Winter storm socks Northeast, but snow falls short
NEW YORK — A blustery lateseason storm plastered the Northeast with sleet and snow Tuesday, paralyzing much of the Washingtonto-Boston corridor but falling well short of the predicted snow totals in New York, Boston and Philadelphia.
The powerful nor’easter, which came after a stretch of unusually mild winter weather, unloaded 1 to 2 feet in many places inland, grounded more than 6,000 flights and knocked out power to nearly a quarter-million customers from Virginia northward.
By the time it reached Massachusetts, it had turned into a blizzard, with near hurricane-force wind gusting over 70 mph along the coast and waves crashing over seawalls. Boston ended up with 6.6 inches of snow, less than the predictions of up to a foot.
It was easily the biggest storm in a merciful winter that had mostly spared the Northeast, and many weren’t happy about it.
“It’s horrible,” said retired gumballmachine technician Don Zimmerman, of Lemoyne, Pennsylvania, using a snow blower to clear the sidewalk along his block. “I thought winter was out of here. ... It’s a real kick in the rear.”
While people mostly heeded dire warnings to stay home and off the roads, police said a 16-year-old girl was killed when she lost control of her car on a snowy road and hit a tree in Gilford, New Hampshire.
In East Hartford, Connecticut, an elderly man died after being struck by a snowplow truck.
The storm closed schools in cities big and small, Amtrak suspended service, and the postal service halted mail delivery.
Philadelphia and New York City got anywhere from a few inches of snow to around half a foot before the storm switched over mostly to sleet; forecasters had predicted a foot or more. In New Jersey, which saw rain or just a little snow in many areas, Gov. Chris Christie called the storm an “underperformer.” But officials warned of dangerous ice.
Inland areas, meanwhile, got hit hard. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and Worcester, Massachusetts, received a foot or more of snow. The Binghamton, New York, area got over 2 feet, while Vernon, New Jersey, had at least 19 inches.
In the nation’s capital, non-essential federal employees were given the option of reporting three hours late, taking the day off or working from home. The city got less than 2 inches of snow.
Government meteorologists realized by late Monday afternoon that there was a good chance the storm wasn’t going to produce the giant big-city snow totals predicted. But they didn’t change their forecast for fear people would mistakenly think the storm was no longer dangerous, said Greg Carbin, chief of forecast operations at the Weather Prediction Center.