NEW YORK — Plunging temperatures ushered in by the storm that plastered the Northeast turned the snow and sleet into rock-solid ice, leaving roads and sidewalks treacherous Wednesday and making shoveling seem like hard labor.
Tuesday's powerful nor'easter paralyzed much of the Washington-to-Boston corridor but fell short of the predicted snowfall totals in New York, Boston and Philadelphia.
The storm, which followed a stretch of unusually mild winter weather, dumped 1 to 2 feet in many places, grounded more than 1,000 flights Wednesday after 6,200 flights were canceled a day earlier. It also knocked out power to nearly a quarter-million customers from Virginia northward.
By the time it reached Massachusetts, it had turned into a blizzard, with near hurricane-force winds gusting to over 70 mph along the coast. Boston ended up with 6.6 inches of snow, far less than what was predicted.
Boston canceled school for a second day Wednesday to allow time for cleanup efforts. Mayor Marty Walsh said he made the call out of "an abundance of caution."
The storm was easily the biggest in an otherwise merciful winter that had mostly spared the region. Many, like retired gumball machine technician Don Zimmerman, of Lemoyne, Pa., weren't happy.
"It's horrible," Zimmerman said, using a snowblower to clear the sidewalk along his block. "I thought winter was out of here. ... It's a real kick in the rear."
[WINTER STORM STELLA: Interactive map of recorded snowfall]
While most people heeded the warnings to stay off the roads, police said a 16-year-old girl was killed when she lost control of her car on a snowy road and crashed into a tree in Gilford, N.H.
In East Hartford, Conn., an elderly man died after being struck by a snow plow truck. And, in Longmeadow, Mass., a public works employee was killed after the snow plow he was driving was hit by an Amtrak plow train clearing tracks.
Read Thursday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.