Wintry blast hits Northeast U.S., disrupts travel

A man uses an umbrella to shelter himself from the snow as he walks through the Boston Commons early Thursday

Storm blamed for at least 10 traffic deaths

In this story: Death toll rises 'All in one whack' Airport situation improves RELATED STORIES, SITES

BOSTON, Massachusetts (CNN) -- A fierce winter weather system brought snow, rain and ice to the Northeast on Thursday, after leaving at least 10 people dead in traffic accidents and hundreds of thousands without electricity in the nation's midsection.

A state police captain in Arkansas was killed as he tried to help motorists whose van overturned. A vehicle slammed into the guard rail, then hit the officer and another man, who was hospitalized.

The slick roads and heavy snowfall have also caused at least nine other traffic deaths, including five in Indiana.

Boston's Logan Airport was briefly shut down Thursday morning while snow was cleared from the runways. An airport spokesman said travelers were being advised to check with their airlines for delays throughout the day.

RESOURCES Find out how it can be 38 degrees and snowing, prepare your home and car for the cold and know how winter can affect your health, in CNN.com's Winter Weather In-Depth Special     MESSAGE BOARD Travel troubles     TRAVEL DELAY INFORMATION Check for the latest travel delays on the FAA'S Web site

High winds at New York's LaGuardia Airport caused delays for incoming flights.

Forecasters predicted Boston would get about 3 inches of snow, changing to rain later Thursday. Snow and ice were also forecast for central New York, Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire.

The National Weather Service called off winter weather warnings it had issued overnight for parts of New York, Pennsylvania and New England, but it warned that continued rain and icy roads would make conditions hazardous for drivers and pedestrians.

Death toll rises

In Indiana, three family members were killed Wednesday when their car spun out of control and hit a garbage truck, and a 5-year-old girl was killed when a van driven by her mother slid into the path of a train. Another man died when his vehicle crossed the median on snow-covered Interstate 65 and slammed into a tractor-trailer.

There were two other weather-related traffic deaths reported in Arkansas, one in Texas and one in Missouri.

The remnants of the storm continued to make life difficult for people in the Midwest and Plains states Thursday. More chilly temperatures were expected, and hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses in Arkansas and Texas remained without electricity after Wednesday's ice storms brought down power lines.

The Entergy Arkansas power company said 3,500 workers were pitching in to restore power. But spokesman James Thompson told CNN, "We know it will be multiple days before everybody is back on."

"It was just the worst kind of conditions that you could possibly ask for," Thompson said. "The freezing rain building up on the trees, building up on the power lines, and we've had numerous power lines down, along with poles that have broken in two."

'All in one whack'

In the Plains, residents grit their teeth and picked up snow shovels to dig out from double-digit accumulations.

"This is as much snow as we've seen in the last 15 years, and we got it all in one whack," said Charles Ward, city superintendent in the small southeastern Kansas town of Colony. The area got about 14 inches of snow, as did Springfield, Missouri.

"Now it's time for the sore backs to kick in," said Springfield resident Jim Wright, who spent almost an hour clearing snow from his driveway while his daughter made snow angels. "You've got to love winter."

In Michigan, the American Automobile Association reported more than 8,200 calls from stranded drivers on Wednesday -- more than four times the usual number for a winter day -- after up to 20 inches of snow accumulated in parts of the state.

Airport situation improves

Thursday brought some relief for air travelers in the Midwest, although wind caused delays at Chicago's O'Hare airport and some flights arriving into Kansas City were delayed by reduced visibility.

On Wednesday, the nasty weather forced the cancellation of hundreds of flights in and out of St. Louis, Missouri; Dallas-Fort Worth; Chicago; Memphis, Tennessee; Little Rock, Arkansas; Tulsa, Oklahoma; and Oklahoma City.

At O'Hare on Wednesday night, two planes bumped while on taxiways during the snowstorm. No injuries were reported. Monique Bond, a spokeswoman for the Chicago Department of Aviation, said the wing tip of one plane brushed the other in the equivalent of a "fender bender."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Ice storm coats parts of Southern U.S.
December 13, 2000
Wintry weather from Texas to Northeast; Midwest digs out
December 12, 2000
Chicago braces for blizzard; storm hits Midwest
December 11, 2000
Cold front could further strain California's power supply
December 8, 2000

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Dallas | Fort Worth International Airport
O'Hare International Airport
Sun Country Airlines
American Airlines
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University of Wisconsin-Madison's Center for Climatic Research
Old Farmer's Almanac
National Climatic Data Center (NCDC)
National Weather Service
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
  • Air Traffic Control System Command Center (delay information)

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