Nearly 1 million people were left without power as a second major winter storm in less than a week brought as much as 60 centimeters (20 inches) of wet, heavy snow to the U.S. East Coast.
But before the snow brought by Wednesday’s nor’easter could begin to melt, forecasters tracked the possibility of another late-season snowstorm to run up the coast early next week.
“The strength of it and how close it comes to the coast will make all the difference. At this point it’s too early to say,” said Jim Nodchey, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Massachusetts. “We’re just looking at a chance.”
Heavy snow and icy roads prompted officials to close schools and cancel or delay thousands of flights across the region. Snow still was falling Thursday in some places; storm warnings were in effect in Vermont until the evening.
A train carrying more than 100 passengers derailed in Wilmington, Massachusetts, after a fallen tree branch got wedged in a rail switch. Nobody was hurt. Tory Mazzola, a spokesman for Keolis Commuter Services, which runs the system for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, said the low-speed derailment remained under investigation.
In New Hampshire, Interstate 95 in Portsmouth was closed in both directions because of downed power lines, leaving traffic at a standstill for hours.
Amtrak restored modified service between New York City and Boston on Thursday after suspending it because of the storm.
Two deaths were being blamed on the storm, including an 88-year-old woman who died after she was struck by a falling tree in Suffern, New York.
Up to 45 centimeters (18 inches) of snow could fall on northern New England, according to the National Weather Service.
The governors of New Jersey and Pennsylvania declared states of emergency, allowing for the release of government funds for recovery and redevelopment operations if necessary. | via Voice of America
