The northeastern U.S., including New York City, prepared Thursday for heavy snow, strong winds and frigid temperatures that threatened to slow the region's return to work after the holidays. Snow began falling overnight in parts of New England and New York, but the real force of the storm was expected later Thursday and into Friday. Temperatures were expected to drop well below freezing, according to the National Weather Service. "There will be travel problems," said Hugh Johnson, a weather service meteorologist. About 1,400 flights have been canceled nationwide for Thursday, according to the aviation tracking website FlightAware.com. Chicago's O'Hare and New Jersey's Newark Liberty International airports are among the most affected. Up to 14 inches (355 millimeters) of snow is forecast for the Boston area, and the National Weather Service issued a blizzard warning for Long Island outside New York City, where up to 10 inches (254 millimeters) of snow was expected. The storm may be the first test of New York City's new mayor, who was sworn in Wednesday. The city, expected to get up to 7 inches (177 millimeters), issued a snow alert.
