Northern U.S. shivers miserably

Weekend storms in the nation’s northern half knocked out power to thousands of customers Sunday and created terrible conditions for holiday travelers coast to coast on the first day of winter.

Part of a major highway in the Northwest was shut down for a second day because of a fierce storm blowing in from the Pacific Ocean that dropped as much as 2 feet of snow.

In the Pacific Northwest, Interstate 90 across Snoqualmie Pass in the Cascade Range, Washington state’s main east-west roadway, remained closed Sunday, and there was no indication when it would reopen.

Seattle was expected to get an additional 2 to 4 inches of snow.

Oregon closed a stretch of Interstate 84 in the Columbia River Gorge east of Portland, according to the state Department of Transportation website.

Blizzard warnings also were issued for northern and eastern Maine, where up to 24 inches of snow was expected. Temperatures included 40 below zero on the Big Black River in Aroostook County and 35 below zero in Allagash.