NEW YORK — Residents coped with treacherous roads and sidewalks as another storm bore down on the East Coast today, wreaking more havoc amid a winter that is on track to be the worst in years.
Schools and daycare centers around the region were closed or had delayed starts or early dismissals, including in parts of Tennessee, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C., and New Jersey.
Videos
Additional Photos
Weather-weary commuters said they were already sick of winter.
“Getting off the El was terrible, I fell three times trying to get off the steps,” said Elliott Self of Philadelphia, who was taking the subway to work and slipped on the sidewalk. “I just want the snow to stop. I want the sun again, I want to feel just a little bit of warmth.”
Philadelphia was to declare a snow emergency at 7 p.m. EST, while New York City had already declared a weather emergency for Thursday.
Many parts of the East have gotten more snow about a month into winter than they usually get all season. Hartford, which could get as much as a foot more from the latest storm, has already gotten 55 inches, compared with a 46-inch winter average. New York has gotten more than 36 inches of snow and Boston has had 50.
Some parents and teachers in Tennessee were concerned about yet another day off of school today, and how it would affect students’ performances on upcoming standardized tests.
Angela Wilburn, who teaches eighth grade at McMurray Middle School in Nashville, said students had missed eight days so far this year, pushing back her teaching schedule and making it hard to keep kids focused.
Her big concern was a February writing assessment.
“The writing assessment counts toward No Child Left Behind,” she said. “It affects the whole school.”
Kentucky had half a foot of snow by this morning as the snow moved across the central part of the state and headed east.
New Jersey and the Philadelphia area could get 4 to 8 inches, and high winds are expected before the storm moves out early Thursday.
The stormy weather was causing some airport delays and cancellations Wednesday. In Philadelphia, about 40 departing flights were canceled and some arriving flights were being delayed, some for up to nearly three hours. In the New York metropolitan area, there were delays at Newark Liberty International Airport and at LaGuardia Airport.
The National Weather Service said significant snowfall was forecast for the city and surrounding communities. Accumulations of up to 10 inches were forecast for the city, Rockland and Westchester counties and Long Island.
A weather emergency had not been declared for the Dec. 26 blizzard that eventually trapped hundreds of buses and ambulances on city streets, blocking the paths of plows. The declaration for Thursday was the second time a weather emergency was called since then. The declaration does not have the legal heft of a snow emergency, which keeps private vehicles without snow tires or chains from driving on designated snow routes.
Motorists in New Jersey also faced slick conditions as light snow fell over most of the state. Heavy snow was expected over most of the state tonight.
The intensity of the storm caught some by surprise.
In downtown Philadelphia, Andre Floyd, a carpenter for more than a decade with the Delaware River Waterfront Corporation, arrived to work at his usual time, 7 a.m., but already felt behind on his duties of clearing snow along the waterfront. When snow is expected, he said, his crew comes in at 6 to clear it.
“We got surprised,” he said. “It was supposed to rain this morning.”
But he’s not complaining.
“It’s a blessing, I got a job. I could be looking at this weather and thinking ‘I don’t want to go to work,’ but I look at it like it’s a job, I have a job.”
Meteorologists say the storm could leave some significant snow in Maryland and the District of Columbia after several close calls. On Washington streets, conditions were mostly slushy or wet. But forecasts for later in day range from 1 to 10 inches of snow.
The storm will likely bring heavy snow to much of southern New England late today and early Thursday morning.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.