Winter has made a loud, last stand a week shy of spring, sending an icy blast across the Midwest and Northeast.
A storm that began on the weekend in the Rockies and trudged east caused a deadly pileup on the Ohio Turnpike, dumped more than two feet of snow on Vermont and plunged temperatures in northeastern cities.
Morning commuters were greeted with face-numbing wind chills and slippery conditions.
“Boston will likely be the worst affected because the temperatures are dropping in the city and moisture on the road could lead to icy patches on the roads,” said Weather Channel forecaster Kevin Roth.
Heavy winds could also be a factor in Philadelphia, where the National Weather Service issued a Wind Advisory through 11 a.m. on Thursday.
Mighty gusts of up to 60 mph left the Capital Dome dark, delayed flights and left hundreds in Washington DC without power late Wednesday.
The pileup on the Ohio Turnpike on Wednesday involved at least 50 vehicles, leaving three people dead and a state trooper seriously injured.
The storm dumped 7 inches of snow on Detroit, leaving the city just 2.9 inches shy of its all-time winter record set in 1880-81. Upstate New York cities received more than a foot of snow.
Vermont appeared to get the worst of it: The town of Sharon reported 26 inches.
“Fortunately the storm is going to wind down quickly this morning and into the afternoon,” Roth said. “Maine will be the last one to lose it probably early this evening.”
