Full coverage: March storm howls across region
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Cherie Burke contends with blowing snow during a blustery storm, Tuesday, March 14, 2017, in Portland. A late-season storm is hitting the Northeast, closing schools and prompting dire warnings to stay off the roads.
AP
A motorist contends with blowing snow during a storm, Tuesday, March 14, 2017, in Portland. A blustery late-season storm is hitting the Northeast, closing schools and prompting dire warnings to stay off the roads.
AP
Pond hockey players attempt to shovel snow faster than it can fall during a storm, Tuesday, March 14, 2017, in Yarmouth. About one foot of snow is expected in the area. A blustery late-season storm is hitting the Northeast, closing schools and prompting dire warnings to stay off the roads.
AP
Airline passenger Carlos Sierra, of Honduras, checks the weather on his mobile phone as he waits to rebook his connection flight to Providence, R.I., at the American Airlines counter at Miami International Airport Monday, March 13, 2017, in Miami. U.S. airlines have canceled several thousand flights through Tuesday as a winter storm heads toward the Northeast.
AP
U.S. airlines cancel 5,400 flights
Updated 8:15 a.m.: U.S. airlines have scrapped about 5,400 flights Tuesday as a late-winter storm dumps snow on some of the nation’s busiest airports.
Southwest Airlines, which carries more domestic passengers than any other airline, doesn’t expect to operate any flights Tuesday at 14 airports stretching from Washington to Portland, Maine. Southwest cancelled about 900 flights, while American Airlines, JetBlue Airways and United Airlines each cancelled more than 500.
Tracking service FlightAware.com says Tuesday’s cancellations bring the total for the week to around 7,740 flights. An additional 650 flights have been cancelled for Wednesday, a number that FlightAware expects to rise as the airlines scramble to resume operations.
The Associated Press
This satellite image taken around 12:12 a.m. EDT and released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, shows clouds around the Northeast of the United States, Tuesday, March 14, 2017. A powerful nor’easter could bring blizzard conditions and more than a foot of snow from the mid-Atlantic to parts of the Northeast, and officials warn of potential beach erosion, possible coastal flooding and power outages from the late-season snowstorm.
AP
D.C. grapples with snow, sleet and freezing rain
Updated 7:30 a.m.: A mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain is delaying school and work in Washington.
Officials are urging people to stay off the roads Tuesday while crews clear them. While many surrounding counties called off classes, District of Columbia Public Schools are opening two hours late. Federal workers are reporting three hours late and city government offices are opening two hours late.
President Donald Trump tweeted a photo of his Monday evening meeting with Mayor Muriel Bowser and Metro General Manager Paul Wiedefeld to discuss storm preparations. In a statement, Bowser expressed pride in the agencies and employees working to keep residents safe.
Metrorail is running on a Saturday schedule. Metrobus started the day on a “severe” snow service plan, but it’s now moving to a “moderate” plan.
The Associated Press
Wei Chun Lin, left, and his wife Mei Chen, center, both of Quincy, Mass., examine snow shovels, Monday, March 13, 2017, at a hardware store, in Quincy. Weather forecasters say a nor’easter moving toward Massachusetts could bring about two feet of snow and high winds to central parts of the state Tuesday.
AP
New York, Pennsylvania warn against price gouging
Updated 7:15 a.m.: Attorney generals in New York and Pennsylvania have issued a warning about price-gouging during the snowstorm.
Eric Schneiderman in New York says consumers should contact his office about “excessive increases” in the price of goods and services. Examples include food, water, gas, generators, hotels and transportation.
The price-gouging law also could apply to snow removal and equipment, salt and contractor services for storm-related damage.
Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro also alerted consumers and businesses about potential scams, urging people to report any “suspicious activity” about home repairs, snow plowing, government assistance programs and fraudulent disaster-related fundraising to his office’s Bureau of Consumer Protection.
The Associated Press
A grocery store is filled with shoppers stocking up on food and other supplies in Paramus, N.J., Monday, March 13, 2017. The Northeast is bracing for a blizzard expected to sweep the New York region with possibly the season’s biggest snowstorm.
AP
New York in state of emergency
Updated 7 a.m.: Hundreds of school districts from Buffalo to New York City have cancelled classes and authorities are advising people to stay off the roads as a nor’easter starts to pummel the Northeast.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has declared a state of emergency Tuesday for all of New York’s 62 counties, including New York City’s five boroughs. The Democrat also directed non-essential state employees to stay home from work.
The National Weather Service says the storm will drop more than a foot of snow across much of the upstate region, with some areas getting up to 18 inches and higher elevations in the lower Hudson Valley expected to get 2 feet or more.
Blizzard warnings have been issued for much of the region south of Albany, where high winds could produce whiteout conditions
The Associated Press
Less snow, more icing inland
Updated 6:30 a.m.: The National Weather Service says the dividing line between snow and a wintry mix from a nor’easter pushing through the southern New Jersey-Pennsylvania region has moved farther inland, cutting down the anticipated snow accumulation, but increasing the chance of icing.
NWS Meteorologist Sarah Johnson, in Mount Holly, New Jersey, says the dividing line between snow and a mix of snow, sleet and rain has pushed west, from the Jersey coast into Philadelphia. She says that lowers anticipated snow totals, but increases the threat of icing from sleet and freezing rain along the Interstate 95 corridor.
While the snow totals might be lower, Johnson warns that New Jersey shore areas can still expect strong winds, with gusts between 50 and 55 mph. The I-95 corridor could get wind gusts of up to 40 mph.
The Associated Press
Rain, sleet and snow reach New Jersey
Updated 6 a.m.: Rain, sleet and snow are sweeping across New Jersey as a late-winter storm slows the morning commute.
State government offices are closed Tuesday and non-essential employees were told to stay home after Republican Gov. Chris Christie declared a state of emergency. Many schools are closed.
Plows are on the highways and the speed limit is restricted to 45 mph on the Garden State Parkway between Cape May and Brick Township.
NJ Transit has suspended bus service and all trains, except for the Atlantic City Rail Line, are operating on a weekend schedule.
A blizzard warning is in effect, basically north of Interstate 195. Forecasters say 18 to 24 inches of snow are possible. A winter storm warning covers other portions of the state, save for coastal south Jersey.
The Associated Press
Delaware Legislature cancels budget hearings
Updated 2:35 a.m.: A winter storm expected to dump several inches of snow on Delaware made an impact even before it arrived: Delaware lawmakers decided to scrap plans to reconvene a key budget committee hearing Tuesday after a weekslong break.
In Newark, Delaware, authorities declared a snow emergency effective early Tuesday, ordering residents and businesses on snow emergency routes to remove all vehicles from the street to avoid being towed. The city also announced a two-hour delayed opening for city offices.
Forecasters expect between 8 and 12 inches of snow in some areas of Delaware, while areas near the Atlantic seaboard faced a threat of coastal flooding.
The Associated Press
College basketball teams change travel plans
Updated 2 a.m.: The snow threat in the Northeast is causing college basketball teams to alter their travel plans.
Teams chasing a college basketball title are contending with an unexpected wrinkle that’s making last-minute travel plans difficult — a fierce storm bearing down on the Northeast that could dump up to two feet of snow in some places.
“We are closely tracking the weather and working with our travel partners and teams in the tournament to ensure the safety of our student-athletes, coaches, administrators, officials and fans,” the NCAA said in a statement.
Villanova, top overall seed in the men’s NCAA Tournament, left Philadelphia on Monday afternoon for Buffalo, New York, to get ahead of the storm.
There is less of a chance that the women’s tournament would be affected. UConn is the only Northeast team hosting and they play Saturday, giving teams more time to arrive in Connecticut.
U.S. airlines canceled thousands of flights ahead of the storm. Teams in the men’s and women’s NCAA Tournaments have chartered flights so any backlog on commercial planes shouldn’t be a problem.
The Associated Press
A worker at a Pennsylvania Department of Transportation maintenance area in Franklin Park, Pa., along Interstate 79 north of Pittsburgh, uses heavy machinery to move road treatment material from storage to load onto trucks on Monday, March 13, 2017, in preparation for a predicted snow storm heading into the northeast.
AP
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