Winter Storm Continues Snow Attack on Northeast

A winter storm that spread sleet and snow from the Midwest to Maine brought more snow to the Northeast on Saturday, while flood waters began to recede in West Virginia and residents headed home.

New Hampshire picked up 5 inches of snow Saturday, another 4 inches fell on Portland, Maine, while Boston had an inch and a half of new snow, bringing two-day totals to about 10 inches in many areas.

Boston’s Logan International Airport saw 60% of its flights canceled Friday night. Spokeswoman Georgeane Tacelli said by midafternoon Saturday, there were no problems outbound, but incoming flights were delayed about 35 minutes.

At Detroit Metropolitan Airport, Northwest Airlines had 17 arriving flights and eight departures canceled Saturday, mostly because of bad weather in other cities, airline spokesman Matt Friedman said.

West Virginia’s Gov. Cecil Underwood declared a state of emergency in 10 counties after heavy rain and flash floods were blamed for several deaths on Friday. The declaration allowed the National Guard to help clear roads, deliver emergency medication and assist where ambulances or other emergency vehicles could not travel. It also lifted federal limits on the hours that emergency and utility crews could work.

During a rescue attempt, an inflatable boat capsized on a swollen creek outside Charleston, W.Va., leaving two people dead and another presumed drowned.

As flood waters began to recede around the state, residents started returning home. The American Red Cross had set up at least eight temporary shelters.

In Ohio, water in several Ohio River tributaries began to fall after cresting above flood stage in some areas. But the river was still rising and not expected to crest until Tuesday afternoon in Cincinnati. No injuries were reported.

Some New Yorkers awoke to as much as a foot of snow Saturday, and state troopers reported hundreds of car accidents, including one in which two people were killed when their car slid across a highway into the path of a truck.

The winter storm meant plenty of snow for skiers heading to the slopes for the holiday weekend.

“We couldn’t have scripted this week any better than this,” said Dave Anderson, marketing director of Loon Mountain ski resort in Lincoln, N.H. “Right now I’m looking out my window at a winter wonderland.”