Raging Storm Hits US Northeast; Death Toll 15
Pastor Dale Morgan
Raging Storm Hits US Northeast; Death Toll 15 *
Dec 3 10:43 AM US/Eastern
By VALERIE BAUMAN
Associated Press Writer
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - Drivers in much of the Northeast navigated a
treacherous mix of rain, sleet and snow Monday as a storm blamed for at
least 15 deaths slid through the region after pounding the Upper Midwest.
Schools canceled or delayed classes from New York to Maine as highways
turned slippery and wind gusted to 40 mph in parts of the region.
The speed limit on part of the Massachusetts Turnpike was cut to 40 mph
as police reported numerous traffic accidents around the state during
the morning commute.
Most courts in Maine closed for the day and Gov. John Baldacci
considered sending state workers home early. Communities around the
state imposed parking bans for Monday and Tuesday to make way for snowplows.
"It's snowing so hard you can hardly keep your eyes open," said Bill
Swain, spokesman for Maine's Sugarloaf USA ski area in Carrabassett Valley.
The National Weather Service said a foot of snow was possible in the
mountains of northern New England, with the potential for 20 inches in
northern Maine and a foot in northern New York's central Adirondacks and
Lake George region.
By Monday morning, 6 inches of snow had fallen at Springfield, Vt., and
in parts of central New York state.
Ice storm warnings were issued for Massachusetts and Connecticut, and
winter storm warnings were in effect in Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine
and northern and western New York.
Air travel was disrupted Monday at the Portland International Jetport in
Maine as flights were canceled because of poor conditions at connecting
airports.
Hundreds of flights into the New York City area's three main
airports—Kennedy, Newark Liberty and LaGuardia—were delayed as long as
two hours Sunday because of wind and ice.
Hundreds of flights were canceled Saturday at Chicago's O'Hare.
Lingering rain and poor visibility Sunday caused about 50 more
cancelations and about 75 people had to spend the night at the airport,
said Gregg Cunningham, a spokesman for Chicago's Department of Aviation.
Airliners slid off slippery pavement during the weekend at airports in
Syracuse, N.Y.; Des Moines, Iowa, and Madison, Wis. No one was injured.
Minnesota's Grand Marais, on Lake Superior's North Shore, got 20 inches
of snow Saturday, and the port city of Duluth marked a Dec. 1 record of
10.3 inches, according to the weather service. However, Grand Marais
roads were already cleared Sunday, said Jane Shinners, owner of the
downtown Harbor Inn.
Before the storm hit the Plains and Midwest, it dumped about 3 feet of
snow in one mountain area in western Colorado. Silverton Mountain ski
resort workers had hoped to open for the season Sunday but postponed the
opening a day because of the storm.
Icy or wet pavement was blamed for four deaths in Michigan, three in
Wisconsin, and one each in Illinois, Indiana, New Jersey, New York,
North Dakota and Colorado.
Elsewhere, a separate storm raked the Oregon and Washington coasts with
wind gusting higher than 100 mph in some spots and surf reported 45 feet
high. The Washington State Patrol said most major roads were closed in
two coastal counties Monday morning, and 33,000 customers were reported
without electricity.
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Associated Press writers David N. Goodman in Detroit, Rebecca Santana in
Trenton, N.J.; and Amy Westfeldt in New York City contributed to this
report.