NEW YORK, Jan 23 (AFP) - Travellers were stranded across the northeastern United States on Sunday as a fierce snowstorm shut down airports and made roads treacherous.
Boston's Logan National Airport was closed indefinitely and thousands of flights were delayed or cancelled at airports in northeastern and midwestern US states as residents dug out from the first major snowstorm of the year.
A blizzard warning was in effect on Sunday for parts of eastern New York and New England with the National Weather Service warning the storm could rival the "Great Blizzard" of 1978.
"A few locations will likely approach or even exceed amounts (of snow) received during the 1978 blizzard," the National Weather Service said in a "hazardous weather outlook."
"This is likely to be a record setting snowstorm in Boston when comparing against data dating back to 1892," it said.
The National Weather Service warned of the dangers of snow drifts and possible power outages on Cape Cod, Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard in southeastern Massachusetts.
"Any travel is strongly discouraged. If you leave the safety of being indoors you are putting your life at risk," the National Weather Service advisory said.
Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney declared a state of emergency in his northeastern state where 28 inches to 38 inches (71 to 96 centimeters) of snow was expected to fall by late Sunday.
More than 1,000 flights in and out of New York and Boston, and 700 at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, were cancelled Saturday, according to industry experts.
"It's a complete and utter mess," summed up Rally Caparas, an air travel expert with Travelocity.com, an online reservation service, appearing on CNN television, which reported a total of 3,000 flight cancellations on its web site.
Philadelphia International Airport in Pennsylvania reopened on Sunday after being closed late Saturday because of poor visibility, officials said, but significant delays as well as flight cancellations were reported at other airports including some in New Jersey, Baltimore in Maryland, and Washington.
British airports cancelled 31 flights to and from the United States' northeast region, British officials said in London on Sunday. London's main Heathrow airport cancelled 29 arrivals and departures after heavy snowfall in New York, Boston and Philadelphia.
The US authorities begged people to stay off the roads as high winds sent already bone-chilling temperatures below zero, and blowing snow produced whiteout conditions from New York to Maine, bringing normally congested cities to a standstill.
Snow emergency orders directed residents to remove parked cars from major thoroughfares in a bid to clear roads made impassable by snow drifts. Snow plows and salt trucks worked throughout the night in some cities in a bid to reopen streets and highways.
"This really is a dangerous storm," warned New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, appearing at a press conference with emergency service officials on Saturday. "I don't think you should take it lightly."
Philadelphia authorities urged people to check in on elderly friends, neighbors and relatives to make sure they have enough heat and food.
01/23/2005 17:33 GMT - AFP