Cold Breaks Records in East From New York to Florida

Low-temperature records were tied or broken Sunday in more than 20 cities from Upstate New York to Florida, and Louisiana got its second rare snowfall in three days.

Carnival celebrants shivered through a second day in New Orleans, but the cold was a welcome relief for the annual Toledo, Ohio, Winterfest, because previous fests have suffered from unseasonably warm weather.

Carnival marching bands donned gloves and earmuffs to ward off a biting wind, and the squadrons of baton twirlers covered their usual skimpy attire with a variety of capes and other warm clothes.

In Ohio, Linnette Wonus, administrative assistant for the Winterfest, said: “We’re thrilled with the weather. It was just what it was supposed to be, winter.”

Record lows included 20 at Crestview, Fla.; 5 at Asheville, N.C.; 9 at Baltimore; 12 at Birmingham, Ala.; 11 at Greer, S.C.; 6 at Lynchburg, Va., and 3 below zero at Pittsburgh, Pa., and Youngstown, Ohio.

Low in Colorado

The low for the day was minus 30 at Gunnison, Colo. Gusts of more than 30 m.p.h. over Minnesota caused wind chills as low as 45 below.

Overnight temperatures dropped into the 20s throughout the northern third of Florida and records fell across the Panhandle, but central Florida citrus groves were spared from the freeze.

The body of a homeless man who apparently died of hypothermia was found Sunday in the Georgetown section of Washington, police said. The low at National Airport was 12 degrees.

Two deaths from the cold were reported Saturday in the Chicago area. Temperatures rose to the mid-20s and lower 30s in Chicago and elsewhere in the Midwest on Sunday.

In Louisiana, 2 to 3 inches of snow fell by midday at Cameron with about 1.5 inches at Lake Charles, the greatest accumulation there since January, 1973.

Hazardous Driving

The snow created hazardous driving conditions over southern Louisiana, prompting the closing of some bridges and Interstate 10 east of Lafayette and the Interstate system in Baton Rouge.

Earlier in the day, snow also fell over a large section of eastern Texas, with 3 inches at Cleveland, 2 to 3 inches in Farrar and Conroe and 1 inch at Coldspring. Snow fell as far south as Victoria.

Buffalo, N.Y., got its greatest one-day snowfall total in three years Saturday with up to 16 inches, and wind gusting to 30 m.p.h. produced whiteouts.