People struggle to walk in the blowing snow during a winter storm Tuesday, March 14, 2017, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)
The Associated Press
MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) - The Northeast was in dig-out mode Wednesday, a day after a treacherous storm packing strong winds and accompanying plummeting temperatures left some residents dealing with rock-hard ice and others with more than 2 feet of snow. The upshot: a late-season boost to the region's ski areas.
The powerful nor'easter that paralyzed much of the Washington-to-Boston corridor Tuesday fell short of the predicted snowfall in many areas, but the 29.7 inches of snow that fell by Wednesday afternoon at the Burlington International Airport in Vermont was the third-most on record and about 4 inches shy of the high established in January 2010.
"Yesterday it was too tough to drive out here, but today it was perfect," said Lindsey Poirier, who was skiing at the Pats Peak ski area Wednesday in Henniker, New Hampshire. "The conditions are really good. The powder is awesome."
Many schools in New England remain closed or had delayed openings Wednesday, giving crews time to dig out from the storm, which followed a stretch of unusually mild winter weather.
In Albany, New York, streets were largely cleared Wednesday morning of the almost 2 feet of snow that fell a day earlier. But many cars were still buried under thick blankets of snow.
Marisa Burgos spun her wheels in her snowy driveway in an attempt to go out and buy some gas for her snowblower.
"I was ready for spring. I really was," Burgos said. "I want to enjoy the weather, but it's just so hard to do that with all this snow."
In Portland, Maine, most roads and sidewalks were cleared Wednesday, but firefighters were just getting to work digging out 1,500 hydrants. Fire Lt. Paul Marshall and two other firefighters were responsible for digging out 120 to 180 hydrants that were buried by snowplows.
"I'll be a sweaty mess, but everyone's in it together. Everyone's in the same boat. So it builds a weird camaraderie," Marshall said. "Everyone is miserable together. And we finish it together. And it's a huge relief when it's done."
Most people heeded warnings to stay off the roads, preventing the multicar pileups typically seen after a bad storm, but there were still deaths. A 16-year-old girl was killed when she lost control of her car on a snowy road and crashed into a tree in Gilford, New Hampshire, police said. In East Hartford, Connecticut, an elderly man died after being struck by a snowplow truck. And, in Longmeadow, Massachusetts, a public works employee was killed after the snowplow he was driving was hit by an Amtrak plow train clearing tracks.
The largest snowfall reported in Vermont was 34 inches in the town of Jay, about 50 miles northeast of Burlington, along the Canadian border.
National Weather Service Meteorologist Eric Evenson said that as of midnight Tuesday, the Burlington airport had received 60.6 inches of snow, still 8.8 inches below normal for the season but well ahead of the same point last year when only 29.9 inches had fallen.
At the Mad River Glen ski area, in Waitsfield, Vermont, which has limited snowmaking, much of the resort has been closed over the last two weeks because of a lack of snow. The resort had been considering closing for the season after this weekend, but that was before Tuesday's storm hit, spokesman Eric Friedman said Wednesday.
"What's really remarkable is we went in 24 hours from bare ground to pushing 30 inches of snow," Friedman said. "We went from crap to really epic."
Portland, Maine, firefighters Andrew Johnston, left, Lt. Don Brown, center, and David Young dig out one of the city's 1,500 fire hydrants, Wednesday, March 15, in Portland, Maine. A powerful nor'easter buffeted much of the Northeast with blizzard conditions on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
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Two men play golf with a tennis ball as a snowstorm sweeps through Times Square, Tuesday, March 14, 2017, in New York. A powerful nor'easter hit the Northeast on Tuesday after a largely uneventful winter, grounding thousands of flights and leading to school and work closures along the coast. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)
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Skiers line up for the Vortex Powder Express chairlift at Pats Peak ski area in Henniker, New Hampshire on Wednesday, March 15, 2017. After a warm February, resorts across the region were picked up more than a foot of fresh powder in Tuesday's storm. (AP Photo/Holly Ramer)
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A gust of wind blows snow back at Roger Lane, a custodian at Yonkers Public School 17, as he clears a sidewalk in front of the school with a snow blower during a snow storm, Tuesday, March 14, 2017, in New York. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has declared a state of emergency Tuesday for all of New York's 62 counties, including New York City's five boroughs. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)
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Cherie Burke contends with blowing snow during a blustery storm, Tuesday, March 14, 2017, in Portland, Maine. A late-season storm is hitting the Northeast, closing schools and prompting dire warnings to stay off the roads. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
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A horse and buggy drive through a winter snow storm, Tuesday, March 14, 2017, in Gap, Pa. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
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A man salts a sidewalk during a snowstorm, Tuesday, March 14, 2017, in Jersey City, N.J. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
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Yvonne Mouskourie, of Tom's River, N.J., makes herself comfortable after her morning flight to Florida was canceled at Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, N.J., Tuesday, March 14, 2017. A storm pounded the Northeast with more than a foot of snow in places Tuesday, paralyzing much of the Washington-to-Boston corridor after a remarkably mild February had lulled people into thinking the worst of winter was over. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
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Snow plows work to keep the grounds clear at Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, N.J., Tuesday, March 14, 2017. A storm pounded the Northeast with more than a foot of snow in places Tuesday, paralyzing much of the Washington-to-Boston corridor after a remarkably mild February had lulled people into thinking the worst of winter was over. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
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In this photo provided by the Chicago Zoological Society, Nan, a 21-year-old polar bear enjoys the first measurable snowfall in months at the Brookfield Zoo in Brookfield, Ill., Tuesday, March 14, 2017. The National Weather Service issued a lake-effect snow warning for Chicago that expires Tuesday afternoon. (Jim Schulz/Chicago Zoological Society via AP)
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A person stands in the wind-driven snow during a winter storm Tuesday, March 14, 2017, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)
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A pedestrian crosses East Broadway during a snowstorm, Tuesday, March 14, 2017, in the Chinatown neighborhood of New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
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A woman digs her car out the morning after a powerful nor'easter buffeted much of the Northeast with blizzard conditions, Wednesday, March 15, 2017 in Portland, Maine. Falling temperatures are leading to icy conditions on roads and sidewalks across the Northeast following a late-season storm that plastered the region with sleet and snow.(AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
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Pond hockey players attempt to shovel snow faster than it can fall during a storm, Tuesday, March 14, 2017, in Yarmouth, Maine. About one foot of snow is expected in the area. A blustery late-season storm is hitting the Northeast, closing schools and prompting dire warnings to stay off the roads. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
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A skier navigates a trail in sunny, windy weather on Wednesday, March 15, 2017, at Pats Peak ski area in Henniker, N.H. A storm Tuesday dumped more than a foot of snow across the region, aiding ski areas that had been making snow since a stretch of warm days in February. (AP Photo/Holly Ramer)
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