A storm that originated in the Pacific Ocean a week ago, re-energized in the Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday, and ripped up the east coast Wednesday night into early Thursday. The storm generated more than 60 tornados, killing at least 7 people from Louisiana to Virginia.
On the west side of the storm, that is now plowing into Quebec Canada, blizzard conditions were reported from Illinois and Indiana, with heavy snow north into Michigan and Ontario.
The central pressure of the storm dropped to 29.08 inches of mercury just west of Burlington, Vermont, at 7 a.m. Thursday, February 25, 2016.
This early morning satellite image shows the reach of the storm, with a tropical feed from Cuba to Maine on the east side, and the polar feed from northern Canada to the Gulf of Mexico on its west side.
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Temperatures jumped well into the 60s in southeastern New England overnight with astonishing wind gusts, as high as 83 mph on the top of Blue Hill just south of Boston.
Damage reports from New England are still coming in.
Local
Listed below are some of the latest reports from weather spotters, gathered by The National Weather Service.
Especially hard hit were the towns from Hartford, Connecticut, to Springfield, Massachusetts, including Monson, Massachusetts, (where damage from the 2011 Tornado is still evident).
In eastern Massachusetts, thunderstorm winds knocked down so many powerlines near the Natick Mall, that Route 9 had to be closed in both directions during the morning commute. Thousands are without electricity, due to fallen power lines.
Wind was not the only factor, we had snow and ice problems early Wednesday, followed 2-4" of rainfall, with flooding reported in many parts of New England.
The worst of the weather is now moving across the state of Maine. Most of New England will see some sunshine, with mild air and less wind during the afternoon, before more seasonable chill and a bit of mountain snow returns for our Friday.
