Monday, March 2, 2009
Travel feels punch of powerful storm
By Judy Keen, USA TODAY
A potent March storm dumped up to 14 inches of snow along the East Coast on Monday, creating travel chaos and serving notice that it\'s not spring yet.
WEATHER GUYS: Winter storm rolls into the Northeast
SHOW AND TELL US:How are you spending your snow break?
RANKING WINTER STORMS: The Northeast Snow Impact Scale
The storm was a factor in at least four deaths on roads in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New York. Thousands of people lost electricity.
Some people were unfazed by the winter blast. \"Nothing we can\'t deal with,\" said Mike Blais, owner of a garden center in Lewiston, Maine, where almost 12 inches fell.
Others fumed. Business consultant Larry Hughes took refuge at a bar near Newark Liberty International Airport after his flight home to Los Angeles was postponed for four hours, then canceled. \"It\'s March � shouldn\'t flowers be coming up?\" he asked.
Not yet, said Weather Channel meteorologist Mark Ressler. Although the storm produced record snowfall totals in some areas, it was \"a fairly typical storm for this time of year,\" he said.
March snowstorms in 1960 and 1993 rank among the top five since 1950 in impact on the Northeast, the National Climatic Data Center said.
The storm barreled through the Tennessee Valley and Southeast over the weekend, then overspread the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast overnight Sunday. Ressler said today \"will be much quieter.\"
The storm created a mess from Alabama to Maine:
� Airports. Weather conditions were still so disruptive late Monday that the Federal Aviation Administration said airlines planned to cancel a total of 1,140 flights Monday evening at the largest airports hit by the storm including Boston\'s Logan; New York\'s LaGuardia and Kennedy; Newark Liberty; Philadelphia International; Washington\'s Reagan National and Dulles; and Charlotte Douglas International.
USAirways alone canceled about 850 flights earlier in the day. The airline has the largest number of flights at airports in the storm\'s path � at LaGuardia, Philadelphia, Reagan National and Charlotte airports.
\"We are focusing on � restarting the airline for (today), making sure planes and crews are in the right places,\" USAirways spokesman Jim Olson said.
� Roads. State troopers and Red Cross rescuers checked cars early Monday where dozens were stranded after a crash Sunday created a 15-mile backup on Interstate 85 near the South Carolina-North Carolina border. There were no serious injuries.
Blowing snow created white-out conditions on parts of Interstate 78 in Pennsylvania, said a state police spokeswoman, Cpl. Linette Quinn.
In New Jersey, 500 motor vehicle accidents were reported between 5 p.m. Sunday and noon Monday, said a state police spokesman, Sgt. Julian Castellanos.
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said 2,000 workers with 1,400 plows and 100,000 tons of salt were clearing 6,000 miles of streets.
Dangerous road conditions forced Greyhound Lines to suspend all bus service out of Boston until at least 7 a.m. today. Northbound Greyhound service from New York\'s Port Authority terminal also was suspended Monday.
� Rail. All Amtrak regional trains between Washington and Newport News, Va., were canceled Monday because of \"downed trees � switch malfunctions and a lot of snow,\" spokeswoman Tracy Connell said.
Amtrak said 140 passengers were stuck on a train Sunday night in Virginia between Richmond and Williamsburg, blocked by fallen trees and locomotive problems. The train arrived at its destination about 16 hours late, pulled by a spare engine.
� Schools. New York City\'s 1.1 million public school students had a snow day for the first time since 2004.
The city announced its decision around 5:40 a.m. Monday, leaving some parents scrambling to arrange child care.
New York City\'s snow day fun program provided youngsters with free sleds and hot chocolate at some city parks.
In Staunton, Va., Henry Goodson, 9, said his favorite thing about the snow day might be \"going down the hill\" on a snow saucer \"and then flipping over.\"
Contributing: Marilyn Adams and Bob Swanson in Virginia; Rick Hampson in New Jersey; Paul Alongi, The Greenville News in Greenville, S.C.; Nicole Barbaro, The News Leader in Staunton, Va.; Dale Neal, the Asheville Citizen-Times in Asheville, N.C.
A potent March storm dumped up to 14 inches of snow along the East Coast on Monday, creating travel chaos and serving notice that it\'s not spring yet.
WEATHER GUYS: Winter storm rolls into the Northeast
SHOW AND TELL US:How are you spending your snow break?
RANKING WINTER STORMS: The Northeast Snow Impact Scale
The storm was a factor in at least four deaths on roads in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New York. Thousands of people lost electricity.
Some people were unfazed by the winter blast. \"Nothing we can\'t deal with,\" said Mike Blais, owner of a garden center in Lewiston, Maine, where almost 12 inches fell.
Others fumed. Business consultant Larry Hughes took refuge at a bar near Newark Liberty International Airport after his flight home to Los Angeles was postponed for four hours, then canceled. \"It\'s March � shouldn\'t flowers be coming up?\" he asked.
Not yet, said Weather Channel meteorologist Mark Ressler. Although the storm produced record snowfall totals in some areas, it was \"a fairly typical storm for this time of year,\" he said.
March snowstorms in 1960 and 1993 rank among the top five since 1950 in impact on the Northeast, the National Climatic Data Center said.
The storm barreled through the Tennessee Valley and Southeast over the weekend, then overspread the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast overnight Sunday. Ressler said today \"will be much quieter.\"
The storm created a mess from Alabama to Maine:
� Airports. Weather conditions were still so disruptive late Monday that the Federal Aviation Administration said airlines planned to cancel a total of 1,140 flights Monday evening at the largest airports hit by the storm including Boston\'s Logan; New York\'s LaGuardia and Kennedy; Newark Liberty; Philadelphia International; Washington\'s Reagan National and Dulles; and Charlotte Douglas International.
USAirways alone canceled about 850 flights earlier in the day. The airline has the largest number of flights at airports in the storm\'s path � at LaGuardia, Philadelphia, Reagan National and Charlotte airports.
\"We are focusing on � restarting the airline for (today), making sure planes and crews are in the right places,\" USAirways spokesman Jim Olson said.
� Roads. State troopers and Red Cross rescuers checked cars early Monday where dozens were stranded after a crash Sunday created a 15-mile backup on Interstate 85 near the South Carolina-North Carolina border. There were no serious injuries.
Blowing snow created white-out conditions on parts of Interstate 78 in Pennsylvania, said a state police spokeswoman, Cpl. Linette Quinn.
In New Jersey, 500 motor vehicle accidents were reported between 5 p.m. Sunday and noon Monday, said a state police spokesman, Sgt. Julian Castellanos.
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said 2,000 workers with 1,400 plows and 100,000 tons of salt were clearing 6,000 miles of streets.
Dangerous road conditions forced Greyhound Lines to suspend all bus service out of Boston until at least 7 a.m. today. Northbound Greyhound service from New York\'s Port Authority terminal also was suspended Monday.
� Rail. All Amtrak regional trains between Washington and Newport News, Va., were canceled Monday because of \"downed trees � switch malfunctions and a lot of snow,\" spokeswoman Tracy Connell said.
Amtrak said 140 passengers were stuck on a train Sunday night in Virginia between Richmond and Williamsburg, blocked by fallen trees and locomotive problems. The train arrived at its destination about 16 hours late, pulled by a spare engine.
� Schools. New York City\'s 1.1 million public school students had a snow day for the first time since 2004.
The city announced its decision around 5:40 a.m. Monday, leaving some parents scrambling to arrange child care.
New York City\'s snow day fun program provided youngsters with free sleds and hot chocolate at some city parks.
In Staunton, Va., Henry Goodson, 9, said his favorite thing about the snow day might be \"going down the hill\" on a snow saucer \"and then flipping over.\"
Contributing: Marilyn Adams and Bob Swanson in Virginia; Rick Hampson in New Jersey; Paul Alongi, The Greenville News in Greenville, S.C.; Nicole Barbaro, The News Leader in Staunton, Va.; Dale Neal, the Asheville Citizen-Times in Asheville, N.C.
# posted by Donna Adams : 10:55 PM
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