Heavy Snowfall, Cold Plaguing Much of Nation

Up to 18 inches of snow fell Sunday over parts of the Northeast, and cold air covered much of the nation east of the Rockies, with highs only in the teens from Minnesota to northern New England.

A storm centered off Maine dumped heavy snow over much of the state, and high wind in the wake of the storm produced squalls with heavy snow in the Great Lakes region.

Southern and central Maine got 6 to 14 inches of snow from late Saturday into Sunday, while snow squalls in the lower Great Lakes region buried parts of western New York state, with 18 inches in the town of West Valley.

Up to 8 inches of snow blanketed Vermont from Saturday into Sunday, and totals along the northern and western lake shores of Michigan ranged up to 13 inches. In northern Indiana, up to 13 inches fell at Michiana, and up to a foot fell along the Lake Erie shore in Ohio.

Strong, gusty wind accompanied the snow in the Northeast, causing considerable blowing and drifting and producing wind-chill readings well below zero.

Overnight temperatures in the teens forced Chicago’s homeless to seek the 827 beds in 17 warming centers. A shelter program spokesman said one or two more centers would be opened.

Low temperatures early Sunday dipped into the teens and single digits from the northern and central High Plains through the Ohio Valley and the Great Lakes to northern New England.