Snow makes for frowns on roads, smiles on slopes

Associated Press

CONCORD, N.H.

Snow and freezing rain made for messy commutes and closed hundreds of schools Monday as a snowstorm pushed into the Northeast.

The storm left nearly a foot of snow on the ground in some spots in the Great Lakes and upper Midwest before dumping up to about a half-foot across New York and northern New England. Boston, New York City and Philadelphia were spared.

Speeds were reduced on snow-packed roads and there were many school delays and closures from Michigan to Maine. Authorities said there were numerous crashes on the Maine Turnpike, and crashes on local roads in Gorham and New Portland, Maine, resulted in two fatalities.

Portland, Maine, got about 4 inches of snow, but that wasn’t enough to close down the Portland Fish Exchange, an auction house that was preparing for the arrival of day boat scallops later Monday.

Pats Peak Ski Area in Henniker, N.H., had received 6 to 8 inches by midmorning. Spokeswoman Lori Rowell said the ski area that opened Saturday with about half its trails saw more children Monday, thanks to school closures.

The National Weather Service said that 3 to 6 inches fell in Maine and New Hampshire while Vermont saw 8 inches in West Brattleboro and 2 to 4 inches in other places.

Hundreds of Michigan schools closed Monday as the state dug out from more than 10 inches of snow that fell over the weekend. In southeastern Michigan, schools were closed Monday in Detroit and surrounding Wayne County. Wayne State University in Detroit also was closed.

Temperatures 15 to 30 degrees below average will follow the cold rain and snow in the coming days through much of the Midwest and East.