16:29 07Dec2003 Storm still beating down on Northeastern U.S.

BOSTON, Dec 7 (Reuters) - People across the northeastern United States on Sunday began to dig
out from the region's first major winter storm, which dumped more than a foot of snow, closed
airports and left thousands without power.
The three-day storm rolled up the eastern coast two weeks before winter's official start,
setting records in some areas as it packed high winds, heavy surf and steady snowfall of up to an
inch (2.5 cm) an hour.
It left roads and sidewalks ice slicked, stranded hundreds of travelers and kept thousands of
Christmas shoppers at home. Logan International Airport in Boston, New England's busiest, remains
closed and roughly 20,000 homes have no power in eastern Massachusetts, state officials said.
Officials also warned of coastal flooding during the day.
The storm has been blamed for at least two fatal traffic accidents in New Jersey, officials
said.
And it isn't over yet -- meteorologists forecast more heavy snow for the Boston area on Sunday
with wind gusts of up to 45 miles an hour leaving some areas with as much as 25 inches of snow when
the storm finally tapers off after dark on Sunday.
With Monday morning's rush hour looming, officials said it was still too early to say what
conditions commuters may face.
"This storm isn't ending just yet, and we can't gauge what shape we will be in tomorrow," said
Peter Judge, public affairs officer at the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency.
At Logan, where hundreds of flights were canceled on Saturday, officials hope to reopen one
runway in a few hours.
"We've got seven international flights ready to go when we can get cleared, but right now we are
still closed," said Phil Orlandella, a spokesman for the Massachusetts Port Authority.
There were similar delays and closings at airports from New Hampshire to Maryland this weekend.
On highways like Route I-95, state police still reported hazardous conditions as thousands of
snow plows were out clearing the new snow and high drifts caused by heavy winds.
In New York the sun was shining and major roadways were already largely cleared of ice and snow.
Skiers and the tourism industry celebrated the snowstorm as an unexpected pre-holiday present.
"People were up at 7 a.m. ready to hit the mountains," said Nancy Stowell White, owner of the
Sudbury Inn in Bethel, Maine. "We've got 28 inches of fresh snow and it is still coming down. The
phones are just going to ring and ring with reservations."
While the storm forced many cancellations from college entrance exams on Saturday to religious
services on Sunday, some events like the football matchup between the New England Patriots and the
Miami Dolphins are planned to go ahead.
The Patriots' official Web site said kick-off will be at 4:15 p.m., as scheduled, but warned
fans to dress very warmly and bring shovels to free their seats from snowdrifts.
"This storm will give new meaning to what we call prime home team advantage," MEMA's Judge said.