CBS NEWS
Kegan Parks clears snow from East Gay Street in Columbus, Ohio. A late-winter storm dumped a half-foot or more of snow across much of Ohio on March 6, creating treacherous driving conditions for the morning rush hour.
An unpredictable winter storm that buried parts of the Midwest and
Mid-Atlantic regions with snow but barely laid a glove on Washington was
bound early Thursday for New England, where it was expected to bring
strong winds, more snow and the possibility of coastal flooding to New
England.
Sera Congi of CBS station WBZ-TV in Boston reported on "CBS This
Morning" Thursday that this storm is expected to be a long one --
lasting 36 hours, through three high tide cycles -- with as much as 8
inches of snow in some areas of New England.
Waves and winds are expected to batter the coastline. Coastal flood
warnings are in effect and at least two towns have already urged
residents to evacuate before Thursday morning's high tide, Congi said.
"It will snow on and off, heavy at times today, tonight, and also
through a good portion of tomorrow," said meteorologist Jeff Berardelli
of CBS station WFOR-TV.
The storm marched into the Mid-Atlantic region Wednesday, dumping
nearly 2 feet of snow in some places and knocking out power to about
250,000 homes and businesses. It largely spared the nation's capital,
which was expecting much worse and had all but shut down.
Officials in Washington didn't want a repeat of 2011, when a
rush-hour snowstorm stranded commuters for hours, so they told people to
stay off the roads and gave workers the day off.
The storm's no-show in Washington came after it pummeled the nation's
midsection Tuesday, killing at least four people in weather-related
traffic accidents. More than 1,100 flights were canceled Tuesday at
Chicago's two airports alone, and hundreds more were canceled Wednesday
in Washington, Philadelphia and New York.
As the storm moved up the coast Wednesday night, it brought heavy
winds to the Jersey Shore, still reeling from superstorm Sandy. Streets
in Sea Bright, N.J., were flooding Thursday morning.
The National Weather Service was predicting up to 7 inches of heavy,
wet snow in southeastern Connecticut through Friday morning and wind
gusts that could hit 50 mph, bringing possible power outages. A coastal
flood warning was in effect starting Thursday morning for east-facing
shores in Massachusetts, with up to a 3-foot surge at high tide in some
areas. Central Massachusetts was bracing for 4 to 8 inches of snow,
while early predictions were that Boston would get less.
In
Washington, where as much as 10 inches had been forecast, the storm did
little but drop harmless snowflakes that rapidly melted amid
warmer-than-expected temperatures. Federal offices in the region were to
reopen Thursday.
"They just say that it might snow and the whole city shuts down,"
said Sheri Sable, who was out walking her two dogs in light rain and
marveled at how even the dog park she frequents failed to open at 7 a.m.
There were bigger problems elsewhere in the region, though.
In Maryland, the Coast Guard said one man was rescued and two men
were missing after a fishing vessel became disabled 15 miles east of
Assateague Island. The Coast Guard received a radio beacon alert around
10:40 a.m. Wednesday from the Seafarer. Officials say the ship had
become disabled and its sister ship was towing it.
The Coast Guard sent a helicopter to the area and rescued a man from a
lifeboat. But authorities were searching for two other men reported
missing. Late Wednesday, the Coast Guard suspended the search until
sunrise Thursday.
On the Jersey Shore, winds raked the beachfront in Point Pleasant
Beach, blowing drifts of sand onto Ocean Avenue, and shredding the
decorative entrance canopy at a hotel across the street from the beach.
Lashing winds also blew off part of the roof of a Stone Harbor, N.J.,
condominium complex and Ocean City officials advised residents to move
their cars to higher ground in preparation of possible flooding.
Maryland's Bay Bridge, which connects Maryland's Eastern shore with the
Baltimore-Washington region, was temporarily closed in both directions,
because of wind gusts of up to 60 mph.
"The travel on the bridge was extremely scary," interior designer
Kelly Kiley said after a tractor trailer overturned and leaned against a
guardrail. "The crosswinds were terrible. Some of the taller box trucks
were swaying."
In North Carolina, state officials said high winds led to sound side
flooding along N.C. 12 and brought the Hatteras-Ocracoke ferry run to a
halt.
In Virginia, Gov. Bob McDonnell declared a state of emergency and
about 50 National Guard soldiers were sent out to help clear roads. Up
to 20 inches of snow piled up in central and western parts of the state.
More than 200,000 people in Virginia alone lost power and another
40,000 in New Jersey were left in the dark. Hundreds of wrecks were
reported around the region.
The storm dumped 2 feet of snow in parts of neighboring West
Virginia, closing schools in more than half the state and leaving more
than 20,000 customers without power.
In Pennsylvania and Ohio, many areas had 4 to 6 inches of snow. The
weather service issued a winter storm warning for the Philadelphia area
and parts of central Pennsylvania through Thursday morning.
Downtown Washington was unusually quiet Wednesday. Officials eager to
avoid a repeat of 2011 pre-emptively shut down federal offices and
canceled public schools. Non-emergency federal employees were treated to
a paid snow day for the number of hours they were scheduled to work.
Some congressional hearings were postponed, but the House of
Representatives managed to approve legislation to prevent a government
shutdown on March 27 and President Barack Obama had dinner with GOP
senators at a hotel Wednesday night.
The storm has led to at least four deaths. A semi-trailer slid off a
snow-covered interstate in western Wisconsin, killing two people. A
central Indiana woman died when a semi-trailer plowed into her car after
she lost control merging onto the highway, and a man from Columbia City
in northeast Indiana was killed when his snowmobile left the road,
headed across a field and crashed into a wire fence.