Worried shoppers grabbed groceries off store shelves and airlines started canceling flights Sunday as the Northeast prepared for a major storm that threatened to strike with coastal flooding and more than a foot of snow.
A mixture of rain, sleet and snow started moving into the region Sunday, but warm air from the ocean was expected to delay the changeover to all snow along the coast, complicating forecasts. Winter storm watches remained in effect from West Virginia to Maine, the National Weather Service said.
Roxane Boutcher waits in line at Genuardi's supermarket in Warwick, Pa., along with other customers preparing for a predicted snowstorm.
Late Sunday, inland areas of Pennsylvania, western Virginia, western Maryland and New York reported 6 inches of snow had fallen. School systems across the region canceled classes for Monday, and county and state officials urged residents to avoid unnecessary travel.
West Virginia had 2 to 3 inches of snow by Sunday evening and expected a foot more in its northern panhandle. Mountaineer Race Track in Chester canceled live racing Sunday after jockeys refused to ride because of the blinding snow.
"The jockeys couldn't even see across the track because it was snowing so hard," said Lenora Beaumont, a receptionist at the track.
Updated forecasts Sunday night said warmer temperatures might cause snow to mix with sleet and rain in the New York City area until this afternoon, when it will change to all snow.
"The storm is now mainly a Monday night to Tuesday event. The bulk of the heavy snow will be occurring then," National Weather Service meteorologist Ralph Izzo said.
Delta, Continental and other airlines canceled dozens of flights into the New York metropolitan area's La Guardia, Kennedy and Newark airports, said Ernesto Butcher, chief operating officer of the Port Authority, which runs the region's airports.
"Rather than having people sitting in airports around the country, they can cancel flights in advance to control the situation," Butcher said
People heeded warnings Sunday and cleaned out hardware store supplies of snow shovels and stocked up on bread and milk.
"I've had numerous customers take two carts of stuff, like they're going to get snowed in for the weekend, like we're back in 'Little House on the Prairie' times," said manager Joe Jancsarics at Redner's Warehouse Market in Trexlertown, Pa.
"We just ran out of ice melt and rock salt," Jerry's Hardware owner Jerry LaComfora said Sunday morning in Worcester, Mass. "One lady bought eight snow shovels I didn't ask why."
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