Late winter snowstorm blankets South, Northeast

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- A late winter storm blanketed the Northeast on Thursday after zipping across much of the South, leaving hundreds of drivers and their passengers stranded on highways in Kentucky and thousands without power in West Virginia. By Thursday afternoon, a strong cold front moving across the eastern U.S. had dumped more than 20 inches of snow on parts of Kentucky, and conditions worsened in the Northeast as snow started to pile up, reaching 11.5 inches and counting in the northern Maryland community of Lineboro.

The massive snow in Kentucky left hundreds of people stranded on two major highways and National Guard members delivering them food or driving them to warming centers.

In New York, a flight from Atlanta carrying 125 people skidded off the runway at LaGuardia Airport while landing and crashed through a fence. Passengers carrying bags and bundled in heavy coats and scarves slid down an inflated chute to safety on the snowy pavement. No serious injuries were reported.

Schools, government offices and legislatures in the South and Northeast were shut down for what could be one of the last snow days at the end of a winter that's been brutal for much of the country.

The National Weather Service had winter storm warnings in effect from Texas to Nantucket, Massachusetts, and the forecast called for record cold temperatures in the same area on Friday.

Here's a look at what's happening:

STUCK ON THE ROAD

Authorities say that hundreds of drivers were stuck on two major highways in Kentucky, where snow totals topped 2 feet in some places. Many had to spend the night in their vehicles.

The National Guard was sent out to check on the people who were stuck, deliver them food and water and, in some cases, take them to warming centers.

Officials said more than 400 vehicles were stuck along Interstate 24 between the western Kentucky towns of Cadiz and Eddyville. Gov. Steve Beshear said that 200 were still stuck by midday Thursday. There was an even larger pileup involving some 200 tractor-trailers on Interstate 65 near Elizabethtown in central Kentucky.

In western Maryland, a tractor-trailer carrying 93 heads of cattle overturned Thursday on Interstate 81, which was already snarled by other accidents in the Hagerstown area. SLIPPERY RUNWAY

A plane from Atlanta skidded off a runway at New York's LaGuardia Airport while landing Thursday, crashing through a chain-link fence and coming to rest with its nose perilously close to the edge of an icy bay.

The Delta flight veered off the runway at around 11:10 a.m., authorities said. Emergency responders were still assessing people, but any injuries appeared to be minor, the Fire Department of New York said.

The plane came to rest in several inches of snow.

Passengers trudged through the snow in an orderly line after climbing off the plane. Both the airport's runways are closed until further notice, which is standard procedure after such incidents.

Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines said the passengers were bused to a terminal. It said the airline will work with authorities to figure out what caused the crash.

The weather also meant cancellations of about 4,400 flights to, from, or within the U.S. on Thursday, according to FlightAware.

COLD HANGING AROUND?

Ryan Maue, a meteorologist at Weather Bell Analytics, said cities including Waco, Texas;

Chicago; Memphis, Tennessee; and Cleveland should expect record cold Friday morning. In some cases, the old records could be obliterated.

In Memphis, for example, the coldest temperature on record for March 6 is 20 degrees. The forecast is calling for a low of 11. And at northern Virginia's Dulles Airport, a forecast low of 7 would shatter the record of 15.

"This is amazing for early March," he said of the forecast Thursday-Friday, one-two punch of snow and cold.

For those awaiting spring, there's a hint of good news: Unlike the persistent deep-freeze experienced by much of the country in February, this one shouldn't hang around as long. IS HIGHER FARE FAIR?

With the nation's capital under a snow emergency, cab rides are more expensive.

The D.C. Taxicab Commission said snow emergency status is in effect from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday. That means cabs could add a $15 surcharge to the metered fare. It's meant to entice drivers to keep working.

Washington came to a halt in other ways, too: Most of its food trucks turned off their grills for the day. But people in the city did have a few places to go as the Smithsonian's Air and Space Museum and National Museum of American History stayed open.

POWER KNOCKED OUT

The storm knocked out power to 85,000 homes and businesses in West Virginia on Thursday. The northern and western parts of the state were hardest hit. Officials warned that restoring power could be difficult because of road closures from high water in many spots after heavy rains on Wednesday.

FALLING SHORT OF THE RECORD?

Bostonians might not get the snow they need to break a record.

This winter, the city has received 105.5 inches of snow - more than 8 1/2 feet, the National Weather Service said. The record is 107.6 inches recorded during the 1995-96 season. Records date to 1872.

But the current storm might not drop enough snow to reach the record, as little more than a dusting was expected in Boston.

第二篇：时事新闻摘抄：'It's ridiculous'： record snowfall blankets New England

'It's ridiculous': record snowfall blankets New England

BOSTON (AP) - More than 2 feet of fresh snow piled up in parts of New England on Monday, breaking records set during the Blizzard of 1978 and testing the patience of officials and commuters as forecasters warned of more winter misery later in the week.

The latest onslaught forced the cancellations of hundreds of flights, tested transit systems and tempers and collapsed roofs straining beneath the weight of 5 feet or more of snow in less than two weeks.

"It's awful. I'm done with it. It's ridiculous," said Priscilla Medina, a sandwich shop worker in Westborough, Massachusetts, suffering from a nasty case of snow fatigue. Here's the latest on the winter that just won't quit:

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ONE FOR THE RECORD BOOKS

Boston and areas south were hardest hit, with the National Weather Service reporting unofficial measurements of 26.5 inches in Weymouth, 26 inches in Sharon and 24.9 inches in Norwell. Forecasters expected more than 20 inches on the ground in Boston before the storm winds down early Tuesday.

"You can't change it. The snow is there," said Helen Ferullo, a social worker in Weymouth. "You can't do anything about it."

Much of Connecticut and parts of upstate New York braced for 6 to 12 inches, and southern Maine was in for about 8 by the time the storm tapers off Tuesday. ___

TRANSIT TROUBLE

Boston-area subways, trolleys and commuter rail trains ground to a halt at 7 p.m. Monday and were scheduled to remain idle on Tuesday, with only limited bus service continuing. The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority said it needed the break to clear snow and ice from tracks and to assess equipment damaged by the storms. Boston's transit system, the nation's oldest, has been particularly hard hit this winter. The buildup of snow and ice on trolley tracks combined with aging equipment has stalled trains, delaying and angering commuters. Fifty commuters were rescued Monday from a train that became disabled between stations in Quincy, south of Boston.

A frustrated Baker called that "unacceptable," and commuters complained bitterly of the daily delays.

Amtrak canceled portions of its passenger train service linking upstate New York to New York City because of the storm. Hundreds of flights were canceled at Boston's Logan International Airport, Connecticut's Bradley International Airport and Maine's Portland International Jetport and Bangor International Airport.

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90 FOOTBALL STADIUMS FULL

In Massachusetts alone since last month's blizzard struck, state workers have removed enough snow to fill Gillette Stadium 90 times over, Gov. Charlie Baker told reporters, calling the situation "pretty much unprecedented."

Boston set a record for the most snow recorded in a 30-day period, with 61.6 inches by Monday morning, breaking the record of 58.8 inches set in February 1978.

Bangor, Maine, tied its own 30-day snowfall record with 53 inches, which hasn't been seen in such a short period since 1969, the weather service said.

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SNOW PLOW DEATH

A man who had just finished work at a supermarket bakery in Medford,

Massachusetts, was struck in a parking lot by a private snow plowing truck and died after being taken to a hospital, authorities said.

Police interviewed the driver of the snow plow, but no charges were immediately filed in the death of 60-year-old Cesar Moya.

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ROOF COLLAPSES

Massachusetts emergency management officials confirmed that snow-laden roofs collapsed Monday in Quincy, Rockland and Bridgewater. No injuries were reported. Police said a former set of "The Finest Hours," a Disney film about a Coast Guard rescue of crewmen aboard an oil tanker wrecked off Cape Cod during a 1952 blizzard, suffered a partial collapse at an old shipyard in Quincy. The movie, starring Chris Pine and Casey Affleck, is scheduled to open next year.

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MORE SNOW, LESS DOUGH

Forecasters said more snow was expected Thursday and again next weekend, and the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency warned that potentially record-low temperatures and wind chills are expected later in the week.

The steady run of winter blasts has already sucked up more than 70 percent of New Hampshire's Department of Transportation winter maintenance budget. Rhode Island, too, said Monday's storm will use up what's left of its $14 million budget for snow removal and nearly the entire salt stockpile.

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OCEAN DUMPING APPROVED

Massachusetts environmental officials gave cities and towns the green light to dump accumulating snow into open water if necessary.

The Department of Environmental Protection on Monday cited the challenges involved in getting rid of the historic snowfalls. Local communities may seek

permission to take emergency steps that allow disposal of snow in the ocean or other bodies of water, which is normally prohibited.

Officials also were using giant melters to liquefy snow.

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TRIALS DELAYED

Two high-profile Massachusetts trials have been further delayed by the snow. State court officials said testimony in the murder trial of former New England Patriots star Aaron Hernandez would not resume until Wednesday. Jury selection for the federal trial of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who is accused in the April 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, also was called off on Tuesday.

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OVERHEARD ON THE STREETS

"They were pretty much walking around like zombies. They've been working for 20 hours straight." - Carrie Sullivan, describing plow drivers eating at her Weymouth diner.

"I'm really getting sick of the snow. It's relentless." - Matt Beauregard, owner of the Capital Deli in Concord, New Hampshire.

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