Wintry storm hits northeast U.S. by Sean Batty
The northeast of the US was hammered by a huge storm on Friday, which brought heavy snowfall and chaos to the area. The National Weather Service said that the New York, New Jersey, West Virginia and Pennsylvania areas were worst affected and temperatures here fell well below zero.
Up to 6 inches (15 centimetres) of snow fell on parts of Maryland, and more than a foot (30 centimetres) may have fallen in upstate New York. At least five traffic deaths occurred as a result of the snow in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
Authorities in New York and New Jersey said that more than 1,500 flights were cancelled from the region’s three major airports, while road traffic was brought to a halt as the wintry storm lashed the east coast.
Despite Friday’s heavy snow, a massive clean-up operation was taking place in the streets of Manhattan on Saturday morning in a desperate bid to allow the city’s St. Patrick’s Day celebrations to go ahead.