NEW YORK — A massive late winter snowstorm pummeled much of the U.S. East Coast on Monday, leading to hundreds of flight cancelations and school closings and snarling many morning commutes.
NEW YORK — A massive late winter snowstorm pummeled much of the U.S. East Coast on Monday, leading to hundreds of flight cancelations and school closings and snarling many morning commutes. The blizzard-like snow — together with sleet, freezing rain and wind gusts of up to 30 mph (50 kph) — contributed to four deaths on roads in the northeast. Most areas expected to see at least 8 to 12 inches (20 to 30 centimeters) of accumulation on Monday. In New York City, about 7 inches (18 centimeters) of snow was recorded at Central Park by Monday morning. More than 900 flights were canceled at the three major airports serving the largest U.S. city — a majority of all flights at Kennedy, Newark and LaGuardia airports, according to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Elsewhere in the Northeast, most flights in and out of Boston’s Logan International Airport were canceled on Monday, and the aiport shut down for about 40 minutes to clear a runway. Philadelphia International Airport spokeswoman Phyllis VanIstendahl said about 44 people were stranded there overnight. A major national bus line, Greyhound, canceled trips to and from several northeastern states, and commuter trains in Boston and New York had some delays during the morning rush. In New York City, 1.1 million public school students had the day off for their first snow day since January 2004. Philadelphia and Boston also closed their schools. The same storm hammered the normally mild southeastern U.S. on Sunday as it made its way north. More than 300,000 people were without electricity, mostly in the southern states of Virginia and North and South Carolina. A 15-mile-long (24-kilometer-long) traffic jam in North Carolina, where as much as a foot (30 centimeters) of snow fell, prompted police and rescuers to go car-to-car Monday to check on the stranded motorists. ______ Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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