Transportation Problems Continue Following Messy Storm

Jan. 22, 2014— -- Travel remains troublesome this morning as the Northeast digs out from Tuesday's storm.

The swirling storm dumped nearly a foot and a half of snow on some areas, grounded thousands of flights, closed government offices in Washington, D.C., and made a mess of the evening commute. Some areas, such as Manalapan, N.J., got more than 15 inches of snow. Philadelphia got slightly more than a foot, while New York City got 10 inches.

Transportation delays linger, with more than 1,500 flights for Wednesday already canceled by 6:45 a.m., according to FlightAware.com. Travel in such major cities as Boston, New York and Philadelphia remains sluggish.

Drivers from Illinois to Maryland are negotiating slick, snow and ice-covered roadways this morning, trying to keep from swerving, sliding and spinning. Blowing, drifting snow is only adding to the problems.

Even as the snowfall tapers, there's little relief in sight. Another blast of Arctic air is reducing temperatures across the country, with temps in the single digits reported across the Midwest.

The storm stretched 1,000 miles between Kentucky and Massachusetts but hit especially hard along the heavily populated corridor between Philadelphia and Boston, creating perilous rides home for millions of motorists.

The icy conditions caused a commuter bus in Roxbury Township, N.J., to lose control Tuesday, slipping down an embankment and reportedly injuring six people. A similar incident occurred northwest of Boston, where a tractor-trailer jumped a guardrail, barreling onto the road below. A multi-vehicle pileup in central Indiana also shut down a highway for hours.

Driver Steve Stephenson had to wait for a tow truck after his car spun out in White Plains, N.Y.

“I came across this snowbank here, tried to avoid it and then slid right off the road,” Stephenson told ABC News. “It was going pretty good but I must've hit some ice.”

The storm was blamed for at least one death in Maryland, after a car fishtailed into the path of a tractor-trailer on a snow-covered road about 50 miles northwest of Baltimore and the car's driver was ejected. Police said the storm might have claimed more lives: A preliminary investigation showed wet conditions played a role in a two-vehicle crash that killed two people in Prince George's County, Md.

Some of Tuesday’s travel issues involved the storm’s whiteout conditions. The heavy snow and swirling winds left drivers with limited visibility.

Those conditions grounded more than 3,000 flights nationwide Tuesday, leaving frustrated passengers stranded. Philadelphia International, LaGuardia and Newark Liberty International airports experienced the most disrupted travel schedules, with more than 450 flights coming in or out of each of the airports grounded.

But there were some lucky fliers. Jenny Schneider reached LaGuardia from Cincinnati after a long day of travel.

“We had 4 inches of snow there, landed in LaGuardia and it looked like all the flights after us were canceled, so it looks like we were on the last train out,” Schneider said after reaching her destination.

During the storm, airport employees worked to keep the runways clear. Airports also rely on pilots calling in visibility conditions as they land, and they don't underestimate the value of de-icing the runway and planes, measures meant to maintain safe travel during a messy, swirling storm.

ABC News Radio and The Associated Press contributed to this report.