Conditions Ease in Midwest; Toll Hits 15 : Major Snowstorm Headed for Northeast

A storm that dumped nearly a foot of snow on parts of the Midwest and caused at least 15 deaths combined with another storm brewing over the mid-Atlantic Coast on Saturday, bringing the threat of heavy snow to the Northeast.

The Midwestern storm, which lost some strength over the Great Lakes, left residents of Illinois, Missouri and Indiana digging out from as much as 11 inches of snow, and some travelers were stranded overnight.

Winter storm warnings were posted for much of eastern New York, Vermont, southern New Hampshire and southwestern Maine, with five to 12 inches of snow possible by this morning.

Snow Spreads Across N.Y.

A band of snow spread across New York on Saturday, leaving six inches north of Albany and causing numerous traffic accidents.

Rain, drizzle and fog were reported from northern Florida to southeastern Georgia, the mid-Atlantic region and the New York City area into eastern Massachusetts.

“It’s kind of typical winter weather,” said Scott Tansey, a forecaster for the National Weather Service. “A storm system peters out over the Great Lakes and another storm developing off the mid-Atlantic Coast will sort of just take over and spread quite a bit of snow over the area.”

The Midwestern storm, which brought the region its first major snowfall of the season and left up to 18 inches of snow in southwestern Colorado’s San Juan mountains earlier in the week, was blamed for four traffic deaths in Michigan, three each in Illinois and Missouri, two each in Indiana and Kansas and one in Iowa.

More light snow fell Saturday across parts of Arkansas, Kansas and Missouri.

Search On for Woman, 70

In the northern Indiana town of Walkerton, a search continued by foot and horseback for a woman in her 70s who had wandered away from a nursing home wearing only a nightgown and a robe, police said.

More than 100 motorists were stranded late Friday and early Saturday at the 70 Truck Stop along Interstate 70 in Brazil, Ind., about 15 miles east of Terre Haute, which got 11 inches of snow.

“A Trailways bus broke down this morning, and they just made it out of here a little while ago,” said Kim Quilliam, head cashier at the truck stop. “We’ve been very, very busy. We’re just blown away.”

In Ohio, a series of nearly a dozen accidents Friday evening closed southbound Interstate 75 just south of Lima for more than three hours, Highway Patrol dispatcher Wendy Hauenstein said.

O’Hare Back to Normal

Runways at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport were open Saturday, after 200 plows, de-icers and sweepers worked through the night. Delays of up to 90 minutes were reported Friday night, but the schedule was back to normal by morning, authorities said.

A United Airlines DC-10 from Newark, N.J., slid into the snow while turning after landing at O’Hare late Friday. Officials said none of the 177 people on board were hurt, but it took them 90 minutes to get from the slushy runway to the terminal by bus.