NEW YORK — A sprawling storm closed schools, snarled travel and threatened homeless people Wednesday, with snow and cold stretching from the Midwest to the East Coast and with heavy rain in the South.
Snow fell in New York City, and schools in several parts of the U.S. closed amid predictions for messy afternoon commutes. Philadelphia closed city offices as of 1 p.m. and put a “code blue” into effect, putting extra teams out to encourage homeless people to get into shelters.
New Jersey’s governor declared a state of emergency with up to 4 inches of snow expected before turning to rain Wednesday night. State and local government offices in Delaware closed early.
Nationwide, more than 2,200 flights were canceled and more than 4,700 delayed, according to the flight-tracking website FlightAware.