras retiraba nieve en Maryland.
Decenas de personas quedaron atrapadas más de 12 horas en una autopista de Kentucky y otras tantas vivieron la misma situación en una autopista de Pensilvania y en una de Virginia Occidental.
Otra de las consecuencias más temidas de la tormenta son los cortes eléctricos a gran escala, que hasta ahora han afectado sobre todo a Carolina del Norte, donde alrededor de 150.000 personas se quedaron sin servicio.
Washington D.C. mantiene cerrado el transporte público de la capital, que sirve a los vecinos estados de Maryland y Virginia, mientras que Nueva York canceló el transporte de autobús y los trayectos exteriores del metro.
La tormenta afectará a un total de 85 millones de personas y a los 33 millones que viven en las zonas más amenazadas se les ha pedido que eviten salir de casa si no es absolutamente necesario.
El tráfico aéreo se ha visto muy afectado por la tormenta, con 3.688 cancelaciones ayer, 4.903 hoy y 1.578 mañana, según el recuento de la web FlightAware.
El aeropuerto Ronald Reagan, el más cercano a Washington aunque situado en Virginia, amaneció hoy con 35 centímetros de nieve y en la base aérea de Langley (Virginia) se alcanzaron vientos de 120 kilómetros por hora.
El pronóstico de la tormenta, que comenzó ayer, es que dure al menos hasta la noche de hoy y deje máximos de hasta 76 centímetros de nieve con vientos de hasta 96 kilómetros por hora.
La gran tormenta también afecta a la campaña electoral. El precandidato republicano a la Casa Blanca Chris Christie se fue ayer de Nuevo Hampshire, donde pronto se celebrará una de las primarias clave, para ejercer su tarea de gobernador de Nueva Jersey durante esta situación de emergencia.
Las autoridades de Washington D.C. y Nueva York, las ciudades más afectadas, insisten en que lo peor de la tormenta está por venir y piden a sus ciudadanos que no salgan de casa por su seguridad y para facilitar el trabajo de las máquinas quitanieves.
Ya se prevé que se tardarán días en volver a la normalidad cuando termine una tormenta que parece estar cumpliendo el pronóstico de que será una de aquellas que se cuentan a los nietos. EFE