Source: reuters // Reuters
* Flights canceled on heavily traveled holiday weekend
* Snow expected up to the Monday morning commute
* NFL football game postponed; Amtrak rail shut (Updates with new information throughout)
By Daniel Trotta
NEW YORK, Dec 26 (Reuters) - The first widespread blizzard of the season slammed the northeastern United States on the heavily traveled Christmas weekend on Sunday, canceling more than 1,500 flights, shutting the Amtrak passenger rail and challenging motorists on icy roads.
The Atlantic storm unleashed powerful winds as it moved up the coast, dumping a foot (30 cm) of sideways-blowing snow on some areas with more expected up to the morning commute on Monday. Massachusetts and Maine declared states of emergency with only essential workers asked to work in Boston.
New York area airports including JFK International were closed on Sunday evening but were expected to reopen early Monday as the brunt of the storm moved north.
On one of the busiest travel days of the year, the U.S. National Weather Service issued blizzard warnings along the coast from Maine down to New Jersey with winter storm warnings in effect for nearly the entire East Coast.
The air travel nightmare was made worse when Amtrak canceled passenger rail service between New York and Boston.
Delta Air Lines
In one sign of the severity of the storm, an NFL football game scheduled for Philadelphia was postponed, forcing the Philadelphia Eagles and Minnesota Vikings to reschedule their game for Tuesday.
The sport loves to glorify great games in snow, but public safety became an issue with the weather service forecasting 15 to 25 inches (38 to 64 cm) of snowfall in many areas.
Officials warned travelers to stay off the roads. "The roads are slippery and the visibility is poor," Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano told New York's Channel 2.
After the southern United States was hit with a rare "White Christmas" on Saturday, the snowstorms plowed to the northeast, where the major coastal cities were engulfed in blowing snow.
Traffic moved slowly on the region's highways, though New York-area bridges and tunnels remained open and in good order, a spokeswoman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said. Some bridges had reduced speed limits imposed.
NEW YORK IN THE BULL'S EYE
The blizzard had been expected, allowing cities time to crank out the salt and snow plows. Some 2,400 New York City sanitation workers were called in to clear snow from the streets, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said.
"Unfortunately our city is directly in the path," Bloomberg told a news conference, saying gale force winds of up to 55 mph (88 kph) were expected.
"New York is a city that doesn't sleep," said New York Sanitation Commissioner John Doherty told NY1 television.
"It's a very busy city, Monday morning people will be looking to get about, but thank goodness there's no school tomorrow," during winter school holidays, he said.
The forewarning gave shoppers a chance to stock up on milk, bread, firewood and snow removal necessities such as shovels and ice melt.
Most of American's cancellations were for flights after mid-afternoon Sunday, and the airline said it hoped to be up and running again by mid-morning on Monday.
JetBlue normally schedules some 750 flights daily in the northeast. A spokeswoman said passengers ticketed for flights through Tuesday would be allowed to rebook any time through Jan. 14 without penalties.
Continental's cancellations chiefly affected its hub operations at New Jersey's Newark Liberty International Airport, which was shut down on Sunday night, WINS radio reported.
Brittney Friend, 19, told the New York Post she was unable to reach her destination in Chicago.
"We've been jumping through hoops all day and now we have no place to stay. They won't accommodate us with a hotel," she said. "It's so ironic. I wanted a White Christmas this year and here it is the day after. Too much snow came too late." (Additional reporting by Ben Berkowitz, Chris Michaud and Ros Krasny; editing by Todd Eastham)
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UPDATE 7-New York hit hard as winter storm slams Northeast28 Dec 2010
Source: reuters // Reuters
* New York airports reopen but long backlog for flights
* City buried in snow, many office workers take day off
* At least a dozen highway deaths attributed to the storm
* Storm dampens post-Christmas shopping spree (Adds details on air traffic, paragraphs 6-7)
By Daniel Trotta
NEW YORK, Dec 27 (Reuters) - A blizzard pummeled the northeastern United States on Monday, burying cities in knee-deep snow, leaving thousands camped at airports and snarling traffic with blowing snow and icy roads at the end of the busy Christmas weekend.
New York City and surrounding areas were the hardest hit by the storm, which swept up the Atlantic Coast on Sunday night and continued up to the Monday morning commute, unleashing powerful winds that gusted up to 59 mph (95 kph) and bringing cities to a halt.
At least a dozen traffic fatalities in several states were attributed to the treacherous road conditions.
Financial markets operated normally although trading volumes were thinned by the storm, which also kept shoppers away from the malls on the day after Christmas, one of the busiest shopping days of the year. [ID:nN27136773]
Authorities shut down New York's three major airports and others in the Northeast for nearly 24 hours, canceling thousands of flights and stranding passengers in terminals that were cut off for hours from trains and taxis, with food and information in short supply.
After a busy day plowing and melting snow with heavy equipment, airport authorities reopened John F. Kennedy, Newark Liberty and LaGuardia airports to departing and arriving flights. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ More stories on the storm [ID:nN27263596] Reuters Insider video http://link.reuters.com/ceq53r Factbox on canceled flight [ID:nN27231260] Reuters Breakingviews [ID:nN2797611] ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^>
"Some 4,500 flights have not taken off the past two days and it will take two to three days to take care of those people and get back to some sense of normalcy," Port Authority spokesman Steve Coleman told NY1 television.
As the storm moved into Canada, the sun broke through on the U.S. East Coast, but massive piles of snow could take days to melt. Temperatures were not expected to climb above freezing for a sustained period until later in the week.
Tens of thousands of homes lost power throughout the Northeast. But true to the refrain that "the show must go on," Broadway shows promised to perform as scheduled on Monday.
AIR TRAFFIC SNARLED
Major airlines including Delta Air Lines
"Here there are maybe 200 folding cots for 1,000 people," traveler Lance Jay Brown, 67, said from John F. Kennedy Airport's Terminal 8. "I paid $50 for three hot chocolates, a couple of candy bars and two sandwiches, and I was happy to get a sandwich. There are dozens of people twisted out of shape with frustration."
One caller seeking to reschedule a flight on U.S. Airways
Many offices closed for business, including the United Nations, which canceled all events at its New York headquarters.
After 17 hours of snowfall dropped 20 inches (50 cm) on New York's Central Park, the city was covered. Snow drifts piled 3 to 5 feet (90 to 150 cm) in some areas and giant mounds accumulated on the sidewalks where snow plows cleared the streets.
Similar snowfalls were reported throughout the Atlantic Coast, and totals reached as high as 29 inches (74 cm) in New Jersey.
Skies started clearing just before the morning commute, providing ideal play conditions and an extra treat for children who either had class canceled or were on holiday from school.
New York City subway traffic was sporadic and the commuter rails connecting the city to the suburbs were suspended for varying periods of time.
One New York subway train was stuck on a frozen track for seven hours before the passengers were rescued. Hundreds of buses got stuck and dozens more were stranded.
"The phone here is ringing off the hook. It's really difficult -- we're trying to deploy all of our equipment and right now it's just a question of digging out and getting things back to normal safely and reliably," said Dierdre Parker, a spokeswoman for New York City's transit authority.
Amtrak passenger rail service between New York and Boston was suspended on Sunday night and resumed with a limited schedule on Monday.
The New England states were also buried in snow. In Boston, only essential city employees were asked to report to work.
"I can't even find the sidewalk," said Marilyn Westgate, 44, of Belmont, Massachusetts, as she shoveled snow on her corner lot. "I don't even think about the time. I just do it." (Additional reporting by Daniel Lovering, Edith Honan, Aman Ali, Ros Krasny, Jon Hurdle, Emily Chasan, Lou Charbonneau, Chris Michaud, Lynn Adler and Jonathan Allen; Editing by Vicki Allen and Eric Walsh)
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