Nor'easter storm pounds Northeast; NYC hit with most snow in 2 years: Updates

NEW YORK – A potent Nor'easter storm swiftly moved across the mid-Atlantic and New England on Tuesday, bringing heavy snow, disrupting travel, and shuttering schools in some areas.

The storm dropped varying amounts of snow from Virginia to Massachusetts, ranging from a few flurries in some places to a whopping 15.5 inches in Farmington, Connecticut, according to the National Weather Service. By 8 a.m., parts of Pennsylvania reported double-digit snow totals.

The sun came out across the region by late afternoon, melting much of the snow in places like Maryland, Southeastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Temperatures climbed to near 50 degrees in Baltimore and up to 38 degrees in New York City.

Boston, the city expected to receive the worst conditions, received about 3.4 inches, according to AccuWeather, with accumulation mostly on unpaved surfaces.

Snowfall totals varied widely in New York City: Coney Island received nearly 7 inches, while Central Park saw about 3.3 inches of snow. Zachary Iscol, commissioner of New York City Emergency Management, said it marked the most snow the city has seen in two years.

The rapid snowfall caused mass flight cancellations at LaGuardia Airport and delayed subway trains, frustrating commuters and tourists alike. More than 1,000 flights were canceled Tuesday morning.

Developments:

∎ Authorities in Newberry Township, Pennsylvania, said a man operating a snowmobile was killed when he hit a downed utility line Tuesday morning. At the time of the crash, police said in a statement that the area was "experiencing a multitude of weather-related conditions due to a winter storm which caused downed trees, downed power lines and hazardous travel conditions throughout the area."

∎ For the first time in two years, snow plows were deployed in New York City, the Department of Sanitation said on X.

∎ More than 135,000 utility customers across Pennsylvania were without power Tuesday morning, according to a database maintained by USA TODAY.

∎ All state offices in New Jersey were closed, according to an announcement from the office of Gov. Phil Murphy.

Glitch to blame for issues with NYC's virtual school system, mayor says

New York Public Schools, which moved classes online for its 1.1 million students, reported widespread logon issues on Tuesday morning. It was the first test of the remote system since the largest public school district in the nation adopted a no snow day policy in which students connect to lessons remotely instead of having the day off

At a news conference Tuesday, Mayor Eric Adams said it was a glitch with the volume of logons, adding that IBM wasn't prepared even though the city notified the company.

"They should have been prepared and their lack of preparation falls on the mayor of the city of New York," Adams said.

"IBM has been working closely with New York City schools to address this situation as quickly as possible. The issues have been largely resolved, and we regret the inconvenience to students and parents across the city,” the company said in a statement to USA TODAY.

By noon, there were 977,000 students logged into the city's remote learning program, said David C. Banks, New York City schools chancellor, calling it a "test" the city did not pass.

Throughout the morning, posts from parents and at least one city official criticized the decision to move classes online, instead of canceling them altogether amid the logon fiasco.

Rita Joseph, the education committee chair of the New York City Council, said she was unable to log her son into the online system.

"As an educator who taught during the pandemic in @NYCSchools we are seeing the same thing happen all over again. The lack of preparedness when it comes to technology for our NYC students, educators and staff," she wrote on X.

Weather impacts special election to replace George Santos

The storm battered New York on the same day voters were set to participate in the high-stakes special election to replace George Santos, the former New York congressman who was expelled from the U.S. House in December.

The campaigns of Democrat Tom Suozzi and Republican Mazi Pilip, the candidates vying for the seat, which includes parts of Queens and Long Island, offered free rides to take voters to the polls.

"There's too much at stake in this election to stay home," Pilip posted on X.

Democrats are hoping to flip back the once-blue district, while both parties are using Tuesday's election to test the waters ahead of other 2024 races.

The House expelled the former New York lawmaker in December after a scathing House Ethics Committee report found evidence he lied about his background and misused campaign funds for his own personal benefit. He has been indicted on multiple charges, including allegations he stole money from donors. Santos has pleaded not guilty.

NYC tourists brave the storm; local keeps sloshy sidewalk safe

In Times Square, tourists braved pelts of snowflakes to snap selfies beneath the bright lights of the intersection's many screens and displays. Others looked from inside McDonald’s, Sephora or Forever 21, or they just huddled under awnings.

Scores of workers brushed snow, followed by others who tossed salt pellets on sidewalks to keep the ground clear. A yellow taxi driver complained from the slit of his window that business was very bad as he waited for customers to show up.

Nathan and Emma Tate, 28 and 27, visited New York last summer from their native Dumfries, Scotland, albeit under much warmer circumstances. One of their first stops on Tuesday was Times Square, before a stroll through Central Park, and then a Brooklyn Nets game in the evening where they will face off against the Boston Celtics.

But, first was getting past the snow, said Nathan Tate, who sported a Celtics Football Club winter jacket, his favorite soccer team. It was very icy, he added, so the couple were stepping carefully.

“It’s making New York look even more beautiful," he told USA TODAY.

Taking shelter under a “Broadway Up Close” tour booth, Henrik Wold and Natalie Mangerud, two 20-year-old fishers from Norway, planned out their 15-hour layover after a nap inside the McDonald’s. They had just been traveling in Central America and arrived in New York around 5 a.m.

They planned to visit the Empire State Building, just a few blocks south, and move from store to store to keep warm before their 6 p.m. flight. Aside from that, they had nothing else on the agenda.

“Going that way and seeing what we find,” she said, pointing southward, in the direction of the Empire State Building, though skyscrapers just a few blocks away were hidden by the snow flurries. “Just site-watching, I guess.”

As tourists shuffled slowly throughout Times Square, building supervisor Damian Santiago scraped his squeegee on the sidewalk. Santiago, 31, was short-staffed on Tuesday, but he kept the building’s sidewalk across the street from Father Duffy Square one of the cleanest in the area.

“We’re just trying to keep continuing to take care of the sidewalk, and keeping it clean and safe for the people and the tourists,” Santiago said. “And even for ourselves.”

Flights canceled; airlines offer waivers

Airlines canceled more than 1,100 flights and delayed over 800 others, as of 11 a.m., according to flight-tracking website FlightAware.

Airlines proactively issued waivers to give travelers extra flexibility to change their tickets ahead of the storm.

The airports with the most cancellations and delays were LaGuardia Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport and Boston Logan International Airport. Nearly half of all flights departing from LaGuardia Airport were canceled.

Schools closed, delayed or moved online because of storm

Millions of students were told to stay home as dozens of school districts across the Northeast canceled classes for the day.

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu announced a snow emergency and announced all public schools were going to close altogether on Tuesday. Over 54,000 students attend public schools in Boston.

Citing the storm conditions, Boston University’s Charles River and medical campuses were also closed.

In addition to New York, school cancellations, delays and shifts to remote learning were announced across Massachusetts, Virginia, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, New Jersey, Maine, Rhode Island and New Hampshire.

Pennsylvania weather map

US weather watches and warnings

National weather radar

Contributing: Associated Press; Rachel Looker, Ken Tran, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Winter storm updates: Nor'easter dumps heavy snow over New York City