A strong winter storm that slammed the South was pushing north on Monday, producing heavy snow over parts of the Lower Great Lakes, Central Appalachians, upstate New York and Canada.

While New York City and other points along the East Coast mostly experienced a mix of rain and high winds, some of the hardest-hit places over the long holiday weekend were among the least prepared.

Thousands of people in the Southeast were still without electricity on Monday afternoon, with warnings that the power might take days to return in some places. Hundreds of flights were canceled. Numerous car accidents were reported on icy roads, including one that killed two people in Raleigh, N.C.

Digging out down South, if you have a shovel.

Tiffany Graves, 46, of Charlotte, N.C., said that as a southerner, she had felt unprepared during snowstorms in years past.

But on Sunday morning, as the sleet hit her window, she said she “sort of went into panic mode” and prepared for the worst: cold tuna sandwiches on standby in case the power went out; battery packs charged; ice scraper ready.

Still, on Monday, as she saw neighbors shoveling snow from cars and streets outside, she realized a gap in her planning: she had no shovel of her own. But she did have electricity, unlike many in her state who were still waiting.

The snow was more of an overnight wonder in Canton, Miss., where up to 9 inches of snow dropped on Sunday. On Monday afternoon, residents were mostly relaxing as the snow melted away from porches and parks, the captain of the Fire Department said.

“People were just excited about the snow, and it all melted by that evening,” Capt. Eric Redmond said. “It’s not normal for us to get that much snow down here.”

Winter storm warnings reach north to Canada.

Winter storm warnings stretched from western North Carolina up through Maine, according to the National Weather Service.

The storm played out in typical fashion near Lake Erie. Harpersfield, Ohio, which is northeast of Cleveland and next to the lake, had received 22.5 inches of snow as of Monday morning, according to the Weather Service. Freezing rain and sleet turned into snow in western Pennsylvania.

Buffalo lived up to its reputation, with totals expected to reach up to 18 inches, with gusty winds as high as 40 miles per hour through the day. On the border of the United States and Canada, the town of Grand Island, N.Y., in Erie County had received 22 inches of snow by 10 a.m. on Monday, the service said.

Across the border, the city of Toronto issued a winter storm warning Monday afternoon, hours after snow had risen past the knees of morning dog-walkers in some parts of the city, the fourth-largest in North America.

The police closed two of Toronto’s main intercity highways. The …….

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/17/us/snowstorm-updates-northeast.html