Storm Halts Travel, Work in Northeast Many Flights Canceled

The Northeast was slammed by a storm that blanketed the region in snow and frigid temperatures Friday, prompting school and government closures and snarling transportation networks.
The Northeast U.S. awoke Friday to a thick blanket of snow and frigid temperatures that severely disrupted travel, extended winter breaks for schools and kept state workers at home.

As the snow tapered off, concern turned toward bitterly cold weather and blustery winds stretching from New England to the mid-Atlantic states, said Mike Musher, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. Areas from Maine to New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania could see blizzardlike whiteout conditions as winds blow around light, powdery snow, he said.

Wind chills dipped to 20 below and lower around parts of the Northeast, he noted, and more extreme cold is expected Friday. Temperatures in Boston were expected to reach 13 degrees Friday, with wind chills possibly reaching 10 below, according to the National Weather Service.

“We’re really getting a rude awakening into winter,” Mr. Musher said.

Parts of eastern Massachusetts appeared hardest hit by the storm, with snow tallies above 2 feet in some coastal areas. After the storm swept through the Midwest, it linked up with another storm and buried the region in snow. Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick shut the state government Friday while urging businesses to allow workers to stay home.

Highways weren’t shut down in Massachusetts, but there were some speed restrictions, and state officials urged residents to stay off the roads. There were 3,300 pieces of snow clearing equipment working on state roads Friday, according to Peter Judge, a spokesman for the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency.

Schools in Boston, New York City, Pittsburgh and other cities were closed, extending winter breaks. The storm was blamed for several deaths, including one in upstate New York, where a 71-year-old woman with Alzheimer’s wandered away from her home and froze.

The foul weather made getting around the Northeast challenging. As of early Friday, airline-tracking website FlightAware.com said there were roughly 1,800 canceled flights in the U.S. Bus operators Peter Pan and Greyhound both broadly canceled and delayed routes in the Northeast, including trips between Boston and New York. Flights were suspended at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport because of lack of visibility, according to a Port Authority spokesman. There were also significant cancellations at La Guardia and Newark airports. Amtrak was operating on a modified schedule.

Just as the region digs out, more bitter weather is around the bend, with another arctic system expected to freeze parts of the Midwest and Northeast early next week. Lee Hendricks, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh, predicted milder temperatures this weekend across the mid-Atlantic region.

“Then we go back to the deep freeze at the beginning of next week,” he said.