TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Winter Snowstorm Blankets East Coast

ADVERTISEMENT

The Associated Press

Published: December 4, 2007

STOWE, Vt. - A winter storm that wreaked havoc on the Upper Midwest began its snowy assault on the East on Monday, spelling trouble for travelers but elation for ski resorts that suffered through an abysmal winter last year.

Drivers in much of the region had to navigate a mix of rain, sleet and snow as the storm, which was blamed for at least 17 deaths, lumbered eastward, blanketing northern New England overnight and threatening to dump as much as 20 inches in places.

"It's not snow. It's white gold," said Christopher Francis, innkeeper at Ye Olde England Inne, a 30-room inn in the shadow of Stowe Mountain Resort.

At the same time, a new storm system began lashing the West Coast and was expected to give the Midwest a second blast of snow starting today.

In Vermont, 7 inches of snow welcomed skiers and snowboarders Monday morning. School was canceled or classes delayed from New York to Maine as highways turned slippery and wind gusted to 40 mph. Ice storm warnings were issued for Massachusetts and Connecticut, and winter storm warnings were in effect in Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine and northern and western New York.

In western New York state, an 18-year-old woman was killed Sunday when her car slid into the path of another vehicle on a rural road in Cattaraugus County. In Saco, Maine, a motorist died after his vehicle veered off the road and landed upside down in an icy pond.

On the opposite side of the country, hundreds of residents found themselves in the dark Monday as hurricane-force winds and heavy rain battered the Northwest for a second day, blocking roads with trees, power lines, high water and mud. At least two people died.

The governors of Washington and Oregon declared states of emergency, which will allow for easier aid to stricken communities.

Helicopter rescues were being launched for stranded hikers and some homeowners trapped by flooding, state emergency management officials said. An estimated 30 to 40 people evacuated a flooded mobile home park near Astoria in northwestern Oregon, said Peter Williamson of the Red Cross.

Mudslides halted north-south Amtrak passenger train service between Eugene, Ore., and Vancouver, British Columbia.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT