 A woman walks through blowing snow during the morning commute in Brooklyn, New York February 26, 2010. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
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A winter storm walloped eastern Canada and the northeastern U.S. Thursday night and Friday morning, triggering commuter chaos, flight delays from Halifax to New York City and cancelled school for thousands of students.
The chaos was far more pronounced south of the border.
New York City's three major airport cancelled more than 1,000 flights, a spokesman told the Associated Press, and up to 64 km of New York State's Hwy. 84 were closed due to flooding.
The Associated Press reported that high winds associated with the storm knocked out power to over 700,000 homes and businesses in the North East U.S. and is being blamed for three deaths, including one where a snow-laden branch fell from a tree and killed a man below.
New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg decided to give all students in the city long weekend and declared a snow day Friday.
The Associated Press also reported that New England was expecting flooding after up to six inches of rain fell in the past 48 hours, melting snow on the ground and swelling rivers.
New Hampshire recorded wind gusts of up to 110 km/h, ripping shingles from rooftops and causing widespread property damage.
Parts of New York State reported up to 26 inches of snow, while others reported driving rain.
Airlines servicing Ontario, Quebec, the northeast U.S. and Atlantic Canada warned passengers to check the status of their flights before leaving for the airport.
Dozens of flights have been delayed or cancelled because of the storm, including in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, New York City, Quebec City and into the Maritimes.
In Canada, Quebec seems to be the hardest hit.
Overnight wind conditions cut power to about 95,000 customers in Quebec and school children are staying home for the day because of the ongoing blustery conditions.
Transport Canada shut down Highway 10 in the Eastern Townships on Thursday night because of the poor road conditions. Wind gusts continued to hit 90 km/h until Friday morning.
Nova Scotia said that about 15,000 homes were without power on Friday morning and the South Shore Regional School Board told kids to stay home.
Environment Canada said winds were as strong as 90 km/h and up to 100 mm of rain fell on the province. Many flights out of Halifax airport were delayed or cancelled.
Both bridges leading into Halifax were also closed to high-sided vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists.
In Ontario, Transport Canada reported dozens of minor crashes on highways across the province by Friday afternoon, mostly due to drivers going too fast for the conditions.
No major crashes of injuries have been reported.
School bus service was cancelled for the day in a number of central and eastern Ontario counties and students were granted a snow day - a rarity this winter, which has seen much less snow compared to past seasons.
Power outages were reported across eastern Ontario, from Belleville and Kingston through Cornwall and around the Ottawa area, affecting hundreds of customers.
Toronto, by comparison, had it relatively easy. Canada's largest city reported just under 10 cm of snow and a few delays at Pearson International Airport.
While the city reported wide-spread commuter frustration, there were no major accidents and schools remained open for the day.
On Friday afternoon, radar maps showed the large weather system stretching from Lake Superior to Halifax Harbour. Concentrations of snow and rain remained over Toronto, Quebec City and most of the Maritimes.
