Northeast Facing Icy Mess as Plunging Temps Follow Storm

Northeast Facing Icy Mess as Plunging Temps Follow Storm
People struggle to walk in the blowing snow during a winter storm in Boston on March 14, 2017. AP Photo/Michael Dwyer
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NEW YORK—Plunging temperatures ushered in by the storm that plastered the Northeast turned the snow and sleet into rock-solid ice, leaving roads and sidewalks treacherous Wednesday and making shoveling seem like hard labor.

Tuesday’s powerful nor'easter paralyzed much of the Washington-to-Boston corridor, but fell short of the predicted snowfall totals in New York, Boston and Philadelphia.

The storm, which followed a stretch of unusually mild winter weather, dumped 1 to 2 feet in many places, grounded more than 1,000 flights Wednesday after 6,200 flights were canceled a day earlier. It also knocked out power to nearly a quarter-million customers from Virginia northward.

By the time it reached Massachusetts, it had turned into a blizzard, with near hurricane-force winds gusting to over 70 mph along the coast. Boston ended up with 6.6 inches of snow, far less than what was predicted.

Boston canceled school for a second day Wednesday to allow time for cleanup efforts. Mayor Marty Walsh said he made the call out of “an abundance of caution.”

A gust of wind blows snow back at Roger Lane, a custodian at Yonkers Public School 17, as he clears a sidewalk in front of the school with a snow blower during a snow storm in New York on March 14, 2017. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)
A gust of wind blows snow back at Roger Lane, a custodian at Yonkers Public School 17, as he clears a sidewalk in front of the school with a snow blower during a snow storm in New York on March 14, 2017. AP Photo/Julie Jacobson