Snowstorm Deaths Reach 42 as East Coast Tries to Dig Out
Crews are working around the clock to clear roads and runways.
— -- The East Coast is digging itself out after near-record snowfall forced road closures, the shutdown of major public transportation and the shuttering of businesses, schools and government offices and left at least 42 dead.
Deadly Accidents
There were at least 42 weather-related deaths reported across 12 states and the District of Columbia in the wake of this weekend's blizzard.
One pedestrian died in Massachusetts after being hit by a snow plow. A postal worker in Georgia was killed when the strong winds blew a limb off a tree and it hit the worker's vehicle. A mother and her son in New Jersey were killed from carbon monoxide poisoning after their car's tailpipe was blocked by the snow. Other deaths resulted from car accidents.
Staggering Snow Totals
While the 26.8 inches of snow that fell in New York City was just a tenth of an inch shy from breaking the city's all-time record, the snowstorm did make history: Saturday's snowfall was the most to ever fall in the city in one calendar day.
Baltimore hit a new record high of 29.2 inches of snow.
In Staten Island, there were 31.3 inches recorded and 22.4 inches in Philadelphia. But the biggest snowfall recorded this weekend came in Glengary, West Virginia, where 42 inches of snow fell.
Digging Out And Moving On
Road crews are working around the clock to clear snow and ice from roads, runways and rail tracks from Georgia to Massachusetts. The Washington Metro system has resumed with limited service; New York’s MTA is offering modified subway and bus service; and Amtrak has modified service along the Northeast Corridor.
A travel ban barring non-emergency vehicles from New York City roads was lifted Sunday morning, but Mayor Bill de Blasio said, “The snow pile is going to be with us for awhile.”
After thousands of flights were canceled over the weekend, the three airports in the New York City area -- JFK, LaGuardia and Newark -- were open but still experiencing some delays and cancellations. Washington's Dulles and Reagan National airports resumed limited flight operations today.
In Maryland, state police said Sunday that highways I-270 and I-70 were reopened after being closed on Saturday.
According to FlightAware, 1,571 flights were canceled today, less than half of the 3,526 flights canceled on Sunday.
The number of cancellations is expected to drop off. FlightAware is reporting that there will be 339 cancellations tomorrow.
All told, 13,046 flights have been canceled between Friday and tomorrow.
Keeping Cities Running
"We know that we’re going to be dealing with snow all of this week," D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said at a press conference this morning.
Bowser announced that the city’s metro stations, with one exception, were scheduled to re-open this morning. Bus service remains limited and city officials are asking residents to stay off the roads so they can continue to clear the snow.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said at a news conference today that the city is hiring snow laborers. The city will pay $13.50 per hour to shovel snow with the possibility of earning $20.50 an hour if an individual works more than 40 hours a week.
Some Closures Continue
Federal offices remain closed Monday and schools from Washington, D.C., to the Jersey Shore have given students the day off, but many in the storm’s wake will be digging themselves out and joining the morning rush.
While New York City schools are open today, D.C. public schools remain closed. In Virginia, classes at Fairfax County schools have already been canceled for Tuesday as well.
ABC News' Max Golembo, Dan Peck, Margaret Chadbourn, Matthew Foster, Gillian Mohney, Daniel Manzo, Emily Shapiro, David Chiu and the Associated Press contributed to this report.