Hurricane-force cold winds lash U.S. Northeast

The U.S. Northeast was gripped by an active weather pattern combined with bitterly cold air fronts Sunday and many areas in the region were pummeled by strong winds plus snow.

Blizzard conditions were brought to coastal communities in New England, where traffic has come to a standstill because of the snow storm, and a chilly weather, with temperature lows of up to minus 10 degrees Fahrenheit (or minus 23 degrees Celsius), was expected in parts of the region Sunday night, according to the National Weather Service report.

Most of the eastern areas in the state of Massachusetts have received a foot (or 30 centimeters) of snow by Sunday morning, with Ipswich and Salisbury recording 20 inches (50 centimeters). Coastal areas of New Hampshire and southern Maine could also get up to 2 feet of snow.

Blizzards forced the cancellation of more than 1,750 passenger flights, most of them into or out of airports in Boston, Massachusetts, and in New York, where gusts of up to 60 miles per hour (about 97 kilometers per hour) were predicted. By Monday morning, the temperature in Boston will feel like minus 20 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 33 degrees Celsius).

Governor Charlie Baker of Massachusetts warned that winds blowing more than 60 mph could bring power outages. He also urged drivers to stay home Sunday.

Across Massachusetts, about 600 members of the National Guard were helping out during the blizzards, Baker said. Endite