Late winter storm wallops Northeast
A winter storm moved through the Northeast on Tuesday, wreaking havoc on travel: Airlines canceled most flights in and out of New York and Boston, and Amtrak suspended service between the two cities as three governors declared states of emergency.
The nor’easter was expected to proceed up the East Coast late Tuesday, slamming some areas with wind gusts of 60 mph or more. Parts of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut were expected to see as much as 2 feet of snow.
In Rochester, New York, emergency crews rescued the driver of a vehicle that plunged into a gorge amid reports of icy roads in the region. Authorities said the vehicle fell 175 feet into the Genesee River gorge late Tuesday morning amid snowcovered and slippery roads. The unidentified driver survived the fall and was taken to a hospital for evaluation.
Winter storm watches and warnings remained in effect from the mountains of North Carolina to northern Maine, a distance of more than 1,000 miles. But the National Weather Service canceled a blizzard warning for the New York City metro area.
Governors in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut declared states of emergency as the storm descended. Connecticut Gov. Dan Malloy issued a statewide travel ban that prohibited all road travel for nonessential personnel.
In New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo ordered nonessential state employees to stay home except in the state’s North Country, where the snowfall was expected to be lighter.
Cuomo said road crews were deploying 50,000 tons of salt. He also deployed 2,000 National Guard troops from other parts of the state to New York’s Southern Tier.
The forecast brought even more chaos to air travel.
By mid-afternoon Tuesday, airlines had canceled more than 8,800 flights this week. Amtrak suspended service between New York City and Boston, as well as between Albany/Rensselaer and Boston, and between Pittsburgh and Washington.