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Storm gone, but cold will stick around through weekend

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Storm gone, but cold will stick around through weekend
News

News

Storm gone, but cold will stick around through weekend

2018-01-06 11:50 Last Updated At:13:17

Frigid temperatures, some that felt as cold as minus 30 degrees, moved across the East Coast on Friday as the region dug out from a massive winter storm that brought more than a foot of snow, hurricane-force winds and coastal flooding a day earlier.

Forecasters predicted strong winds and record-breaking cold air to hang around through the weekend.

Jess Flarity, a 32-year-old visiting a friend in Concord, New Hampshire, said the deep chill reminded him of his time in Alaska.

Chris Green digs out his snow covered car in the South Boston neighborhood of Boston, Friday, Jan. 5, 2018. Frigid temperatures, some that could feel as cold as minus 30 degrees, moved across the East Coast on Friday as the region attempted to clean up from a massive winter storm. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Chris Green digs out his snow covered car in the South Boston neighborhood of Boston, Friday, Jan. 5, 2018. Frigid temperatures, some that could feel as cold as minus 30 degrees, moved across the East Coast on Friday as the region attempted to clean up from a massive winter storm. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

"I've been in minus 60 before so minus 20 doesn't frighten me," he said as he waited for a bus back to Boston Friday. "But I did have to prepare, bring some extra cold weather gear — gloves, boots and those kinds of things."

In Portland, Maine, Jeanne Paterak said the cold snap revived her worries about the impact of climate change. "We are seeing some historic temperatures and everyone will be vulnerable," she said as she stocked up on milk, vegetables and juice at a supermarket Friday morning.

The arctic blast could make temperatures feel as low as minus 15 degrees to minus 25 from Philadelphia to Boston and make residents of states like Maryland and Virginia shiver from temperatures ranging from 10 degrees to 15 degrees. The wind chill could make it feel like minus 35 degrees in the Berkshire hills of western Massachusetts, the National Weather Service said.

Thursday's storm packed wind gusts of more than 70 mph (113 kph) and dumped as much as 18 inches (46 centimeters) of snow in some places.

Mollie Lane carries a shovel-full of snow down the street to a pile while digging her car out in the South Boston neighborhood of Boston, Friday, Jan. 5, 2018. Frigid temperatures, some that could feel as cold as minus 30 degrees, moved across the East Coast on Friday as the region attempted to clean up from a massive winter storm. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Mollie Lane carries a shovel-full of snow down the street to a pile while digging her car out in the South Boston neighborhood of Boston, Friday, Jan. 5, 2018. Frigid temperatures, some that could feel as cold as minus 30 degrees, moved across the East Coast on Friday as the region attempted to clean up from a massive winter storm. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

It caused school and business closings, airline and rail service cancellations or reductions and thousands of utilities outages, many of them restored quickly. Some ferry services also had to be shut down.

Flights resumed at airports along the East Coast after hundreds were canceled Thursday.

Massachusetts officials said the storm caused more than 1 million gallons of untreated sewage to spill into Nantucket Harbor after a huge sewer main break. In Gloucester, north of Boston, an estimated 50 cars were destroyed in a school parking lot after a storm surge submerged the lot under a few feet of salt water.

In New Jersey, gusty winds carried flames from a vacant building across the street to two other buildings Friday morning. The flames also spread to two structures adjacent to the vacant building, damaging a total of five in Newark. Two firefighters suffered minor injuries.

In the South, the winter weather forced portable toilets to be put in place outside Mississippi's Capitol after pipes burst and it caused iguanas to become sluggish and topple from trees in South Florida. Residents of southeast Georgia were treated to a rare half foot of snow (15 centimeters).

Waves pound the shore at Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia, Canada, on Friday, Jan. 5, 2018. Work crews were fanning out across areas of Atlantic Canada today to restore power and begin cleaning up in the wake of a powerful storm that knocked out electricity to tens of thousands of residents. (Andrew Vaughan/The Canadian Press via AP)

Waves pound the shore at Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia, Canada, on Friday, Jan. 5, 2018. Work crews were fanning out across areas of Atlantic Canada today to restore power and begin cleaning up in the wake of a powerful storm that knocked out electricity to tens of thousands of residents. (Andrew Vaughan/The Canadian Press via AP)

In New England, powerful winds brought coastal flooding that reached historic levels in some communities.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration confirmed Friday that water levels in Boston broke the record set during a massive blizzard in 1978.

The flooding sent large trash containers floating down Boston streets, forced the shutdown of a subway station as water cascaded down the steps and prompted rescues of people trapped in cars and homes by rapidly rising waters in several Massachusetts communities.

In Scituate, south of Boston, residents were spending Friday trying to dry out their basements before more frigid temperatures arrived.

Longtime resident Dianne Davis said her home was completely surrounded by ocean water that eventually filled her basement.

"I've never been afraid, but when the water was coming up over my front steps, that's when I said ... 'OK this is getting serious.'" said Davis.

People walk between large piles of plowed snow outside Quincy Market, Friday, Jan. 5, 2018, in Boston, following Thursday's snowstorm. Forecasters say Friday will bring a blast of record-breaking cold air and bitter winds that could make it feel as low as minus 15 degrees throughout much of the Northeast this weekend. (AP Photo/Bill Sikes)

People walk between large piles of plowed snow outside Quincy Market, Friday, Jan. 5, 2018, in Boston, following Thursday's snowstorm. Forecasters say Friday will bring a blast of record-breaking cold air and bitter winds that could make it feel as low as minus 15 degrees throughout much of the Northeast this weekend. (AP Photo/Bill Sikes)

At least 10 people died in weather-related accidents, including a 13-year-old girl who was sickened by carbon monoxide in an apartment building in Perth Amboy, New Jersey.

In Massachusetts, a worker suffered cardiac arrest and died Friday while clearing snow at a Massachusetts Water Resources Authority facility. Two people died of cardiac arrest during the storm Thursday on New York's Long Island, officials said. And in Maine, authorities on Friday said they're still searching for a clammer who disappeared during the blizzard.

Sunday morning was expected to bring the coldest temperatures from Portland, Maine, to Washington, D.C. More seasonable weather is expected to return early next week with temperatures in the high 30s and near 40s.

The tip of Michigan's mitten struggled through another day without electricity Tuesday as restless residents tried to stay warm while utilities scrambled to restore power in a region waylaid by weekend freezing rain that brought down countless trees and poles.

Schools in several counties were closed again at the top of the Lower Peninsula. Sheriff's deputies armed with chain saws cleared roads and were even delivering oxygen for the homebound. Drivers idled their vehicles in gas station lines that were blocks long.

Northern Michigan lives with crazy weather — Gaylord got 199 inches (5 meters) of snow this winter — but this wave is much different.

“It's an ice situation. The trees and power lines are loaded, literally,” Charlevoix County Sheriff Chuck Vondra said. "Everything is caving in."

More than 170,000 power outages were reported statewide Tuesday night in Michigan, according to poweroutage.us, down from 300,000-plus earlier in the week. But in some areas, entire communities have been without electricity since Saturday.

The Cheboygan County sheriff said residents should consider leaving town if they have another place to stay. Running on generators, Petoskey City Hall and part of Odawa Casino were turned into 24-hour havens for people to warm up and charge phones. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said she was sending the Michigan National Guard to help with restoration efforts.

“The challenge is the debris, impassable roads, and hundreds of downed poles. Each pole takes hours to replace,” said Presque Isle Electric & Gas Co-op, one of many utilities in the region

Petra Tank, 32, of Petoskey said she finally decided to drive 25 miles (40 kilometers) to a friend's home for warmth and a shower Monday.

“I realized, ‘Oh, this is a big deal. We’re not going to be back at work this week,’” said Tank, who has a tailor shop.

“We've been sitting ducks for three days without power, and the morale is officially starting to lower because our homes are only getting colder. … It's just kind of free-for-all,” she told The Associated Press.

The Alpena News in Alpena couldn't publish a newspaper Monday or Tuesday, but it planned to finally have a print edition Wednesday. Managing Editor Torianna Marasco said she posted stories online by traveling outside the area for internet access.

The Mackinac Bridge, a 5-mile (8-kilometer) span connecting Michigan’s two peninsulas, has been closed at times because of thick ice falling from towers and cables.

A relief agency, Convoy of Hope, was loading trucks with food and water for a trip to northern Michigan, said Mike Way, pastor of Center Point Assembly church in Charlevoix.

“Everybody right now is on pins and needles. It's my understanding that more snow and ice are coming," Way said. ”We're not out of the woods yet."

The staff at Tom's Family Market in Onaway used flashlights to help desperate customers find food in a pinch.

“Don’t tell the governor," owner Bryan Madison told The Detroit News, "but we ain’t collecting tax.”

Associated Press writer Tammy Webber contributed to this report.

Piper Kuzel, 5, watches her father, Jesse Kuzel of Charlevoix, Mich., fill gas containers at the Ellsworth Farmers Exchange Tuesday, April 1, 2025, in Ellsworth, Mich., as his family has been using heat from their home's natural gas stove to keep warm with power outages widespread following the ice storm. (Jan-Michael Stump/Traverse City Record-Eagle via AP)

Piper Kuzel, 5, watches her father, Jesse Kuzel of Charlevoix, Mich., fill gas containers at the Ellsworth Farmers Exchange Tuesday, April 1, 2025, in Ellsworth, Mich., as his family has been using heat from their home's natural gas stove to keep warm with power outages widespread following the ice storm. (Jan-Michael Stump/Traverse City Record-Eagle via AP)

Sgt. Mitch Wallin of the Emmet County Sheriff's Department walks past ice-coated trees as he and Sgt. Tyler Midyett, not pictured, clear branches from along Eppler Road in Petoskey, Mich, Tuesday, April 1, 2025, as cleanup from the weekend's ice storm continues. (Jan-Michael Stump/Traverse City Record-Eagle via AP)

Sgt. Mitch Wallin of the Emmet County Sheriff's Department walks past ice-coated trees as he and Sgt. Tyler Midyett, not pictured, clear branches from along Eppler Road in Petoskey, Mich, Tuesday, April 1, 2025, as cleanup from the weekend's ice storm continues. (Jan-Michael Stump/Traverse City Record-Eagle via AP)

A crew from 5H Irrigation and Maintenance clears downed limbs from yards in Petoskey, Mich., Tuesday, April 1, 2025, as clean up from the weekend's ice storms continues across northern lower Michigan. (Jan-Michael Stump/Traverse City Record-Eagle via AP)

A crew from 5H Irrigation and Maintenance clears downed limbs from yards in Petoskey, Mich., Tuesday, April 1, 2025, as clean up from the weekend's ice storms continues across northern lower Michigan. (Jan-Michael Stump/Traverse City Record-Eagle via AP)

An Antrim County Road Commission crew clears branches and trees hanging near Atwood Road from ice build up Tuesday, April 1, 2025, near Ellsworth, Mich., following weekend storms that deposited as much as one inch of ice over areas of northern lower Michigan. (Jan-Michael Stump/Traverse City Record-Eagle via AP)

An Antrim County Road Commission crew clears branches and trees hanging near Atwood Road from ice build up Tuesday, April 1, 2025, near Ellsworth, Mich., following weekend storms that deposited as much as one inch of ice over areas of northern lower Michigan. (Jan-Michael Stump/Traverse City Record-Eagle via AP)

Sgt. Tyler Midyett of the Emmet County Sheriff's Department works along with Sgt. Mitch Wallin, not pictured, to clear fallen trees from along Eppler Road in Petoskey, Mich., Tuesday, April 1, 2025, as cleanup from the weekend's ice storm continues. (Jan-Michael Stump/Traverse City Record-Eagle via AP)

Sgt. Tyler Midyett of the Emmet County Sheriff's Department works along with Sgt. Mitch Wallin, not pictured, to clear fallen trees from along Eppler Road in Petoskey, Mich., Tuesday, April 1, 2025, as cleanup from the weekend's ice storm continues. (Jan-Michael Stump/Traverse City Record-Eagle via AP)

Debris and ice-covered trees cover Curtisville Road that turns into Ausable Valley River Road in Oscoda County, Mich. on Tuesday, April 1, 2025. (Kaytie Boomer /The Bay City Times via AP)

Debris and ice-covered trees cover Curtisville Road that turns into Ausable Valley River Road in Oscoda County, Mich. on Tuesday, April 1, 2025. (Kaytie Boomer /The Bay City Times via AP)

This aerial view shows ice-covered trees off of Eggleston Road and Curtisville Road in Oscoda County, Mich. on Tuesday, April 1, 2025. (Kaytie Boomer /The Bay City Times via AP)

This aerial view shows ice-covered trees off of Eggleston Road and Curtisville Road in Oscoda County, Mich. on Tuesday, April 1, 2025. (Kaytie Boomer /The Bay City Times via AP)

This aerial view shows ice-covered trees off of Eggleston Road and Curtisville Road in Oscoda County, Mich. on Tuesday, April 1, 2025. (Kaytie Boomer /The Bay City Times via AP)

This aerial view shows ice-covered trees off of Eggleston Road and Curtisville Road in Oscoda County, Mich. on Tuesday, April 1, 2025. (Kaytie Boomer /The Bay City Times via AP)

Debris and ice-covered trees cover Curtisville Road that turns into Ausable Valley River Road in Oscoda County, Mich. on Tuesday, April 1, 2025. (Kaytie Boomer /The Bay City Times via AP)

Debris and ice-covered trees cover Curtisville Road that turns into Ausable Valley River Road in Oscoda County, Mich. on Tuesday, April 1, 2025. (Kaytie Boomer /The Bay City Times via AP)

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