A powerful winter storm dumped snow from Nashville to Nantucket, arctic-like temperatures gripped much of the U.S. and hundreds of thousands of people lost power in the South.
While some shivered, others bundled up and tried to make the best of a frustrating situation.
In Massachusetts, whatever may have been enchanting about the snowfall had long since given way to serious concerns about the safety threat it could pose. State officials stepped up warnings about the potential for roofs to collapse under the weight of the near-record cover of snow that has built up in recent weeks.
Numerous partial roof collapses have been reported but no serious injuries to date. Still, in neighboring New Hampshire, two school districts remained closed a day after schools were evacuated over concerns about snow buildup on roofs.
Across a broad swath of the U.S., roads were icy and slushy, making driving difficult and causing at least eight traffic deaths. There were three deaths in Tennessee, including a mother and son in Williamson County, a Nashville suburb, who were struck by a tractor-trailer when they stopped to help people in a sport utility vehicle that had overturned in front of them.
The deteriorating condition of the state’s roads prompted the governor to declare a state of emergency.
In Virginia, two people were killed in accidents as nearly a foot of snow fell in some places. In North Carolina, a woman died in a two-car crash in the northeastern part of the state. Two people were also killed in separate crashes in Maryland.
In North Carolina, Jerry Nuesell struggled through a hazardous drive after taking his wife to the hospital for the unexpectedly early arrival of their first born, a boy.
With his wife 33 weeks pregnant, the couple was headed to the doctor’s office when her contractions began, forcing them to reroute their trip and head for the delivery room.
“Turned out the little fellow was ready to make an appearance much sooner than we planned,” Nuesell said.
He watched his son be born, then drove 30 miles back to Cary, N.C., to take care of their dachshund, Schnitzel. Ice covered most of his windshield .
“I had probably a good 6-inch-by-6-inch square that I had to peer through to get the best vision,” he said. “On multiple occasions, I thought this might not be the best idea.”
The extreme cold also posed dangers. The National Weather Service said temperatures today will be 25 to 30 degrees below average for the date from the middle Mississippi River valley to the Great Lakes, and the chill will linger into Thursday, bringing a chance of more snow.
As far south as Albany, Ga., 50 miles north of the Florida border, shelters were opened for people with inadequate heating systems or experiencing power failures.
As could be expected. the weather also caused havoc for travelers.
Trudging along a snowy sidewalk, Robin Winter and her daughter, Melissa, made their way to a Metro station in Washington so Robin Winter could catch her flight home to St. Louis.
Carrying multiple bags, Winter said she’d gotten into town Thursday and had been watching the forecasts as the snow made its way across the country.
“If I would have decided to fly out Sunday night instead, you never know for sure if it’s gonna really happen until it really happens,” she said.
The Winters were optimistic the flight would not be canceled, though they were prepared for a delay. It appeared her flight left on time, but others weren’t so lucky. More than 1,800 flights were canceled at many airports, from Nashville to the nation’s capital, and more than 2,000 travelers spent the night at Charlotte Douglas International Airport in North Carolina.
In snowbound Ithaca, N.Y., the tourism office gave up on trying to attract visitors, instead advising tourists on its website to check out the Florida Keys.
VisitIthaca.com’s home page displayed sunny photos from Florida below the headline, “That’s it. We surrender. Winter, you win. Key West anyone?”
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