Big storm hits Northeast
BOSTON — A blustering winter storm that dropped nearly 2 feet of snow just north of Boston, shut down major highways in New York and Pennsylvania and forced U.S. airlines to cancel thousands of flights nationwide menaced the Northeast today with howling winds and dangerously cold temperatures.
The storm — which brought plummeting temperatures that reached 8 degrees below zero in Burlington, Vt., early today with a wind chill of 29 below zero — dumped 23 inches of snow in Boxford, Mass., by early today and 18 inches in parts of western New York near Rochester. Ten inches of snow fell in Lakewood, N.J., and up to 7 inches fell in New York City.
The snowfall, frigid temps and stiff winds extended the holiday break for some students for a second day while posing the first test for New York City’s new mayor and perhaps the last challenge for Boston’s outgoing one.
U.S. airlines canceled more than 2,300 flights Thursday because of the snowfall and low visibility. By this morning, about 1,500 flights were canceled nationwide, according to the aviation tracking website FlightAware.com. John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York closed early because of the snow but was expected to reopen at 8:30 a.m.
“It’s been a tough road,” traveler Heather Krochuk, of Toronto, Canada, said inside a Boston hotel Thursday night after her flight home out of Logan International Airport got canceled in what’s turned into a 36-hour trip from Seattle, where she spent Christmas with her husband, Ron.
But, she said, “we have a place to sleep that isn’t the airport.”
Snow began falling overnight Wednesday in parts of New England and New York state, but the brunt of the storm began late Thursday. The National Weather Service issued a blizzard warning for Cape Cod, coastal areas north and south of Boston and part of Maine as well as New York’s Long Island.
Forecasters warned that gusts of up to 30 mph could bring wind chills to minus 25 degrees, cold enough to cause frostbite in about 30 minutes or less. The weather service said people should dress warmly to avoid hypothermia and cover all exposed skin.
Governors in New York and New Jersey declared states of emergency Thursday, urging residents to stay home. Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick said state offices that closed early Thursday would remain closed today. The National Guard and state police were on standby for any high tide flooding in vulnerable coastal areas.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo ordered three major highways in his state, stretching from Long Island to Albany, closed overnight. Southbound Interstate 95 closed in Philadelphia because of a jackknifed tractor-trailer.
Workers at a convenience store in Mount Laurel, N.J., said they were busy all night as they fueled plow drivers with coffee and other necessities.
Among those stopping in as the snow continued to fall before dawn was David Neff, a newspaper deliveryman. “It sucks out here,” he said. “They’re just starting to plow stuff. We definitely got what they said and maybe a little more.”
The heavy weather began rolling in just a day after New York Mayor Bill de Blasio was sworn in to lead the nation’s largest city and a few days before Boston Mayor Thomas Menino ends 20 years in office on Monday.
