Quick-moving winter storm brings snow to Northeast, disrupting travel and schools
A quick-moving winter storm that hit the Northeast on Tuesday has brought significant snowfall to some areas while others got less than expected
HARTFORD, Conn. • A quick-moving winter storm battered cities in the Northeast with snowfall, sending huge waves crashing into the New England coastline and forcing New York City schools into glitch-filled remote learning reminiscent of the early days of the pandemic.
Airlines canceled or delayed flights while accidents were reported on slippery roads, and at least one person died.
The storm quickly passed through the region, producing snowfall totals that were significant in some cities but much less than expected in others. New York City recorded just 3 inches of snow in Central Park, but areas of Pennsylvania and Connecticut were blanketed with 15 inches of fluffy snow, according to National Weather Service reports.
“It’s been a quiet winter, so it’s kind of welcoming,” Ricky Smith said as he made his way to a construction job in New York City. “I just hope nobody gets hurt.”
In New York City, the nation’s largest school district opted to shift to remote learning instead of giving students and staff a snow day, sparking criticism by many. And when classes began, technical problems prevented many of the 915,000 students from logging in, exacerbating the discontent.
PS 112 in East Harlem had a promising start to its virtual school day with a schoolwide read-aloud, teacher Jessica Roach said. But the rest of the morning, when teachers and families tried to access the district’s domain, cascading technical problems confused her young special education students and inconvenienced their parents.
“A lot of kids lost out because of technical issues,” she said.
Chong Bretillon, a parent in Queens, said she received repeated errors as she tried to gain entry to a Zoom room for her elementary school student, while messaging with dozens of other parents who were encountering the same problems.
“I just spent almost an hour trying to log in and log out,” Bretillon said. “Everyone’s frustrated.”
New York Mayor Eric Adams defended the decision to go remote in the schools, saying it was necessary because of learning losses during the coronavirus pandemic.
School officials blamed the troubles on IBM, with Schools Chancellor David Banks saying the company “was not ready for primetime.”
IBM said in a statement Tuesday afternoon that it worked with the schools and the issues “were largely resolved,” but the company did not immediately respond to questions about what specifically happened and why. City officials said there were problems with authentication services.
More than 1,000 flights were canceled Tuesday morning, mostly at the airports in the New York City area and in Boston. Accidents were reported across the region and several states banned tandem and empty tractor-trailers from highways.
There were more than 145,000 power outages reported Tuesday morning in Pennsylvania and several thousand in New Jersey, but few outages in New York and New England, according to the tracking site poweroutage.us.
Authorities in Newberry Township, Pennsylvania, said a man operating a snowmobile was killed when he hit a downed utility line around 8 a.m. Tuesday during the storm. The cause and manner of death were pending further investigation.
At the time of the crash, police said in a statement that the area was “experiencing a multitude of weather related conditions due to a winter storm which caused downed trees, downed power lines and hazardous travel conditions throughout the area.”
A pedestrian carries an umbrella while walking through the snow Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024, in Providence, R.I. Parts of the Northeast were hit Tuesday by a snowstorm that canceled flights and schools and prompted warnings for people to stay off the roads, while some areas that anticipated heavy snow were getting less than that as the weather pattern changed.
FILE — Sanitation trucks mounted with snow plows are parked on the west side of Manhattan in New York, Jan. 2, 2014. Parts of the Northeast were preparing Monday, Feb. 12, 2024, for a coastal storm that was expected to pack high winds and dump a foot or more of snow in some areas, leading to school closures, warnings against traveling by road and the possible disruption of flights.
FILE — New York City Sanitation Department workers use a front-end loader to to fill a salt spreader at one of the Department’s salt sheds in lower Manhattan, Jan. 7, 2022, in New York. Parts of the Northeast were preparing Monday, Feb. 12, 2024 for a coastal storm that was expected to pack high winds and dump a foot or more of snow in some areas, leading to school closures, warnings against traveling by road and the possible disruption of flights. )
People cross a street during a winter snow storm in Philadelphia, Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024.
A person cleans off a car during a winter snow storm in Philadelphia, Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024.
A person crosses a street during a winter snow storm in Philadelphia, Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024.
A person crosses a street during a winter snow storm in Philadelphia, Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024.
A person walks during a winter snow storm in Philadelphia, Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024. Parts of the Northeast were hit Tuesday by a snowstorm that canceled flights and schools and prompted warnings for people to stay off the roads, while some areas that anticipated heavy snow were getting less than that as the weather pattern changed.
People walk during a winter snow storm in Philadelphia, Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024. Parts of the Northeast were hit Tuesday by a snowstorm that canceled flights and schools and prompted warnings for people to stay off the roads, while some areas that anticipated heavy snow were getting less than that as the weather pattern changed.
A person drives a scooter during a winter snow storm in Philadelphia, Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024. Parts of the Northeast were hit Tuesday by a snowstorm that canceled flights and schools and prompted warnings for people to stay off the roads, while some areas that anticipated heavy snow were getting less than that as the weather pattern changed.
People wait at a bus station during a winter snow storm in Philadelphia, Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024.
A person walks during a winter snow storm in Philadelphia, Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024.
People clear a sidewalk during a winter snow storm in Philadelphia, Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024. Parts of the Northeast were hit Tuesday by a snowstorm that canceled flights and schools and prompted warnings for people to stay off the roads, while some areas that anticipated heavy snow were getting less than that as the weather pattern changed.
A man sets cones near planes as snow falls at John F. Kennedy International Airport Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024, in New York.
Flight cancellations are listed due to inclement weather are shown on an information board at John F. Kennedy International Airport Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024, in New York. Parts of the Northeast were hit Tuesday by a snowstorm that canceled flights and schools and prompted warnings for people to stay off the roads, while some areas that anticipated heavy snow were getting less than that as the weather pattern changed.
Snow covers the windows of a plane that sits at a gate at John F. Kennedy International Airport, Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024, in New York.
Workers walk along the platform at Long Island Rail Road Jamaica Station platform as snow falls at John F. Kennedy International Airport Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024, in New York. Parts of the Northeast were hit Tuesday by a snowstorm that canceled flights and schools and prompted warnings for people to stay off the roads, while some areas that anticipated heavy snow were getting less than that as the weather pattern changed.
Workers clear the runway near JetBlue planes as snow falls at John F. Kennedy International Airport, Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024, in New York.
People stand in a waiting area inside as snow falls at John F. Kennedy International Airport, Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024, in New York.
A man looks out of a window as a train passes him near John F. Kennedy International Airport Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024, in New York. Parts of the Northeast were hit Tuesday by a snowstorm that canceled flights and schools and prompted warnings for people to stay off the roads, while some areas that anticipated heavy snow were getting less than that as the weather pattern changed.
Workers clear snow at John F. Kennedy International Airport Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024, in New York. Parts of the Northeast were hit Tuesday by a snowstorm that canceled flights and schools and prompted warnings for people to stay off the roads, while some areas that anticipated heavy snow were getting less than that as the weather pattern changed.
A man walks near a waitig plane as snow falls at John F. Kennedy International Airport Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024, in New York. Parts of the Northeast were hit Tuesday by a snowstorm that canceled flights and schools and prompted warnings for people to stay off the roads, while some areas that anticipated heavy snow were getting less than that as the weather pattern changed.
Workers clear the runway as snow falls at John F. Kennedy International Airport, Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024, in New York.
File – A man steps out on Thames St. in lower Manhattan as snow falls on Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024 in New York.
Workers fuel a plane as snow falls at John F. Kennedy International Airport Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024, in New York.
A person works to clear wet and heavy snow from a sidewalk during a winter storm in Philadelphia, Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024.
A plow works to clear snow during a winter storm in Doylestown, Pa., Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024.
Snow covers gravestones during a winter snow storm in Doylestown, Pa., Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024.
Nelson Taylor, of Providence, R.I., left, uses cross-country skis while making his way along a residential street, Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024, in Providence. Parts of the Northeast have been hit by a coastal storm that’s dumping snow and packing strong winds in some areas, while others aren’t getting as much snow as anticipated.
Robert Carapellucci sale consultant with Blaise Alexander Mazda of Greater Hazleton clears snow from one of the more than 150 vehicles on the lot following a snow storm on Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024. According to the National Weather Service 13.4 inches of snow fell on Hazle Twp.
A person clears snow from a car during a winter storm in Doylestown, Pa., Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024.
A snow removal contractor cleans the sidewalk of snow in front of a chocolate shop in Mansfield, Mass., Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024, one day before Valentine’s Day, as heavy snow falls. Several inches of snow is forecasted for the southeastern section of Massachusetts.
A worker shovels snow off a sidewalk Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024, in Providence, R.I. Parts of the Northeast were hit Tuesday by a snowstorm that canceled flights and schools and prompted warnings for people to stay off the roads, while some areas that anticipated heavy snow were getting less than that as the weather pattern changed.
People use their snow sled in New York’s Central Park Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024, in New York.
A motorist travels along a road after a snowfall in Frederick County, Maryland on Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024. Higher elevations of the county received close to 5″ of snow.
Charlie Suraski walks his dog, Pickles, wearing a new pink coat, through the snow Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024, in Providence, R.I. Parts of the Northeast were hit Tuesday by a snowstorm that canceled flights and schools and prompted warnings for people to stay off the roads, while some areas that anticipated heavy snow were getting less than that as the weather pattern changed.
People enjoy Central Park after a snowstorm Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024, in New York.
Cross-country skiers make their way past snow-covered bushes, Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024, in a park in Providence, R.I. Parts of the Northeast have been hit by a coastal storm that’s dumping snow and packing strong winds in some areas, while others aren’t getting as much snow as anticipated.
Water floods the street at East Pier during high tide, Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024, in the East Boston neighborhood of Boston.
A family makes their way across Dilworth Plaza on west side of City Hall on a cold, wet, snowy morning in Philadelphia Tuesday morning, Feb. 13, 2024.
A person clears off a sidewalk during a winter snow storm in Philadelphia, Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024.
