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 High winds and heavy snow were set to persist throughout the day,
with another foot forecast to fall in parts of Boston. Wind-driven
seas caused flooding along some low-lying roadways in coastal
Massachusetts, state police said.
The heaviest snowfall was recorded in parts of Connecticut and
Massachusetts, while New York City's Central Park saw just 6 inches
(15 cm), less than a quarter of the "historic" snowfall that some
meteorologists had predicted.
"When you hear the word 'crippling' and you look out your window
this morning, it is not there," said John Davitt, a meteorologist on
New York's NY1 news channel.
Travel was still snarled, with more than 4,500 flights canceled at
U.S. airports, according to FlightAware.com, and no trains or buses
in New York, Boston or New Jersey.
Forecasts for as much as 3 feet (90 cm) of snow had prompted
governors in eight East Coast states to declare states of emergency
and the storm affected up to 60 million people in nearly a dozen
states.
Residents largely obeyed orders to stay off roadways and
broadcasters in New York and Boston showed roads largely free of
cars early on Tuesday.
Sustained winds in the area might hit 40 miles per hour (64 kph),
though gusts as high as 78 mph (126 kph) were recorded on the island
of Nantucket, off Massachusetts.
Travel bans remained in place on roads in southern New York,
Connecticut and Massachusetts.
"It could be a matter of life and death so caution is required," New
York Governor Andrew Cuomo told reporters.
In New York's Long Island, Suffolk County Police said that a
teenager had died late on Monday when he crashed into a lampost in
the street where he was snow-tubing.
"SNOWMAGEDDON" ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Stuck at home, many turned to social media to give voice to their
frustration, adopting such storm-related hashtags as
#blizzardof2015, #Snowmageddon2015 and #Snowpocalypse.
"Across NE, millions are panicked they may lose internet and have to
talk to their families. Trying hard to remember names.
#Snowmageddon2015," tweeted Stuart Stevens.
The United Nations headquarters gave itself a day off on Tuesday.
East Coast schools, including New York City -- the nation's largest
public school system, serving 1 million students -- shut down.
Universities, including Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology, canceled classes.
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Stock exchanges, including Intercontinental Exchange Inc's New York
Stock Exchange unit, Nasdaq OMX Group, and BATS Global Markets, said
they expected to stay open for normal operating hours on Tuesday.
The last time bad weather closed the stock markets was in October
2012 when Sandy hit the East Coast with flooding, punishing winds
and widespread power outages.
The brutal weather paralyzed the New York City metropolitan area,
with a shutdown of all subway, bus and commuter rail services on
Metro-North Railroad and Long Island Rail Road. It was the first
time the city subway had been halted due to snow.
New Jersey Transit and the Massachusetts Bay Transportation
Authority also suspended bus, rail and other services would also be
suspended on Tuesday.
Coastal flood warnings were issued from Delaware to Maine, and
National Weather Service officials in Boston reported early on
Tuesday that waves just a few miles outside of Boston Harbor
approached 20 feet (6 meters).
Amtrak suspended rail services between New York and Boston, and into
New York State, Vermont, Massachusetts and Maine.
The biggest snowfall on record in New York City was during the storm
of Feb. 11-12, 2006, when 26.9 inches (68 cm) fell, according to the
city's Office of Emergency Management.
(Additional reporting by Curtis Skinner; Editing by Louise Ireland)
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