Huge Winter Storm Plows Into the East

A large storm stretching from the Gulf of Mexico to New England threatened to dump up to a foot of snow in northern states while prompting flood warnings Friday in the South.

Snow fell also in the Midwest and Great Plains Friday, delaying flights for up to three hours at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, officials said.

Winds gusting up to 25 m.p.h. whipped across central Michigan, causing blowing snow that cut visibility and sending wind chill factors to as low as 15 degrees below zero.

The snow moved up through the Middle Atlantic states, starting in the nation’s capital and reaching New York by midday, causing school officials there to cancel classes before even a dusting accumulated.

The snowfall that swept across the Washington metropolitan area on Friday morning forced officials there to close National Zoo to the public.

The worst of the storm hit the Northeast late Friday and was expected to continue into today. Seven inches of snow fell at Frostburg, Md., and five inches blanketed Altoona, Pa. The National Weather Service predicted that more than a foot of snow would fall on eastern New York state and southern Vermont.

Winter storm warnings were posted Friday night for parts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Vermont, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine.

Jennifer Peters, 2 1/2 years old, of Middletown, R.I., died Friday after wandering from her home in freezing weather, authorities said.

Rain was the main problem in the South, and a flash flood watch was posted for the South Carolina mountains and foothills.