Deadly winter storm takes aim at Northeast
NEW YORK — A deadly winter storm that has been tormenting travelers across the U. S. since before Thanksgiving moved to the Northeast on Sunday, packing one last punch of snow and ice as people made their way home after the holiday weekend.
The National Weather Service predicted more than a foot of snow in swathes of upstate New York and New England, as well as ice accumulations in parts of Pennsylvania.
“We’ve got our shovels ready. We’ve got the snowblower ready. We’re prepared,” said Paul Newman of Wethersfield, Connecticut.
The same storm has been pummeling the U.S. for days as it moves cross-country, dumping heavy snow from parts of California to the northern Midwest and inundating other areas with rain.
It has been blamed for several deaths.
The bodies of a boy and a girl, both 5 were found in central Arizona after their vehicle was swept away Friday while crossing a swollen creek.
Two boys, ages 5 and 8, died Saturday near Patton, Missouri, when the vehicle they were riding in was swept off flooded roads.
A 48-year-old man died in a separate incident near Sedgewickville, Missouri, and a storm-related death was also reported in South Dakota.
Duluth, Minnesota, was blanketed with 19.3 inches of snow as of 6 a.m. Sunday. The city issued a “no travel advisory” at noon Saturday and deemed the storm “historic.”
As the storm shifts east, flight delays and cancellations are continuing to pile up — disrupting travelers heading home after Thanksgiving. As of Sunday afternoon, more than 500 Sunday flights were canceled in the U.S., compared with about 400 on Saturday, according to flight tracking site FlightAware.