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Nasty Winter Storm Causes At Least 16 Deaths in Northeastern U.S.

Snow, freezing rain, skidding planes and at least 16 deaths have swept across regions of the nation in the company of a nasty winter storm.

It started on Wednesday night and intensified in some places on Thursday. There was precipitation in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Massachusetts, snow in upstate New York and New England, and a rare winter storm in Little Rock, Arkansas—the 9 inches that fell broke a December 25 snowfall record that stood for 86 years.

Many travelers were frustrated throughout the day, as the weather kept them from returning home two days after Christmas.

As for airport travel, the weather possibly caused some problems on Long Island, where a Southwest Airlines jet bound for Tampa, Florida, veered off a taxiway before take-off and got stuck in mud Thursday morning. Officials said there were no injuries to the 129 passengers and five crew members.

An American Airlines flight landed safely in Pittsburgh during the storm Wednesday night, but then got stuck in several inches of snow on the tarmac and had to sit there for about two hours.

Along the Gulf Coast in places like Mobile and Georgiana, Alabama, there were deadly tornadoes, peeling away roofs and downing trees. In Georgiana, an 81-year-old man died after a tree fell on his home, emergency officials said.

Deaths from falling trees also were reported in Texas and Louisiana, while car crash fatalities were reported in Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Arkansas and Ohio.

“A lot of people are staying off the road,” Louis Zalewa, 31, who works at a truck stop in Connecticut, told the Associated Press. “I think people are being smart.”

On Tuesday, Gov. Phil Bryant declared a state of emergency for several battered Mississippi counties, a declaration that helps get support to victims. He said that at least eight counties reported damage and injuries. Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe declared a statewide disaster.

“Our main priority is focused on recovery,” said John Kilcullen, director of operations for emergency management in Mobile, Alabama.

 

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