More snow falls on the Northeast US, where huge piles remain from the last storm

Parts of the Northeast faced fresh snowfall Wednesday as residents continued to dig out from a massive winter storm that dropped several feet of snow across the region from Maryland to Maine.

The National Weather Service predicted an additional 1 to 3 inches of snow for areas still recovering from Monday’s major storm. As temperatures rose mid-morning, much of the overnight ice turned into slush, creating messy conditions for commuters. The light snowfall added to what was already a challenging recovery effort for many communities.

In New York City, Mayor Zohran Mamdani implemented an aggressive snow removal strategy, spreading over 143 million pounds of salt by Tuesday evening. The city also recruited approximately 3,500 emergency shovelers, paying them $30 per hour to clear snow from bus stops and critical pedestrian areas.

Power restoration efforts continued across the region, with significant progress made in Massachusetts, New Jersey, Delaware, and Rhode Island. However, nearly 160,000 Massachusetts customers remained without electricity as of early Wednesday, highlighting the storm’s lingering impact.

The storm has claimed at least one life. In Newport, Rhode Island, 21-year-old Salve Regina University student Joseph Boutros was found dead from carbon monoxide poisoning inside a snow-covered vehicle Monday night, according to local police.

For people with disabilities, the aftermath of the storm has created particularly challenging conditions. Jeff Peters, spokesperson for the Center for Independence of the Disabled, New York, described how partially cleared sidewalks have created hazardous conditions.

“You’ll find a portion of a sidewalk that is clear, and then there’s maybe a 6-inch pathway that can only be walked with one foot in front of the other and no room for a stroller, rollator, walker or crutches,” Peters said. “Then you get to the corner and not only is it unshoveled, but you have basically a glacier at the end of it.”

Tina Guenette, who uses a motorized wheelchair, had to shovel her yard in Harrisville, Rhode Island, herself after more than 33 inches of snow fell in the area. “I really have no choice if my service dog wants to go outside,” Guenette said, noting that the town’s volunteer snow-shoveling program has been inactive for years.

Monday’s storm set records in several areas, particularly in Rhode Island, where snowfall totals surpassed those from the historic Blizzard of 1978. Meteorologist Ryan Maue, former chief scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, calculated that if all the snow that fell from Maryland to Maine had landed solely on Manhattan, it would have created a pile over a mile high.

Cities are employing innovative methods to handle the massive snow accumulation. New York City is using large basins of warm water to melt snow and ice, a system that helped dissolve 23 million pounds of snow during a storm last month. Providence, Rhode Island, has designated five locations for snow dumping, with officials considering additional sites due to the sheer volume of snow.

The education sector saw varied responses to the weather conditions. While Philadelphia schools returned to in-person learning after two days of online classes, and Boston schools reopened following their winter break, Providence schools remained closed for a third day, transitioning to virtual learning. New York City’s public school system, the nation’s largest with more than 900,000 students, maintained regular operations, though many families had to navigate snow banks and dodge salt spreaders during morning drop-offs.

Air travel disruptions, which had caused thousands of cancellations in recent days, began to subside on Wednesday with approximately 200 flights grounded, according to FlightAware. Rhode Island’s T.F. Green International Airport reopened Tuesday, resuming some flights while others remained canceled.

For travelers like Manhattan resident Jamie Meyers, who landed Tuesday evening after a flight from Buenos Aires that had been delayed since Sunday, the return home brought visible relief. Fellow passengers reportedly burst into applause when their plane finally touched down in New York.

As communities continue their cleanup efforts, officials warn that melting snow followed by freezing temperatures could create additional hazards in the coming days, particularly on roadways and pedestrian paths.