Winter_Weather_Pennsylvania_93903 Pedestrians make their way down a partially plowed Murray Avenue Monday, Jan. 17, 2022, in Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh. (Pam Panchak/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP)
Pam Panchak/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP
Winter_Weather_Pennsylvania_01191 Snow, a four-year-old American Staffordshire Terrier runs through the snow with his companion, Marlin Rayney from Wilkinsburg in tow during his morning walk/run along Braddock Avenue Monday, Jan. 17, 2022, in Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania. (Pam Panchak/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP)
Pam Panchak/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP
Winter_Weather_Pennsylvania_69211 Rocky and Piper play tug-of-war in the snow in Allegheny Commons Park, Monday, Jan. 17, 2022, on the North Side of Pittsburgh, Pa. (Alexandra Wimley/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP)
Alexandra Wimley/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP
Winter_Weather_Pennsylvania_91391 Brian Hill from Squirrel Hill skis along Forbes Avenue Monday, Jan. 17, 2022, in Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh. (Pam Panchak/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP)
Pam Panchak/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP
Winter_Weather_Pennsylvania_18454 A vehicle clears snow from the pedestrian sidewalk over the Andy Warhol Bridge, Downtown Pittsburgh, Monday, Jan. 17, 2022. (Alexandra Wimley/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP)
Alexandra Wimley/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP
Winter_Weather_Pennsylvania_73296 Joe Miscavage uses a snow blower to clear a driveway at Marina Pointe at Harveys Lake, Pa., Monday, Jan. 17, 2022. (Mark Moran/The Citizens' Voice via AP)
Mark Moran/The Citizens' Voice via AP
Winter_Weather_Vermont_83851 Harry Ruester, of Brattleboro, Vt., uses a snowblower while removing snow from his driveway during a snowstorm on Monday, Jan. 17, 2022. (Kristopher Radder/The Brattleboro Reformer via AP)
Kristopher Radder/The Brattleboro Reformer via AP
Winter_Weather_Vermont_82570 Liam Morrell, 11, from Brattleboro, Vt., shovels the sidewalk during a snowstorm on Monday, Jan. 17, 2022. (Kristopher Radder/The Brattleboro Reformer via AP)
Kristopher Radder/The Brattleboro Reformer via AP
Winter_Weather_Vermont_05085 Mohammad Asif, originally from Afghanistan, helps shovel snow from a fellow truck driver's wheel after it got stuck on Route 9, in Marlboro, Vt., during a snowstorm on Monday, Jan. 17, 2022. (Kristopher Radder/The Brattleboro Reformer via AP)
Kristopher Radder/The Brattleboro Reformer via AP
Winter_Weather_Vermont_00536 Brattleboro, Vt., Police Officer Ryan Washburn helps direct traffic on Route 9 after a tractor-trailer got stuck in the snow during a snowstorm on Monday, Jan. 17, 2022. (Kristopher Radder/The Brattleboro Reformer via AP)
Kristopher Radder/The Brattleboro Reformer via AP
Winter_Weather_Pennsylvania_06816 A man clears snow around vehicles on North Main Street in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., Monday, Jan. 17, 2022. (Mark Moran/The Citizens' Voice via AP)
Mark Moran/The Citizens' Voice via AP
Winter_Weather_Vermont_87287 Robin Pena, of Brattleboro, Vt., waits for the bus during a snowstorm on Monday, Jan. 17, 2022. (Kristopher Radder/The Brattleboro Reformer via AP)
Kristopher Radder/The Brattleboro Reformer via AP
Winter_Weather_Vermont_84809 Jeff Nugent, of Brattleboro, Vt., carries his cross-country skis while walking home during a snowstorm on Monday, Jan. 17, 2022. (Kristopher Radder/The Brattleboro Reformer via AP)
Kristopher Radder/The Brattleboro Reformer via AP
Washington_Winter_Weather_96529 The U.S. Capitol is seen behind the frozen reflecting pool after a winter storm delivered a wintery mix, Monday, Jan. 17, 2022 in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana
APTOPIX_Florida_Winter_Weather_11495 John Finelli, a resident of the Tropicana Mobile Home Park in the Iona area of Fort Myers, Fla., moves damaged material after a tornado destroyed his home on Sunday, Jan. 16, 2022. His parents were in the home and were transported to the hospital. (Andrew West/The News-Press via AP)
Andrew West/The News-Press via AP
APTOPIX_Winter_Weather_Canada_40880 A cat plays in the snow during a huge winter storm in Mississauga, Ontario, on Monday, Jan. 17, 2022. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)
Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP
Winter_Weather_Pennsylvania_02509 A pedestrian uses an umbrella as they cross Liberty Avenue, in downtown Pittsburgh, as snow begins to fall during a winter storm that will impact the region on Sunday night, Jan. 16, 2022. (Alexandra Wimley/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP)
Alexandra Wimley/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP
Winter_Weather_Pennsylvania_51961 A snowplow truck makes its way down Butler Street as snow falls during a winter storm that will impact the region on Sunday night, Jan. 16, 2022, in Lawrenceville a neighborhood in Pittsburgh. (Alexandra Wimley/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP)
Alexandra Wimley/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP
Winter_Weather_Pennsylvania_35052 A person carries their dog as they cross Butler Street as snow falls during a winter storm that will impact the region on Sunday night, Jan. 16, 2022, in Lawrenceville a neighborhood in Pittsburgh. (Alexandra Wimley/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP)
Alexandra Wimley/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP
Winter_Weather_Pennsylvania_36775 Pedestrians cross Roberto Clemente Bridge in downtown Pittsburgh, as snow begins to fall during a winter storm that will impact the region on Sunday night, Jan. 16, 2022. (Alexandra Wimley/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP)
Alexandra Wimley/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP
Winter_Weather_Pennsylvania_16287 A sign prohibiting empty trailers and loaded doubles after 3 p.m. on Sunday can be seen along 376 West on Sunday, Jan. 16, 2022, in Pittsburgh. Six to 13 inches (15 to 33 centimeters) of snow was expected in parts of east-central Ohio and western Pennsylvania from Sunday afternoon. (Emily Matthews/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP)
Emily Matthews/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP
Winter_Weather_Pennsylvania_48030 Birds stand on a patch of ice in the Allegheny River on Sunday, Jan. 16, 2022, on the North Shore in Pittsburgh. Six to 13 inches (15 to 33 centimeters) of snow was expected in parts of east-central Ohio and western Pennsylvania from Sunday afternoon. (Emily Matthew/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP)
Emily Matthew/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP
Winter_Weather_Pennsylvania_37109 A person sweeps away snow on the sidewalk on 44th Street as snow falls during a winter storm that will impact the region on Sunday night, Jan. 16, 2022, in Lawrenceville a neighborhood in Pittsburgh. (Alexandra Wimley/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP)
Alexandra Wimley/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP
Winter_Weather_Pennsylvania_28726 People walk in the snow on Butler Street during a winter storm that will impact the region on Sunday night, Jan. 16, 2022, in Lawrenceville a neighborhood in Pittsburgh. (Alexandra Wimley/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP)
Alexandra Wimley/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP
Winter_Weather_Pennsylvania_02138 A snowplow truck waits at a stoplight on Liberty Avenue as snow falls during a winter storm that will impact the region on Sunday night, Jan. 16, 2022, in Lawrenceville a neighborhood in Pittsburgh. (Alexandra Wimley/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP)
Alexandra Wimley/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP
Winter_Weather_14278 Colin Queen clears the sidewalk along Fifth Street during a winter storm on Sunday, Jan. 16, 2022, in Winston-Salem, N.C. A winter storm brought a mix of snow, sleet and wind with accumulations totaling 2-3 inches in the Triad region. (Allison Lee Isley/The Winston-Salem Journal via AP)
Allison Lee Isley/The Winston-Salem Journal via AP
NEW YORK (AP) — A dangerous winter storm brought significant snowfall, strong thunderstorms and blustery winds to the northeastern U.S. on a holiday Monday.
The storm system dropped a foot (30 centimeters) or more of snow in parts of New York state, Ohio and Pennsylvania Sunday night through Monday morning after pummeling parts of the Southeast on Sunday.
“We’ve had a very strong area of low pressure that’s kind of moved up the coast, with pretty heavy snowfall accumulations from Tennessee, North Carolina all the way into the northeast,” said meteorologist Marc Chenard at the weather service’s headquarters in College Park, Maryland.
Forecasters in Buffalo, New York, said almost 18 inches (45 centimeters) of snow fell by 1 p.m. Monday. The city advised people not to travel if they didn’t need to on this Martin Luther King Jr. Day, while some surrounding towns instituted a travel ban.
“WOW! (Latest) snow measurement at 1 AM was 4.6 inches in the last hour at the Buffalo Airport!” the National Weather Service in Buffalo tweeted overnight. “And tack on another 4 inches in the last hour ending at 2 AM! Total so far since late Sun evening – 10.2 inches.”
Weather service meteorologist Alexa Maines said 15 inches (38 centimeters) or more of snow were reported in Cleveland, Ohio, and 25 inches (63 centimeters) in parts of Ashtabula County in the northeast corner of the state.
Power outages affected tens of thousands of customers in the northeast, and hundreds of flights were canceled. Many COVID-19 vaccination and testing sites had to close down.
New York City got less than an inch of snow, which was washed away by rain overnight. The weather service said spotty showers and snow showers might continue through Monday night.
Forecasters said wind gusts in New York City could top out around 45 mph (72 kph), and around 60 mph (97 kph) on Long Island.
Sleet and rain were the main threats for much of Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island. Periods of snowfall transitioned to rain overnight. NWS meteorologists in Boston said wind gusts could reach 70 mph (113 kph).
The howling winds spread a fire that destroyed a motel and two other structures in coastal Salisbury, Massachusetts, early Monday.
The storm brought similar conditions Sunday to the Southeast, where thousands were still without power Monday.
Multiple states reported heavy snowfall, and two people died Sunday in North Carolina when their car drove off the road. The roof of a dormitory partially collapsed in the state at Brevard College, with officials saying it broke under the weight of snow. There were no injuries.
Severe thunderstorms in Florida spun up a tornado with 118 mph (190 kph) winds, destroying 30 mobile homes and majorly damaging 51 more. Three minor injuries were reported.
Wet roadways in the South were expected to refreeze Monday, creating icy conditions for motorists.
Plow trucks were scattered along roads and highways up the East Coast, working to clear the way for travelers. Some crashes were reported in the early morning hours, including an ambulance involved in a wreck on Interstate 279 in Pittsburgh, KDKA-TV reported. It was unclear whether anyone was injured.
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Associated Press writer Denise Lavoie contributed from Richmond, Virginia.
