Millions of people in the Northeast, including holiday travelers trying to make their way home, were bracing Sunday for the first significant winter storm of the season — a system that left heavy snow and rain in the wake of its transcontinental path east.
The storm started on the West Coast as a “bomb cyclone” in the days leading up to Thanksgiving. Travelers who have not already left the region now face a messy commute, with heavy rain, snowfall and blustery winds.
The storm, which is expected to linger until Tuesday morning, could bring three to six inches of snow to Boston, and seven to 11 inches to areas away from the coasts, the National Weather Service said.
Further inland, near Worcester, Mass., between eight to 13 inches of snow are expected, forecasters said. Toward the northern part of the state, near Fitchburg, Mass., the storm could bring between 10 to 16 inches of snow, the Weather Service said.
Boston is under a winter weather advisory. It will see mixed precipitation of snow, then rain overnight into Monday, then a wintry mix later in the day. The snow is expected to return Monday night into Tuesday, the Weather Service said.
Logan International Airport in Boston, Newark Liberty International Airport, Philadelphia International Airport and La Guardia Airport were all reporting delays on Sunday — some as long as two hours — as a result of the weather, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
The storm brings with it wet, heavy snow that can cause power outages, said Brian Hurley, a meteorologist with the Weather Prediction Center in College Park, Md.
He cautioned that people should be aware of weather updates, and urged travelers to take it slow as they head to their destinations.
“Be mindful about heavier, wetter snow — rather slippery, certainly,” he said.
Making its way into the upper Midwest before it comes bearing down on New England, the storm is expected on Sunday to bring heavy snow in Minnesota, mainly northwest of the Twin Cities, Mr. Hurley said. Michigan, especially the northern part of the state, will also see some precipitation, he said.
The storm, which formed around the California and Oregon coasts early last week, wreaked havoc on other parts of the country, including the West and the Midwest.
In South Dakota, a plane crash on Saturday in blizzard-like conditions killed nine people, including two children. In Arizona, snowfall in higher elevations, coupled with rain in the valleys, led to flooding that washed away a vehicle with nine people in as it attempted to cross a flooded creek on Friday. On Saturday, the authorities recovered the bodies of two children who had been swept away from the vehicle.
