Eastern States on Ice Again for Second Time in a Week

The second ice storm in a week knocked out power and snarled air travel Wednesday in Eastern states.

Freezing rain and slush spread northward from Virginia into New York state, followed by rising temperatures. The National Weather Service issued winter weather advisories for the New England states.

“It’s terrible. Right now, it’s just freezing rain, so all the streets are icy,” said Steve Brundage, a patrol officer in Binghamton, N.Y.

Dozens of New York schools dismissed classes around midday as the freezing rain and sleet moved in. Earlier, schools were closed in parts of Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania. A few schools also closed in southern parts of Ohio and Indiana.

Ice up to a half-inch thick was reported in parts of western Maryland during the morning and by afternoon in northwestern New Jersey.

“Most people are staying home,” said Cpl. David Paskowski of the Maryland State Police.

In the Washington area, Delta Air Lines canceled most of its morning flights at Dulles International Airport, and Atlantic Coast Airlines, which operates the United Express shuttle, canceled about a third of its flights before 7:30 a.m., said Airports Authority spokesman Tom Sullivan.

Baltimore-Washington International Airport had numerous delays and cancellations, said spokeswoman Melanie Miller.

Utilities in Maryland said the ice cut electrical service to more than 63,000 homes and businesses across the central and western parts of the state.

About 24,000 customers in northern Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley had no electricity by midmorning, said David Botkins, a spokesman for Dominion Virginia Power.

In North Carolina, meanwhile, Duke Power said Wednesday that it had restored power to 90% of the 1.3 million customers who had lost power in last week’s ice storm. The company said it hoped to have all customers back on line by late Friday.

Carolina Power & Light, which had a peak of 464,000 customers without power, had restored power to 98%.