Some could go days without power in cold Northeast

Michael Pearson and Margaret Conley, CNN
Updated 11:49 AM EST, Thu February 6, 2014

Story highlights

NEW: About 578,000 in at least three states without power after snow, ice storm

NEW: Thousands of utility workers flood storm-damaged states to fix lines

"We're very content," suburban Philadelphia couple say despite no power

Central U.S. to remain cold, but next storm unlikely to cause major problems

Have you been affected by the latest snowstorm? Share your photos, videos with CNN iReport.

(CNN) —  

First came the whiteouts, then the blackouts.

Candles give a pleasant glow to their living room in Abington Township, Pennsylvania, a Philadelphia suburb. Burning logs in the fireplace give at least a little warmth.

They have hot water, and a gas stove to cook on – both products of their experience in the wake of Sandy – the 2012 hurricane that caused widespread damage and power outages up and down the Eastern Seaboard.

And they huddle under blankets and pass the time talking.

“We’re very content,” Bob Burns told CNN on Wednesday night. “It gives us more quality time to sit and talk.”

Workmen clear a downed tree blocking a school bus in the aftermath of a winter storm on Friday, February 7, in Downingtown, Pennsylvania. Utility companies scrambled to restore power to parts of the Northeast early Friday as hundreds of thousands shivered in the dark after a powerful snowstorm.
Photos: Photos: Snowstorm slams the heartland, Northeast
Snowstorm slams the heartland, Northeast —  
Workmen clear a downed tree blocking a school bus in the aftermath of a winter storm on Friday, February 7, in Downingtown, Pennsylvania. Utility companies scrambled to restore power to parts of the Northeast early Friday as hundreds of thousands shivered in the dark after a powerful snowstorm.
PHOTO: Matt Rourke/AP
A tree limb fallen across a utility line and an abandoned car block a road in Media, Pennsylvania, on Thursday, February 6.
Photos: Photos: Snowstorm slams the heartland, Northeast
Snowstorm slams the heartland, Northeast —  
A tree limb fallen across a utility line and an abandoned car block a road in Media, Pennsylvania, on Thursday, February 6.
PHOTO: Matt Rourke/AP
A woman shovels snow in New York
Photos: Photos: Snowstorm slams the heartland, Northeast
Snowstorm slams the heartland, Northeast —  
A woman shovels snow in New York's SoHo neighborhood on Wednesday, February 5.
PHOTO: Andrew Burton/Getty Images
A woman fights the wind and snow in Chicago on February 5.
Photos: Photos: Snowstorm slams the heartland, Northeast
Snowstorm slams the heartland, Northeast —  
A woman fights the wind and snow in Chicago on February 5.
PHOTO: Kiichiro Sato/AP
A wave of snow is kicked up as a truck clears a street in North Andover, Massachusetts, on February 5.
Photos: Photos: Snowstorm slams the heartland, Northeast
Snowstorm slams the heartland, Northeast —  
A wave of snow is kicked up as a truck clears a street in North Andover, Massachusetts, on February 5.
PHOTO: Elise Amendola/AP
A woman ducks under a utility line next to a downed tree in Philadelphia on February 5.
Photos: Photos: Snowstorm slams the heartland, Northeast
Snowstorm slams the heartland, Northeast —  
A woman ducks under a utility line next to a downed tree in Philadelphia on February 5.
PHOTO: Matt Rourke/AP
A man leaps over a slushy curb in New York City on February 5.
Photos: Photos: Snowstorm slams the heartland, Northeast
Snowstorm slams the heartland, Northeast —  
A man leaps over a slushy curb in New York City on February 5.
PHOTO: John Moore/Getty Images
Snow piles up on a dock near a frozen pond in Carmel, Indiana, on February 5.
Photos: Photos: Snowstorm slams the heartland, Northeast
Snowstorm slams the heartland, Northeast —  
Snow piles up on a dock near a frozen pond in Carmel, Indiana, on February 5.
PHOTO: Michael Conroy/AP
A man and a girl walk down a street February 5 in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City.
Photos: Photos: Snowstorm slams the heartland, Northeast
Snowstorm slams the heartland, Northeast —  
A man and a girl walk down a street February 5 in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City.
PHOTO: Andrew Burton/Getty Images
Crews clear snow as ice pellets fall in Hartford, Connecticut, on February 5.
Photos: Photos: Snowstorm slams the heartland, Northeast
Snowstorm slams the heartland, Northeast —  
Crews clear snow as ice pellets fall in Hartford, Connecticut, on February 5.
PHOTO: Dave Collins/AP
A New York City transit official checks the tracks at the Times Square subway station on February 5.
Photos: Photos: Snowstorm slams the heartland, Northeast
Snowstorm slams the heartland, Northeast —  
A New York City transit official checks the tracks at the Times Square subway station on February 5.
PHOTO: Andrew Burton/Getty Images
Law enforcement officials evaluate the scene of a crash on Interstate 29 in St. Joseph, Missouri, on Tuesday, February 4.
Photos: Photos: Snowstorm slams the heartland, Northeast
Snowstorm slams the heartland, Northeast —  
Law enforcement officials evaluate the scene of a crash on Interstate 29 in St. Joseph, Missouri, on Tuesday, February 4.
PHOTO: Sait Serkan Gurbuz/The St. Joseph News-Press/AP
Tree limbs hang heavy with ice in front of the Capitol building in Little Rock, Arkansas, on February 4.
Photos: Photos: Snowstorm slams the heartland, Northeast
Snowstorm slams the heartland, Northeast —  
Tree limbs hang heavy with ice in front of the Capitol building in Little Rock, Arkansas, on February 4.
PHOTO: Danny Johnston/AP
A person crosses a snowy parking garage in Owensboro, Kentucky, on February 4.
Photos: Photos: Snowstorm slams the heartland, Northeast
Snowstorm slams the heartland, Northeast —  
A person crosses a snowy parking garage in Owensboro, Kentucky, on February 4.
PHOTO: John Dunham/The Messenger-Inquirer/AP
Lt. Rick Lucy of the Baxter County Sheriff
Photos: Photos: Snowstorm slams the heartland, Northeast
Snowstorm slams the heartland, Northeast —  
Lt. Rick Lucy of the Baxter County Sheriff's Office helps Donna Mullaney up an embankment in Mountain Home, Arkansas, after she lost control of her vehicle on an icy road February 4.
PHOTO: Kevin Pieper/The Baxter Bulletin/AP
Road salt gets loaded onto a snowplow truck in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, on February 4.
Photos: Photos: Snowstorm slams the heartland, Northeast
Snowstorm slams the heartland, Northeast —  
Road salt gets loaded onto a snowplow truck in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, on February 4.
PHOTO: Andrew A. Nelles/AP
A woman and child take a walk at the North Chagrin Reservation in Willoughby Hills, Ohio, on February 4.
Photos: Photos: Snowstorm slams the heartland, Northeast
Snowstorm slams the heartland, Northeast —  
A woman and child take a walk at the North Chagrin Reservation in Willoughby Hills, Ohio, on February 4.
PHOTO: Tony Dejak/AP
A salt truck clears a road in Columbia, Missouri, on February 4.
Photos: Photos: Snowstorm slams the heartland, Northeast
Snowstorm slams the heartland, Northeast —  
A salt truck clears a road in Columbia, Missouri, on February 4.
PHOTO: Ryan Henriksen/The Columbia Daily Tribune/AP
A woman makes her way through the snow on the University of Kansas campus in Lawrence on February 4.
Photos: Photos: Snowstorm slams the heartland, Northeast
Snowstorm slams the heartland, Northeast —  
A woman makes her way through the snow on the University of Kansas campus in Lawrence on February 4.
PHOTO: Orlin Wagner/AP
A United Airlines jet is de-iced before taking off from New Jersey
Photos: Photos: Snowstorm slams the heartland, Northeast
Snowstorm slams the heartland, Northeast —  
A United Airlines jet is de-iced before taking off from New Jersey's Newark Liberty International Airport on Monday, February 3.
PHOTO: TANNEN MAURY/EPA/Landov
Drew Brown, left, and Matt Robbins sleep on the floor at LaGuardia Airport on February 3 after heavy snow in New York affected their flight. The winter storm stranded thousands of fans trying to head home after the Super Bowl.
Photos: Photos: Snowstorm slams the heartland, Northeast
Snowstorm slams the heartland, Northeast —  
Drew Brown, left, and Matt Robbins sleep on the floor at LaGuardia Airport on February 3 after heavy snow in New York affected their flight. The winter storm stranded thousands of fans trying to head home after the Super Bowl.
PHOTO: John Minchillo/AP
A man tries to shield himself from the snowfall in New York on February 3.
Photos: Photos: Snowstorm slams the heartland, Northeast
Snowstorm slams the heartland, Northeast —  
A man tries to shield himself from the snowfall in New York on February 3.
PHOTO: John Minchillo/AP
Pedestrians trudge through dirty snow and slush as they pass through New York
Photos: Photos: Snowstorm slams the heartland, Northeast
Snowstorm slams the heartland, Northeast —  
Pedestrians trudge through dirty snow and slush as they pass through New York's Union Square on February 3.
PHOTO: Jason DeCrow/AP
A police officer walks a woman to his vehicle after her car slid off the road and was stranded on top of a guardrail February 3 in State College, Pennsylvania.
Photos: Photos: Snowstorm slams the heartland, Northeast
Snowstorm slams the heartland, Northeast —  
A police officer walks a woman to his vehicle after her car slid off the road and was stranded on top of a guardrail February 3 in State College, Pennsylvania.
PHOTO: Nabil K. Mark/Centre Daily Times/MCT/Getty Images
Snow covers tree branches February 3 in Pottsville, Pennsylvania.
Photos: Photos: Snowstorm slams the heartland, Northeast
Snowstorm slams the heartland, Northeast —  
Snow covers tree branches February 3 in Pottsville, Pennsylvania.
PHOTO: Jaqueline Dormer/Republican-Herald/AP
A pedestrian braves the wind and snow in New York on February 3.
Photos: Photos: Snowstorm slams the heartland, Northeast
Snowstorm slams the heartland, Northeast —  
A pedestrian braves the wind and snow in New York on February 3.
PHOTO: John Minchillo/AP
A school bus drives down the street during a snowstorm in Brooklyn, New York, on February 3.
Photos: Photos: Snowstorm slams the heartland, Northeast
Snowstorm slams the heartland, Northeast —  
A school bus drives down the street during a snowstorm in Brooklyn, New York, on February 3.
PHOTO: Spencer Platt/Getty Images
A construction worker unloads steel bars from a truck during a snowstorm in Brooklyn on February 3.
Photos: Photos: Snowstorm slams the heartland, Northeast
Snowstorm slams the heartland, Northeast —  
A construction worker unloads steel bars from a truck during a snowstorm in Brooklyn on February 3.
PHOTO: Matt Rourke/AP
A pedestrian walks against the snow and wind on 42nd Street in New York on February 3.
Photos: Photos: Snowstorm slams the heartland, Northeast
Snowstorm slams the heartland, Northeast —  
A pedestrian walks against the snow and wind on 42nd Street in New York on February 3.
PHOTO: John Minchillo/AP
Commuters wait for a train as snow falls in New York on February 3.
Photos: Photos: Snowstorm slams the heartland, Northeast
Snowstorm slams the heartland, Northeast —  
Commuters wait for a train as snow falls in New York on February 3.
PHOTO: DON EMMERT/AFP/Getty Images
A man uses the handrail to get into a subway station February 3 on New York
Photos: Photos: Snowstorm slams the heartland, Northeast
Snowstorm slams the heartland, Northeast —  
A man uses the handrail to get into a subway station February 3 on New York's Lower East Side.
PHOTO: Andrew Burton/Getty Images
City workers clear snow and ice from stairs in Brooklyn on February 3.
Photos: Photos: Snowstorm slams the heartland, Northeast
Snowstorm slams the heartland, Northeast —  
City workers clear snow and ice from stairs in Brooklyn on February 3.
PHOTO: Spencer Platt/Getty Images
A taxi driver walks beside his vehicle in the parking lot of Terminal B at LaGuardia Airport on February 3.
Photos: Photos: Snowstorm slams the heartland, Northeast
Snowstorm slams the heartland, Northeast —  
A taxi driver walks beside his vehicle in the parking lot of Terminal B at LaGuardia Airport on February 3.
PHOTO: John Minchillo/AP
Plows clear runways February 3 at Newark Liberty International Airport.
Photos: Photos: Snowstorm slams the heartland, Northeast
Snowstorm slams the heartland, Northeast —  
Plows clear runways February 3 at Newark Liberty International Airport.
PHOTO: Kiichiro Sato/AP
A woman walks through Washington Square Park as snow falls in New York on February 3.
Photos: Photos: Snowstorm slams the heartland, Northeast
Snowstorm slams the heartland, Northeast —  
A woman walks through Washington Square Park as snow falls in New York on February 3.
PHOTO: Andrew Burton/Getty Images

The couple are among an estimated 578,000 who remained without power early Thursday in the wake of Wednesday’s snow and ice storm, according to a CNN tally of outage figures provided by electric utilities.

A powerful snowstorm had moved Wednesday from the Midwest, arriving Thursday in the Northeast. It whacked a string of states along the way, dumping 13 inches of snow on Kansas, more than 10 inches on parts of Massachusetts and 4 inches on New York.

That number had fallen to about 431,000 Thursday afternoon, according to the company.

The vast majority of those who lost their power should see it restored Friday, though some may have to wait until Sunday, company spokeswoman Debbie Yemenijian said.

After all, it’s the second-most damaging storm in the company’s history, PECO said.

Utility crews from Arkansas, Illinois, Massachusetts, New York, Ohio and Canada joined PECO’s workers to fix the damage, the company said.

In the Baltimore area, about 19,000 homes and businesses remained without power early Friday, utility Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. said on its website.

Tens of thousands more were without power elsewhere in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, with a handful of outages remaining in Ohio as well.

The storm that caused all the problems moved out of the Midwest on Wednesday, bringing more than 10 inches of snow to Boston, 13 inches to other parts of Massachusetts and 4 inches of snow and a quarter-inch of ice to New York.

The wet, heavy snow may have pleased children who got a snow day, but some grownups were not applauding.

“Harder to push, not as easy actually to plow,” said Boston snowplow driver Nick Sfravara. “It’s definitely a challenge to get this stuff out of the way rather than the light stuff.”

Another system is forecast to bring snow to the region this weekend, but it’s not expected to produce as many problems, CNN meteorologists said.

San Francisco received nearly three quarters of an inch of rain on Thursday. Another several inches are expected in the inland valleys and 8 to 10 inches in the coastal mountains through the weekend, bringing the possibility of flooding.

Why schools hate snow days

Michael Pearson wrote and reported from Atlanta. Margaret Conley reported from Philadelphia. CNN’s Ed Payne, John Newsome, Greg Botelho and Tom Watkins contributed to this report.