USA TODAY US Edition

Winter onslaught staggers Northeast

Snow, ice, wind could send temps to minus 40

- John Bacon

A blast of winter that dropped more than a foot of snow in parts of the Midwest grew more angry as it roared east on Sunday, paralyzing airports, railroads and highways in more than a dozen states.

Blowing snow from wind gusts of 50 mph or more along with plummeting temperatur­es added to the dangerous conditions sweeping the nation’s northern tier from Missouri to Maine.

The National Weather Service warned that some areas of the Northeast could see 2 feet of snow into Monday, and southern New England may be battered by a quarter-inch of ice.

“Feet of snow, blizzard conditions, a significan­t buildup of ice, tree-breaking winds and plunging temperatur­es will close roads, cause flight cancellati­ons and disrupt daily activities over a large part of the northeaste­rn United States,” AccuWeathe­r senior meteorolog­ist Alex Sosnowski said.

President Donald Trump weighed

in on Twitter, urging the millions of people dealing with the storm to be careful – and stay at home if possible. He cited the bitter cold temperatur­es and added that it “wouldn’t be bad to have a little of that good old fashioned Global Warming right now!”

More than 4,000 flights were canceled from Friday through Monday, and more are expected. About 1,000 arrivals and departures were canceled at Chicago’s O’Hare Internatio­nal Airport alone. A United Airlines flight from Phoenix, carrying 129 people, skidded from a slick runway there Saturday, but no injuries were reported.

Trains provided little respite. Amtrak canceled more than 20 trains Sunday and altered routes for almost as many. In Pittsburgh, all inbound and outbound rail service was suspended for several hours Sunday because of frozen overhead power lines, the Port Authority of Allegheny County said.

Highways were dangerous. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo declared an emergency, called up 450 National Guard members and banned tractor-trailers and buses from the New York State Thruway and other interstate highways. The state Highway Department warned that those who did venture out should allow plenty of room for plows that don’t travel more than 35 mph.

Rochester already had more than 18 inches early Sunday. Buffalo had more than a foot, and the weather service warned that gusty winds would blow into the night.

“Very cold air will settle into the region tonight with a northwest wind creating wind chills -20° to -40°F,” the weather service said.

Sleet and freezing rain were “creating difficult travel and causing power outages in southern and eastern New England,” AccuWeathe­r senior meteorolog­ist Kristina Pydynowski said.

More than 30,000 Connecticu­t homes and businesses were without power, and the number was rising as the temperatur­e fell. Parts of Vermont and Maine were expecting final snow totals of up to 18 inches. The wind chill could push temperatur­es a slow as -35 degrees, the National Weather Service warned.

“Significan­t amounts of snow, sleet and ice will make travel very hazardous or impossible,” the weather service said.

Earlier, Missouri and Kansas were among the hardest-hit states. The temperatur­e dropped to 8 degrees at Kansas City Internatio­nal Airport just before midnight on Saturday, making it the city’s coldest day in almost a year.

A 15-car pileup shut down Interstate 55 near Ste. Genevieve, Missouri, for hours. The highway was open Sunday, but the state Transporta­tion Department warned that it was snowcovere­d and urged “extreme caution.”

In Kansas, snowplow driver Stephen Windler was killed when his truck rolled over on a highway near Stilwell, the Kansas Department of Transporta­tion reported.

“My heart is breaking for the family of this dedicated employee,” Gov. Laura Kelly said. “My thoughts are with his family, friends and the entire KDOT family at this devastatin­g time.

Blowing snow from wind gusts of 50 mph or more added to the misery in more than a dozen states.

 ?? STEVE APPS/AP ?? Bicyclists brave the elements on the streets of Madison, Wis., as a weekend winter storm dumped more than a foot of snow in parts of the Midwest before barreling into the Northeast.
STEVE APPS/AP Bicyclists brave the elements on the streets of Madison, Wis., as a weekend winter storm dumped more than a foot of snow in parts of the Midwest before barreling into the Northeast.
 ?? LISA RATHKE/AP ?? Nicholas Nicolet and his son Rocco resort to alternate transporta­tion Sunday in Montpelier, Vt. Some areas were expected to see 2 feet of snow.
LISA RATHKE/AP Nicholas Nicolet and his son Rocco resort to alternate transporta­tion Sunday in Montpelier, Vt. Some areas were expected to see 2 feet of snow.

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