More Snow Hits Northeast After Historic Storm/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ Light snow returned to parts of the Northeast as cities continued digging out from a historic winter storm. Black ice, slush and towering snow piles complicated travel from Maryland to Maine. Power restoration and snow removal remain ongoing, especially in Rhode Island and Massachusetts.
Quick Look: Northeast Snowstorm Recovery
- Light snow (1–3 inches) fell across the Northeast Wednesday.
- Black ice and slush created hazardous road conditions.
- Cities from Maryland to Maine continue massive cleanup efforts.
- Over 3 feet of snow fell in parts of Rhode Island.
- Nearly 160,000 Massachusetts customers remain without power.
- Schools reopening in some cities; Providence stays virtual.
- Flight disruptions easing after thousands of cancellations.
Winter recovery continues as crews clear towering snow piles and icy sidewalks.
More Snow Falls on Snowbound Northeast: Deep Look
The Northeast braced for another round of winter weather Wednesday as light snowfall dusted streets already buried beneath towering drifts left by an earlier, record-setting storm.
Forecasters said an additional 1 to 3 inches of snow would fall across parts of the region — modest compared to the historic totals earlier this week, but enough to create hazardous conditions. The National Weather Service warned that melting snow could refreeze overnight, forming patches of black ice and making for slick morning commutes. As temperatures ticked up mid-morning, slush replaced ice in many areas.
Cities Still Digging Out
From Maryland to Maine, municipalities were working around the clock to clear roadways, sidewalks and transit hubs after the powerful storm dumped massive amounts of snow.
In New York City, officials reported spreading 143 million pounds of salt by Tuesday evening. Mayor Zohran Mamdani also recruited at least 3,500 emergency shovelers, offering $30 per hour to clear bus stops and intersections clogged by snowbanks.
Power outages that left hundreds of thousands in the dark earlier in the week were largely resolved, but nearly 160,000 customers in Massachusetts remained without electricity early Wednesday.
Tragedy struck in Newport, where a 21-year-old college student was found dead from carbon monoxide poisoning inside a snow-covered vehicle Monday night, according to police.
Accessibility Challenges Mount
In many neighborhoods, particularly residential areas, snow removal remains incomplete. Sidewalks in parts of New York City were described as nearly impassable, especially for people with disabilities.
Advocates say snow piles have created narrow paths that are unusable for wheelchairs, walkers and strollers. At intersections, unplowed corners have hardened into icy mounds, blocking safe passage.
In Harrisville, which received more than 33 inches of snow, residents like Tina Guenette — who uses a motorized wheelchair — were forced to clear their own paths to allow service animals outside. Local volunteer shoveling programs have struggled to maintain participation in recent years.
A Historic Storm by the Numbers
Monday’s storm brought snowfall totals that eclipsed historic benchmarks in some areas. Parts of Rhode Island recorded more than 3 feet of snow, surpassing totals from the famed 1978 blizzard.
Meteorologist Ryan Maue calculated that the storm dropped an estimated 2.5 trillion gallons of water in snow form across the region. If concentrated solely over Manhattan, the snowfall would have stacked more than a mile high. Spread across Rhode Island alone, it would amount to more than 90 feet of snow statewide.
New York received the water equivalent of roughly 680 billion gallons, Pennsylvania about 410 billion, and Massachusetts about 28 billion, according to estimates.
In New York City, sanitation crews are using large heated basins to melt snow and ice hauled from streets — a strategy that helped eliminate 23 million pounds of accumulation during a storm last month.
Officials in Providence are transporting snow to five designated dumping sites and may add more as space fills up.
Schools and Travel Slowly Resume
While recovery continues, some normal routines are returning.
Philadelphia schools reopened Wednesday after switching to online instruction earlier in the week. Boston schools resumed classes following winter break closures. However, in hardest-hit Rhode Island, Providence schools remained closed for a third consecutive day, opting for virtual learning.
In New York City, more than 900,000 public school students returned to classrooms, navigating steep snowbanks and salt trucks during morning drop-offs.
Air travel disruptions also began easing. After thousands of cancellations earlier in the week, about 200 U.S. flights were grounded Wednesday, according to FlightAware. T. F. Green International Airport reopened Tuesday, though some delays persisted.
For travelers like Jamie Meyers, whose flight from Buenos Aires landed in New York after days of delays, the arrival prompted applause from relieved passengers.
What’s Next
With temperatures fluctuating and additional snow possible, officials warn that cleanup will continue for days. Slippery roads, icy sidewalks and massive snowbanks remain hazards across the Northeast.
While the fresh snowfall is lighter than the historic blast earlier this week, it serves as a reminder that winter’s grip on the region is far from over.
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