Northeast Gets Up to 16 Inches of Snow

The second major storm in the Northeast this week deposited up to 16 inches of new snow and heavy rain Friday, closing schools and flooding streets in New York and New England.

Much of the Northeast--still recovering from a storm Wednesday that left as much as 20 inches of snow in New Hampshire and knocked out power to nearly 300,000 residents--was hit with more snow, rain and sleet and winds of up to 40 m.p.h.

The messy conditions made roads treacherous. More than 200 trucks fanned out across Vermont to clear and salt the snow-covered roads. Some drivers abandoned their cars on roadsides overnight rather than fight the heavy snow, authorities said.

An Israeli professor on a visit to the University of Rochester died Thursday night when he lost control of his car on a snow-covered road and collided with another auto in upstate New York.

Snowplow Collapses Bridge

In Newark, N.Y., a 15-ton snowplow plunged through a 107-year-old bridge and fell 12 feet into Ganargua Creek. The driver was not injured.

Rain mixed with snow at higher altitudes occurred from Oregon and Washington across Idaho, Nevada and into Montana.

An avalanche in the Albion Basin ski area in Utah killed a hiker identified as Paul Janda, 27, a Czechoslovakian refugee, officials said Friday. A ski patrol found his body buried under more than 6 feet of snow.

Up to 16 inches of snow fell overnight in northern Vermont, while 10 inches was recorded in Montpelier, Vt., and Caribou, Me., six inches in Burlington, Vt., and four inches at Augusta, Me.

The snow forced schools to close in Vermont, southern New Hampshire and the Adirondack Mountains of New York.

Good for Skiing

The wintry conditions, however, were good for skiing in northern New England, where several resorts opened last weekend.

Rain and rapid snow melt flooded some streets and low-lying areas across southern New England. The storm dropped heavy rain from the central New England coast to New York and New Jersey.

Gale warnings were issued for the Atlantic Coast from New Jersey to northern New England, with wind gusts up to 40 m.p.h. reported.