CHICAGO -- A slow-moving winter storm blanketed a large swath of the Plains and Midwest in snow Sunday, forcing the cancellation of roughly 2,000 flights, making roads treacherous and forcing some people to rethink their plans to attend Super Bowl parties.
Blizzard conditions developed in Chicago -- where more than a foot had fallen by evening -- and other Midwest locales as the system slowly crept eastward into Pennsylvania and western New York state. Parts of New England still digging out from a storm early last week were readying for yet another round of snow to arrive Sunday and last through Monday.
The snowstorm was expected to be the most far-reaching of the season to date, stretching from Nebraska to Maine, according to the National Weather Service.
Forecasters also said the storm was moving unusually slowly, meaning accumulations of between 10 to 16 inches of snow are possible for parts of northern Illinois, Indiana and northwest Ohio.
Similar amounts of snow are expected for the Northeast later Sunday and throughout Monday.
"It's not wise to travel, unless you have an emergency," said David Beachler, a National Weather Service meteorologist in the Chicago area.
More than 1,950 flights were canceled in the Midwest, the vast majority of which were flights in or out of Chicago's two airports. Chicago's Department of Aviation said about 1,300 departing flights were canceled from O'Hare International Airport.
The weather led to power outages Sunday, including roughly 12,000 ComEd customers in Illinois, most of them in suburban Chicago. The weather cut power to nearly 8,000 northern Indiana homes and businesses.
Parts of New England -- still recovering from a blizzard early last week -- braced for Monday.
The weather service said that many parts of New England could get between 8 and 14 inches of snow and that parts of western Massachusetts and Connecticut could get as much as 16 inches. Boston schools were scheduled to be closed Monday.
Philadelphia International Airport officials said they were gearing up to deal with the winter storm expected overnight, including pre-treating runways with chemicals.
A winter storm warning for New York City started at 7 p.m. Sunday and was expected to remain in effect until Monday evening.
Source: Top Stories - Google News - http://ift.tt/1zuE2GI
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