Winter storm hits Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey
Winter storm knocks out power for thousands in Ohio, closes schools in two states, and forces residents to dig out from under yet another winter storm.
Morning commuters negotiate snow-covered stairs near a rail station in Philadelphia, Feb. 22, 2011. A winter storm dumped four to six inches on the city overnight, closing public and parochial schools. But bus and rail routes were operating without any serious problems.
Matt Rourke/AP
COLUMBUS, Ohio
Just what snow-weary Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey needed: another winter storm.
Thousands have no electricity in Ohio and schools are canceling or delaying classes in the wake of a storm that dumped heavy rain, ice and snow.
FirstEnergy Corp. reported Tuesday that more than 27,000 customers had no power across northern Ohio, with more than half the outages in the Toledo area. The power company has said some customers may not have service restored until Wednesday.
Monday's mix of rain, sleet and up to seven inches of snow across the region has taken a toll on power lines and made roads dicey. The Akron and Canton schools closed Tuesday, while scores of other districts chose to open later.
Airports in Columbus, Dayton and the Cincinnati area reported record rainfall for the date on Monday before a changeover to snow.
The overnight storm over Pennsylvania also left some schools closed for the day, and made the morning commute a slippery one.
Schools closed in Pittsburgh, which was clobbered by one storm Monday afternoon and another one overnight. Much of western Pennsylvania woke up Tuesday to six to eight inches of snow.
Central Pennsylvania received five to seven inches of snow and many schools were opening a few hours late so roads could be plowed first.
In southeastern Pennsylvania, the National Weather Service said four to six inches of snow fell overnight. Philadelphia public and parochial schools were closed Tuesday, but bus and rail routes were operating without any serious problems.
Philadelphia International Airport reported some flight delays but said there were only a few cancellations.
Southern New Jersey was digging out again after being socked early Tuesday.
Camden County's Blackwood received 5.5 inches of snow in the storm that hit New Jersey's Philadelphia suburbs hardest.
Several schools had delayed start times as the cleanup commenced.
There was little more than a dusting in Trenton.
The snow made early-morning driving on highways like Interstate 295 slow-going.
The snow had stopped falling most places before dawn.