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East Coast Storm Plays Havoc With Travel Plans

By NPR Staff and Wires
Published December 27, 2010 at 2:41 AM MST
A man uses a snowblower to clear a street Monday in New York City's Times Square after a blizzard dropped 20 inches of snow in the area.
1 of 19  — A man uses a snowblower to clear a street Monday in New York City's Times Square after a blizzard dropped 20 inches of snow in the area.
A man uses a snowblower to clear a street Monday in New York City's Times Square after a blizzard dropped 20 inches of snow in the area.
People walk through the snow in Manhattan's East Village in New York City. The tail end of a powerful storm across the Northeast snarled plans for millions of holiday travelers Monday, forcing airport closures and crippling road and rail traffic. The New York area was especially hard hit.
2 of 19  — People walk through the snow in Manhattan's East Village in New York City. The tail end of a powerful storm across the Northeast snarled plans for millions of holiday travelers Monday, forcing airport closures and crippling road and rail traffic. The New York area was especially hard hit.
People walk through the snow in Manhattan's East Village in New York City. The tail end of a powerful storm across the Northeast snarled plans for millions of holiday travelers Monday, forcing airport closures and crippling road and rail traffic. The New York area was especially hard hit.
A man who gave his name as Marcus cross-country skis through snow in Times Square.
3 of 19  — A man who gave his name as Marcus cross-country skis through snow in Times Square.
A man who gave his name as Marcus cross-country skis through snow in Times Square.
John Elliot of New York tries to dig out his rental car on a Manhattan street thanks in part to a good Samaritan who let him use a shovel.
4 of 19  — John Elliot of New York tries to dig out his rental car on a Manhattan street thanks in part to a good Samaritan who let him use a shovel.
John Elliot of New York tries to dig out his rental car on a Manhattan street thanks in part to a good Samaritan who let him use a shovel.
A worker shovels snow from Times Square on Monday morning.
5 of 19  — A worker shovels snow from Times Square on Monday morning.
A worker shovels snow from Times Square on Monday morning.
A U.S. Airways jet is blasted by snow on the tarmac at Philadelphia International Airport. The blizzard menaced would-be travelers by air, rail and highway, leaving thousands without a way to get home after the holidays and shutting down major airports and rail lines for a second day.
6 of 19  — A U.S. Airways jet is blasted by snow on the tarmac at Philadelphia International Airport. The blizzard menaced would-be travelers by air, rail and highway, leaving thousands without a way to get home after the holidays and shutting down major airports and rail lines for a second day.
A U.S. Airways jet is blasted by snow on the tarmac at Philadelphia International Airport. The blizzard menaced would-be travelers by air, rail and highway, leaving thousands without a way to get home after the holidays and shutting down major airports and rail lines for a second day.
Snow removal crews work to clear runways at Philadelphia International Airport.
7 of 19  — Snow removal crews work to clear runways at Philadelphia International Airport.
Snow removal crews work to clear runways at Philadelphia International Airport.
Travelers stranded by a severe winter storm wait at New York's Penn Station.
8 of 19  — Travelers stranded by a severe winter storm wait at New York's Penn Station.
Travelers stranded by a severe winter storm wait at New York's Penn Station.
Doug Sherman of New York tries to rebook his flight home as long lines of travelers are stranded at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport because of many flight cancellations. Sherman had attended Sunday's NFL football game between the New York Giants and the Green Bay Packers.
9 of 19  — Doug Sherman of New York tries to rebook his flight home as long lines of travelers are stranded at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport because of many flight cancellations. Sherman had attended Sunday's NFL football game between the New York Giants and the Green Bay Packers.
Doug Sherman of New York tries to rebook his flight home as long lines of travelers are stranded at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport because of many flight cancellations. Sherman had attended Sunday's NFL football game between the New York Giants and the Green Bay Packers.
A pedestrian crosses a deserted Columbus Avenue in New York City.
10 of 19  — A pedestrian crosses a deserted Columbus Avenue in New York City.
A pedestrian crosses a deserted Columbus Avenue in New York City.
Snow falls in the early morning hours Monday in Manhattan's East Village.
11 of 19  — Snow falls in the early morning hours Monday in Manhattan's East Village.
Snow falls in the early morning hours Monday in Manhattan's East Village.
A woman walks through the snow in the early morning hours in Manhattan's East Village.
12 of 19  — A woman walks through the snow in the early morning hours in Manhattan's East Village.
A woman walks through the snow in the early morning hours in Manhattan's East Village.
A man cleans the sidewalk in front of Geno's Steaks during the blizzard Sunday in Philadelphia.
13 of 19  — A man cleans the sidewalk in front of Geno's Steaks during the blizzard Sunday in Philadelphia.
A man cleans the sidewalk in front of Geno's Steaks during the blizzard Sunday in Philadelphia.
A couple crosses a snow-covered street on New York's Upper East Side.
14 of 19  — A couple crosses a snow-covered street on New York's Upper East Side.
A couple crosses a snow-covered street on New York's Upper East Side.
Snowplows clear the streets around City Hall in Philadelphia during the blizzard.
15 of 19  — Snowplows clear the streets around City Hall in Philadelphia during the blizzard.
Snowplows clear the streets around City Hall in Philadelphia during the blizzard.
Snow blows at a rest area gas station on the Atlantic City Expressway near Hammonton, N.J.
16 of 19  — Snow blows at a rest area gas station on the Atlantic City Expressway near Hammonton, N.J.
Snow blows at a rest area gas station on the Atlantic City Expressway near Hammonton, N.J.
Cars creep along the Long Island Expressway during the blizzard in New York.
17 of 19  — Cars creep along the Long Island Expressway during the blizzard in New York.
Cars creep along the Long Island Expressway during the blizzard in New York.
A man walks along a beach through the snowstorm Sunday in Westport, Conn.
18 of 19  — A man walks along a beach through the snowstorm Sunday in Westport, Conn.
A man walks along a beach through the snowstorm Sunday in Westport, Conn.
A woman walks trough the trees during heavy snow in the Bronx borough of New York.
19 of 19  — A woman walks trough the trees during heavy snow in the Bronx borough of New York.
A woman walks trough the trees during heavy snow in the Bronx borough of New York.

Thousands of travelers trying to get home after the holiday weekend sat bored and bleary-eyed in airports and shivered aboard stuck buses and subway trains Monday, stranded by a blizzard that slammed the Northeast with more than 2 feet of show. But travel is slowly getting back on track.

On Monday evening, planes began landing again at New York's LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy International Airport. Newark Liberty was expected to start receiving inbound flights early Tuesday. Nearly 1,500 total flights were canceled at all three airports.

The National Weather Service said Central Park had gotten 20 inches of snow. Almost 30 inches of snow fell in Bergen County, N.J. Snowfall totals included a foot in Tidewater, Va., and Philadelphia and more than 18 inches in Boston. Snowfall totals of 16 inches or more were expected across Rhode Island, Connecticut and eastern Massachusetts, with winds building up drifts much higher.

Plows cleared the tarmac around planes as a heavy snowstorm continued Monday morning at Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, Conn. U.S. airlines scrambled to rebook passengers on thousands of canceled flights — more than 1,400 out of the New York City area's three major airports alone — but said they didn't expect normal service to resume until Tuesday.
Jessica Hill / AP
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AP
Plows cleared the tarmac around planes as a heavy snowstorm continued Monday morning at Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, Conn. U.S. airlines scrambled to rebook passengers on thousands of canceled flights — more than 1,400 out of the New York City area's three major airports alone — but said they didn't expect normal service to resume until Tuesday.

During the day Monday, many commuters appeared to be heeding the call to stay off the roads. Officials in New York City say it could take 24 hours to clear all the streets, a task made more difficult because of many cars abandoned during the storm.

U.S. airlines scrambled to rebook passengers on thousands of canceled flights — more than 1,400 out of the New York City area's three major airports alone — but said they didn't expect normal service to resume until Tuesday.

Some airline passengers could be stuck for days. Many planes are booked solid because of the busy holiday season, and airlines are operating fewer flights because of the economic downturn.

Anna Sallig, stranded at New York's Penn Station trying to get a train, was on a Christmas flight from Copenhagen. She's trying to get to Raleigh, N.C., to join her family for a vacation.

"I'd been traveling for more than 24 hours when I found out I wasn't going any further yesterday," she said. "I'm hoping I'm going to reach Raleigh some time today."

In New Jersey, the state's transit system has suspended bus service as the cleanup continues. In Monmouth, the snow marooned two passenger buses carrying about 50 people, some with diabetes, on the Garden State Parkway.

Motorists abandoned their cars on several New York City roadways. Department of Transportation spokesman Francis Suarez said a tractor-trailer and at least two cars were abandoned on the westbound Brooklyn-Queens Expressway near Hamilton Avenue.

People walk through the snow in the early morning hours in Manhattan's East Village on Monday. A winter storm is pounding the East Coast and is expected to deliver a foot of snow for New York City and New England while snarling post-Christmas travel.
Mario Tama / Getty Images
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Getty Images
People walk through the snow in the early morning hours in Manhattan's East Village on Monday. A winter storm is pounding the East Coast and is expected to deliver a foot of snow for New York City and New England while snarling post-Christmas travel.

"I understand that a lot of families need to get home after a weekend away, but please don't get on the roads unless you absolutely have to," New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said.

Amtrak suspended service between New York and Maine on Sunday, but was expected to resume most runs on Monday.

Trains will "run on the hour but not as many as would run on a normal weekday," Amtrak spokesman Cliff Cole told Fox News. He said that full service might be restored by Tuesday if the snow stops.

The Greyhound bus line was also experiencing delays and cancellations, and bus routes from New York to Boston, Philadelphia and Washington were affected.

Philadelphia cab driver Farid Senoussaoui, 33, described the slippery driving conditions as "like a video game."

"You've got to be more careful," he said.

The hurricane-strength wind gusts in some areas knocked out power to thousands. Utilities are working to restore power to more than 22,000 customers in Connecticut.

Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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