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Some could go days without power in cold Northeast

By Michael Pearson and Margaret Conley, CNN

Updated 11:49 AM ET, Thu February 6, 2014

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Winter storm batters U.S.
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Story highlights

  • About 578,000 in at least three states without power after snow, ice storm
  • 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
Bob and Debbie Burns endured three dark and powerless days after Hurricane Sandy. When the lights went out this time -- the result of a powerful winter storm-- they were ready.
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."
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.
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
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.
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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.
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A woman shovels snow in New York's SoHo neighborhood on Wednesday, February 5.
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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A United Airlines jet is de-iced before taking off from New Jersey's Newark Liberty International Airport on Monday, February 3.
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.
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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.
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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.
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Pedestrians trudge through dirty snow and slush as they pass through New York's Union Square on February 3.
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.
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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.
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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.
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A pedestrian braves the wind and snow in New York on February 3.
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Snowstorm slams the heartland, Northeast – A pedestrian braves the wind and snow in New York on February 3.
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A school bus drives down the street during a snowstorm in Brooklyn, New York, on February 3.
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Snowstorm slams the heartland, Northeast – A school bus drives down the street during a snowstorm in Brooklyn, New York, on February 3.
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A construction worker unloads steel bars from a truck during a snowstorm in Brooklyn on February 3.
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Snowstorm slams the heartland, Northeast – A construction worker unloads steel bars from a truck during a snowstorm in Brooklyn on February 3.
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A pedestrian walks against the snow and wind on 42nd Street in New York on February 3.
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Snowstorm slams the heartland, Northeast – A pedestrian walks against the snow and wind on 42nd Street in New York on February 3.
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Commuters wait for a train as snow falls in New York on February 3.
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Snowstorm slams the heartland, Northeast – Commuters wait for a train as snow falls in New York on February 3.
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A man uses the handrail to get into a subway station February 3 on New York's Lower East Side.
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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A woman walks through Washington Square Park as snow falls in New York on February 3.
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Snowstorm slams the heartland, Northeast – A woman walks through Washington Square Park as snow falls in New York on February 3.
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Winter far from over
Winter far from over

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    Winter far from over

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Winter far from over 02:50
In Philadelphia alone, electric provider PECO said that at the peak of the outages midday Wednesday, more than 623,000 homes and businesses were without power.
That number had fallen to about 431,000 Thursday afternoon, according to the company.
The vast majority should get their power back by Friday, but for some, the wait could stretch to Sunday, spokeswoman Debbie Yemenijian told CNN.
After all, it's the second-most damaging storm in the company's history, PECO said.
Crews from Arkansas, Illinois, Massachusetts, New York, Ohio and Canada have joined PECO's workers to fix the damage, the company said. In all, more than 1,500 workers are in the field, it said.
A similar number have been fielded in the Baltimore area, where some 45,000 homes and businesses remained without power early Thursday, utility Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. said on Twitter.
Tens of thousands also remained 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 was a delight for children who got a snow day, less so for everyone else.
"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, according to CNN meteorologists.
The central United States will continue to deal with unusual cold, with wind chill warnings or advisories posted in more than a dozen states where highs are expected to be 20 to 40 degrees below average.
Why schools hate snow days