| CNN | - |
(CNN)
-- New Yorkers awoke Wednesday morning to the sound of plows clearing
the streets. In Washington, federal workers got in a few extra zzz's.
More cold coming: This freeze will stick
updated 12:53 PM EST, Wed January 22, 2014
Windblown snow swirls around a man
under elevated train tracks in Philadelphia on Wednesday, January 22.
Driven by frigid arctic air, a powerful system is making a mess of
things up and down the Eastern Seaboard, especially from Washington to
Boston. More than a foot of snow has fallen in parts of the Northeast.
HIDE CAPTION
Frigid weather hits East
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- The blizzard warnings are expiring, but more cold is on the way
- Some areas saw up to 18-inch snowdrifts
- Several governors issue states of emergency
- More than 1,400 flights were canceled Wednesday
How cold is it where you are? Share your best photos and footage with CNN iReport.
Read this article in Spanish
(CNN) -- Dangerous cold and treacherous driving
conditions left millions of Americans along the Eastern Seaboard stuck
at home Wednesday.Read this article in Spanish
And, try as we might, we couldn't get any glimmers of hope from the CNN weather department's forecast for what's ahead.
The storm system that
dumped record-breaking piles of snow -- including 18-inch snowdrifts in
Plymouth, Massachusetts -- is moving off the coast, and remaining
blizzard warnings are expiring. But the freezing weather is going to
stick around.
Winter blast pummeling East Coast
Meteorologist embraces the cold
Live report interrupted by snowball fight
"Another clipper will
reinforce the cold air already in place, so any snow on the ground is
expected to hang around," CNN meteorologist Indra Petersons said.
And "more surges of cold
Arctic air are on tap for next week," added CNN meteorologist Sean
Morris. "New York stays well below freezing for the foreseeable future
-- possibly holding until the end of the month, though there's a chance
they could briefly rise above 32 degrees Saturday afternoon. Washington,
D.C., isn't expected to rise above freezing until Saturday afternoon,
when it will be a balmy 37 degrees. But there's more cold and snow on
the way early next week."
Meanwhile, in California,
some cities are tying records -- for heat. Paso Robles reached 75
degrees Tuesday, while Camarillo reached 84.
But through the Midwest, Southeast and Northeast, temperatures were 15 to 25 degrees below average Wednesday.
Washington's Dulles
International Airport recorded about 8 inches of snow Tuesday. New
York's Central Park saw 11 inches. Bridgeport, Connecticut, had 6½.
Governors in Delaware, New Jersey and New York issued states of emergency.
This blizzard did not
follow a typical pattern, Petersons said. The heaviest snowfall was
closer to the coast rather than inland, even though the system was
moving from west to east. The storm system strengthened off the coast,
picking up moisture from the Atlantic to bump up the snowfall.
Staying home and heading out
Rich Schultz, father of
three in Fair Lawn, New Jersey, told CNN he was spending the day cooking
and planning meals for the week, including shepherd's pie and tomato,
corn and basil soup.
Others have been venturing out.
Nature photographer Candice Trimble spent Tuesday catching and photographing snowflakes up close in Front Royal, Virginia, she said in a CNN iReport.
Washington D.C. buried in snow
Winter weather continues to blast U.S.
It was a time for play
for some in Philadelphia. With about a foot of snow falling on the city,
the steps at the Museum of Art became a sledding hill.
On Facebook,
dozens of people told CNN about the silver linings they've been finding
in the storm. It "makes you very grateful" for the "wealth you have" in
taking care of "basic human needs," Sue Skoo wrote.
"Beer stays cold without refrigeration," Dan Evans added.
Out West, at least one Utah resident didn't understand what all the fuss was about.
"A storm brings 10" of
snow to Utah and we throw a party," Drew Stoddard, who lives south of
Salt Lake City, posted on Twitter. "It happens in New York and they
declare a state of emergency."
Travel concerns
Around the Northeast, some schools and offices were closed, and some roads were shut down.
More than 1,400 flights were canceled, according to FlightAware.com.
At New York's LaGuardia
Airport, weary travelers spent a restless and sleep-deprived night on
airport chairs and cold floors. Flight cancellations put hotel rooms in
short supply.
Susan Otterstrom found out Tuesday that she had two more days in the Big Apple, instead of returning to Illinois.
"I got a call that (my flight) was canceled, and I couldn't reschedule until Thursday," she told CNN affiliate WPIX.
Another traveler said she was resigned to living the concourse life until she could catch a flight out.
"I'm just going to stay here and work and doze and whatever," she said. "You do what you have to do."
Amtrak was running a
modified schedule on the Northeast Corridor, saying passengers should
expect some delays and fewer trains between Washington and Boston.
"Nobody was outside on
the streets and no cars were driving," New York City resident Jodi
Kaplan said. "Everyone and everything was so quiet. It was as if NYC
welcomed this weather and the chance to stop. And be frozen."
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