Winter storm drops snow, kills at least 11

Pedestrians cross 34th Street and 6th Avenue under falling snow in Herald Square on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2014, in New York as a storm delivered snow, stiff winds and punishing cold into the Northeast.
Pedestrians cross 34th Street and 6th Avenue under falling snow in Herald Square on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2014, in New York as a storm delivered snow, stiff winds and punishing cold into the Northeast.

BOSTON — A storm dropped a blanket of light, powdery snow across the Northeast and ushered in frigid temperatures Friday that were unusual even for cities accustomed to blasts of winter weather. The storm, which shut down major highways temporarily and grounded flights, was blamed for at least 11 deaths as it swept across the eastern half of the country.

The nor'easter was accompanied by plummeting temperatures that on Friday morning reached 8 degrees below zero in Burlington, Vt., with a wind chill of 29 below, and 2 degrees in Boston, with a wind chill of minus 20. It dumped 23 inches of snow in Boxford, Mass., and 18 inches in parts of western New York near Rochester. Thirteen inches of snow fell in Boston, while Lakewood, N.J., got 10 inches and New York City's Central Park got 6.

Schools and offices were closed across the region, and police were busy responding to accidents and reports of stranded vehicles. Governors in New York and New Jersey declared states of emergency Thursday, urging residents to stay home. But few power outages were reported Friday and wind gusts actually made the snow easy to manage.

Read tomorrow's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.

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