Two boys sled in the snow in front of the Capitol in Washington

January 20, 2000
Web posted at: 10:28 p.m. EST (0328 GMT)

In this story: More flight cancellations possible Some federal workers get day off RELATED STORIES, SITES

TAUNTON, Massachusetts -- The freezing temperatures and vicious wind gusts delivered to New England by the Northeast's first major snowstorm of the season are expected to last through the weekend.

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Near blizzard conditions were expected Thursday night from Cape Cod to Nantucket, Massachusetts, stretching as far south as Providence, Rhode Island, and as far north as Nova Scotia.

Heavy snow, wind chills of minus 40 degrees and wind gusts up to 40 mph were likely in the storm's wake.

In Taunton, Massachusetts, about 35 miles south of Boston, National Weather Service meteorologist Tom Fair said only a few inches of snow had fallen by Thursday evening, but the real concern was continued cold temperatures and cold winds.

Boston was forecast to have bitterly cold temperatures Thursday night, with a low near zero, and a wind chill of 40 below.

Highs on Friday were expected to reach 10 degrees, with a wind chill of at least 35 below. Wind gusts around the Boston area were expected to reach up to 40 miles an hour.

Flooding along the Massachusetts coastline also was a concern, and a coastal flood watch was in effect for Friday morning.

Airline passengers throughout the region had to cope with delays and cancellations. At Logan International Airport in Boston, U.S. Airways canceled half its remaining flights after 3 p.m. The airline also warned that some of its Friday flights could be affected.

In New York, snow was tapering off, but gusty winds remained. Wind chill was forecast to reach 10 to 20 degrees below zero in the metro area.

On Long Island, a wildcat sick-out by state Department of Transportation workers left local authorities struggling to keep streets clear.

A Dayton, Ohio, resident blows snow out of her driveway

At least 300 of a scheduled 440 drivers, snowplow operators, warehouse workers and mechanics called in sick, and only 40 to 50 of the usual snowplows were on the road.

The storm dropped out of the upper Midwest, crossed over the Appalachians and then blew up the East Coast.

Snowfalls ranged from 9 inches in Minnesota on Wednesday to almost 6 inches in Roanoke, Virginia; Baltimore and Beech Mountain, North Carolina, by Thursday afternoon.

Strong northwesterly winds behind the system brought gusts to the Great Lakes, Ohio Valley and Appalachians. A wind gust of 53 mph was recorded in Galax, Virginia, and Rochester, New York, had a wind chill of 57 below zero. The strong winds also brought lake effect snows to Michigan, northern Indiana and Ohio.

Gus, the polar bear, relaxes in the snow at New York's Central Park Wildlife Center

Philadelphia received a few inches of snow Thursday morning, just enough to cause fender-benders.

"The only complaint I have is that people don't know how to drive in it," said Lisa DeCicco of Philadelphia. "It took me two hours to get to work today, and that's really aggravating when there's almost nothing on the ground."

Because of falling snow in the nation's capital, the U.S. government said nonessential federal workers in the Washington area could take Thursday as a paid vacation day instead of trying to make it to the office.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

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