Northeast braces for 2nd major snowstorm of the season

— -- The Northeast was hit with more heavy snow today, just days after the largest winter storm of the season dumped as much as 19 inches of snow on some parts of the region.

Hundreds of flights were canceled, vehicle crashes were reported, and schools were closed in response to the storm.

In Maine, government offices were shuttered.

In New Hampshire and Massachusetts, courts were closed, and the start of jury selection for the double murder trial of former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez was delayed by a day as a result.

"It is a dangerous storm because of high winds, low visibility and heavy snow," said Lenore Correia, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Taunton, Massachusetts. "It's a big snowstorm but nothing we haven't seen before either."

Meanwhile, the storm that brought up to a foot of snow to upstate New York and southern New England on Sunday has moved off the coast and strengthened, producing damaging winds from Washington, D.C., to Maine today.

Extreme wind warnings and advisories were in effect from Georgia to Maine, where snowfall could reach as high as 2 feet. A high-wind warning was in effect until 7 p.m. local time for the areas surrounding Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket in Massachusetts, with gusts of more than 58 mph possible.

"Travel will be treacherous, with visibilities briefly below a quarter-mile at times," the National Weather Service said. "There will be blowing and drifting of the snow as well. Some power outages are expected today."

As of 5 a.m. Eastern time, there were more than 600 canceled flights, and nearly 50 were delayed. Boston's Logan International Airport accounted for the bulk of the cancellations, according to FlightAware.

A plane carrying five people aborted takeoff and skidded off a runway at Hanscom Field in Bedford, Massachusetts, on Sunday, officials said. The New Jersey–bound plane slid into a grassy area off the runway. No injuries were reported, according to the Federal Aviation Administration, which said it was investigating the incident.

The heavy gusts downed several power lines and trees in the D.C. region early this morning, leading to multiple power outages. Gusts of up to 66 mph were reported at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia.

The severe winds blew the roof off a D.C. apartment building around midnight, displacing residents and damaging several cars, according to ABC Washington affiliate WJLA-TV.

ABC News' Max Golembo contributed to this story, which was supplemented by Associated Press reporting.