East Plagued by Late-Winter Snowstorm

A late-winter storm in the East dumped a foot of snow Thursday on Pennsylvania as utility crews worked to restore power to thousands of people blacked out by the storm’s icy assault a day earlier in Indiana and Illinois.

The National Weather Service posted winter weather advisories for snow mixed with freezing rain in sections of Delaware, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, New Jersey and New York.

A winter storm warning remained in effect in the Susquehanna Valley of eastern Pennsylvania. Twelve inches of snow blanketed Seven Springs, Pa., and two inches dusted Pittsburgh.

During its trek across the Midwest, the storm spewed a mixture of snow and ice that snapped power lines and blacked out more than 250,000 homes and businesses in Indiana and Illinois.

In Indiana, warmer weather Thursday helped repair efforts, but officials said it could take until next week before all power is restored. PSI Energy, the state’s largest electric utility, estimated that more than 100,000 customers lost power. Service had been restored to about 20,000 customers.

“This is clearly one of the most significant disasters in the state, and we’ve had some big ones,� said Jerome Hauer, director of the State Emergency Management Agency. “The impact is widespread.�

Residents of Anderson, one of nearly two dozen cities and counties declared disaster areas by Gov. Evan Bayh, were warned to boil tap water because the loss of electricity affected pumps in the water system.

In Illinois, officials said 12,000 people in the northeastern part of the state served by Commonwealth Edison Co. remained without power. Also blacked out were more than 3,000 customers of Central Illinois Public Service Co. and about 175 rural northwestern Illinois residents served by Illinois Power Co.