Nine Dead As Winter Storm Sweeps U.S. Northeast

A winter storm slammed into the U.S. Northeast with howling winds and frigid cold, dumping nearly 2 feet (60 centimeters) of snow in some parts and whipping up blizzard-like conditions on Friday, the Associated Press reported.

More than 2,300 U.S. airlines were canceled nationwide ahead of the storm, especially at New York and Boston airports. According to the aviation tracking website FlightAware.com, about 1,600 flights were canceled nationwide by Friday morning.

Governors in New York and New Jersey declared states of emergency, urging residents to stay home. Extending the holiday break for tens of thousands of students, hundreds of Boston and NY schools were shut down.

"This is nothing to be trifled with," N.Y. Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. "People should seriously consider staying in their homes."

According to the AP, the storm and slick roads have caused traffic deaths in Michigan, Kentucky, Indiana and Illinois. Across the eastern half of the U.S., at least nine deaths have been reported.

A massive pile of salt fell on a worker and killed him at a Philadelphia storage facility. A woman with Alzheimer's disease froze to death after she wandered away from her rural New Yokr home, authorities said.

Forecasters said temperatures were plummeting to well below freezing, and wind chill readings could hit minus 10 Fahrenheit, the AP reported. NYC and Boston outreach teams were searching streets for homeless people at risk of freezing to death.

Some major highways in New York state were shut down overnight, and some commuter trains around NYC were operating on a reduced schedule. Amtrak planned to run trains on all of its Northeast lines on Friday but operate on a modified schedule, spokeswoman Christina Leeds said.

Nonessential state workers were ordered by N.J. Gov. Chris Christie to stay home Friday.

The heavy weather began rolling in Thursday, just a day after N.Y. Mayor Bill de Blasio was sworn in to lead the nation's largest city and a few days before Boston Mayor Thomas Menino ends 20 years in office, according to the AP.

de Blasio, who in 2010 criticized predecessor Mayor Michael Bloomberg for his handling of a post-Christmas storm, said 1,700 snowplows and 450 salt spreaders were hitting the streets in NYC.

"We have to get it right, no question about it," de Blasio said. "We are focused like a laser on protecting this city."