A winter storm made travel torturous in the Northeast on Sunday, dropping a thick layer of snow that stranded thousands of airline, train and bus passengers. More than a foot (30 centimeters) of snow was expected in some areas, including New York and Boston, the Associated Press reported. More than 1,400 flights had been canceled out of the New York City area's three major airports alone, and more cancellations were expected Monday. Airlines canceled flights throughout the Northeast and at airports in Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Chicago and the Carolinas. They expected more cancellations Monday, but were trying to rebook passengers and hoped to resume normal operations Tuesday. U.S. Airways had already canceled 110 Monday flights by Sunday afternoon _ spokesman Jim Olson said that was to try to keep passengers and crews from getting stranded at airports. Amtrak, meanwhile, canceled train service from New York to Maine on Sunday evening, after doing the same earlier for several trains in Virginia. New York's Long Island Rail Road, the nation's largest commuter rail system, also suspended service. Bus companies canceled routes up and down the East Coast, affecting thousands of travelers. The Northeast received the brunt of the storm. Forecasters issued blizzard warnings for parts of New Jersey and New York City for Sunday and Monday. By Sunday night, 20 inches (51 centimeters) of snow had fallen on North Brunswick, New Jersey, and 18 inches (46 centimeters) had fallen farther south in Cape May County. Forecasters were expecting 12 inches (30 centimeters) to 20 inches (51 centimeters) in most areas along the Jersey shore by the time the snow stopped. A blizzard warning was also in effect for Rhode Island and most of eastern Massachusetts, where 12 inches (30 centimeters) to 16 inches (41 centimeters) of snow was expected by the time flurries taper off Monday morning, said William Babcock, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Taunton, Mass. A blizzard warning is issued when snow is accompanied by sustained winds or gusts over 35 mph (56 kph). The monster storm is the result of a low pressure system off the North Carolina coast and strengthened as it moved northeast, according to the National Weather Service. Columbia, South Carolina, had its first significant snow since weather records were first kept in 1887. Atlanta had just over an inch (2.5 centimeters) of snow _ the first measurable accumulation since the 1880s. About 12 inches (30 centimeters) of snow fell in Norfolk, Virginia, the most seen there since a February 1989 storm dumped nearly 15 inches (38 centimeters). Utility companies in the Carolinas said more than 100,000 people lost power because of the storm, and only about a third had service restored by midday Sunday.
