(CNN) — Heavy rains and hurricane-force winds that surpassed 70 miles per hour in places toppled trees, left more than a half-million people without power and suspended travel throughout much of the Northeast and mid-Atlantic region Saturday night.

Four inches of rain fell in parts of the region, and the National Weather Service extended storm and flood warnings for much of the area into Sunday.

“This storm is such a slow mover that it’s not going to pull out probably until Monday,” said CNN meteorologist Jacqui Jeras. “There’s another whole day to get through with heavy rain and strong winds.”

Some areas will see an additional 1 to 3 inches of rain by Sunday, Jeras said, though winds are expected to die down to a maximum of 30 miles an hour.

Power outages darkened much of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Connecticut.

New Jersey’s PSE&G electric company said 136,000 customers were without power Saturday night, while Long Island Power Authority said close to 190,000 customers lacked electricity.

“The ground is so wet from all the snow we’ve had this winter, it’s helping the trees to topple over, as well as our utility poles, said Long Island Power Authority president and CEO Kevin Law. “The conditions are still too terrible to get crews out there.”

Law said that some customers will likely go without power until early next week.

Con Edison reported 97,000 customers without power in New York City and Westchester County, while other electric companies in the region reported tens of thousands more were in the dark.

Amtrak suspended trains between New York and Philadelphia because of issues with overhead wires and power outages. About 10 Amtrak trains were affected.

New Jersey Transit stopped train service for the majority of its system, including the Northeast Corridor, North Jersey Coastline, Raritan Valley, and Atlantic City Rail lines. A New Jersey Transit spokeswoman said many trees have fallen on overhead wires.

Boston’s Logan International Airport diverted flights due to weather and there were reports of major delays at airports throughout the Northeast.

Across the region, trees and utility poles crashed onto houses and cars. Part of a crane collapsed at a construction site in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

The New York police department brought in additional 911 operators Saturday to handle the surge in emergency calls.
[CNN]

WASHINGTON — A blizzard-like storm rocked the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast on Saturday, crippling travel across the region and leaving hundreds of thousands of customers without power.

Five deaths appeared to have been caused by the storm system, which stretched from the Carolinas north to New England and also spread into some Midwestern states. The 14 inches of snow that fell at Reagan National Airport outside Washington was the most ever recorded for a single December day, while about 9 inches had fallen in Philadelphia.

Those who did venture out were treated to nearly desolate stores on what is usually one of the busiest shopping days of the year. There were virtually no lines to get a picture with a mall Santa on the last weekend before Christmas.

The National Guard used Humvees to rescue stranded motorists in Virginia and some 500 people had sought warmth and refuge in emergency shelters.

“The snow has not stopped falling, the storm isn’t over, and folks should not think this is crying wolf,” said Laura Southard, a spokeswoman for the Virginia Department of Emergency Management.

More than two feet of snow fell in some areas since Friday, and the nation’s capital was under a blizzard warning. Public transportation nearly ground to a halt, but it wasn’t enough to keep senators from staying in session to debate health care reform.

The slow-moving storm was headed to the Northeast, where forecasters said parts of Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts could see more than 16 inches by Sunday night. Forecasters expected the storm to drop as many as 10 inches on New York City.

Snowplows cleared the runway at Andrews Air Force Base in suburban Washington as President Barack Obama returned from climate talks in Copenhagen. The White House said Obama rode in a motorcade back to the White House, instead of taking his helicopter, because of the conditions.

The region was virtually a sea of white. The Smithsonian Institution closed its museums, and the National Mall, which normally would be swarming with tourists, instead was the scene of snowball fights and cross-country skiers.

For Chris and Kelly Fitzpatrick, who were visiting from Clearwater, Fla., the winter wonderland came at the perfect time.

“It’s her fault that we’re out so long. She wants to walk and walk and walk,” said Chris Fitzpatrick, 38.

In western Virginia, officials said several hundred motorists became stranded and had to be rescued by four-wheel-drive vehicles.

“Some folks have decided to stay in vehicles, others have been taken to shelters,” said Virginia Department of Emergency Management spokesman Bob Spieldenner. “We’re definitely trying to keep people off the roads.”

Virginia State Police spokeswoman Corinne Geller said traffic was moving, though slowly. There were reports of jackknifed tractor-trailers and some semis on their sides. Troopers had responded to more than 4,000 traffic crashes and disabled vehicles.

One person in Virginia was killed in a traffic accident caused by slick roads, and authorities said the weather may have contributed to another traffic death. A third death is believed to have been caused by exposure. In Ohio, two people were killed in accidents on snow-covered roads hit by the same storm system.

At Crump’s Store at the intersection of two country roads outside Richmond, Va., owner Suzanne Rudd stood with a man dressed as Santa and waved to the few motorists who dared to hit the slick roads. Rudd said only a few children had come to visit with Santa.

“Normally we’d have a long line here but people are having a hard time getting out,” Rudd said.

The same was true at the Cherry Hill Mall in New Jersey, which would typically be a place where down-to-the-wire Christmas shoppers would create a mob scene. Instead, parking spots were plentiful.

Inside, there was no line for a picture with Santa.

“It was fantastic,” said Chris Bailey, who got pictures of his 4-year-old daughter Olivia.

Mayors in Washington and Philadelphia declared snow emergencies and forecasters said the conditions could worsen. Governors in Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky and Delaware declared states of emergency.

“It’s going to be an all day thing. It’s going to be on and off,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Kevin Witt in Sterling, Va.

Most of the flights at Reagan National Airport and Dulles International Airport were canceled, creating a ripple effect of delays across the country. By Saturday night, the runways at both airports were closed until at least 6 a.m. Sunday. BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport also closed Saturday afternoon to allow crews to clear snow from the runways and travelers who tried to reach their destinations by train also faced long delays and threats of cancellations.

“It’s going to be very challenging for people who weren’t able to get out today to rebook on flights this week,” said Tara Hamilton, a spokeswoman for the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority.

Joy Rood, 20, played solitaire as she waited at Reagan for a flight to visit family in Los Angeles with her husband, who was asleep at a table outside an airport cafe.

“We had a canceled flight at Dulles at 6 yesterday because the plane had difficulties,” she said. “So they cabbed us over here to — uh, what airport am I at?”

Washington’s Union Station was full of travelers, some of them sprawled on the floor. Other travelers were stuck on the tracks. A train with 255 passengers was stopped near Alexandria, Va., for five hours Saturday while workers tried to fix a frozen track switch, said Amtrak spokeswoman Vernae Graham. She expected the train to arrive in Washington sometime Saturday night but declined to give a more specific estimate of when.

Delays were also reported for trains between Washington and Boston. At Union Station, Imke and Mike Jandreau were hoping to get on a train to Boston after their flight to Maine was canceled.

“I was on hold for almost seven hours with the airline, so we gave up and came here,” Imke Jandreau, 25, said.

Forecasters said the storm system was expected to generate winds up to 35 miles per hour, which could cause near-whiteout conditions.

At a Walmart in the Richmond, Va., area, Nnika White took advantage of the few shoppers, buying a drum set for her 2 1/2 year old son. White, dressed in a toboggan, scarf and flannel-like jacket, said she works long hours at the law firm she owns and doesn’t get much time to shop.

“It’s nice because no one’s here. For shopping, it’s great, but the roads are very, very bad,” she said.

Snow, ice and freezing rain also hit western North Carolina on Friday, knocking out power to almost 60,000 customers around the Asheville area.

After a warm start to the ski season that delayed openings of many resorts, the storm arrived just in time for West Virginia, dumping more than 20 inches on some slopes, said Joe Stevens, a spokesman for the area’s ski association.

“These are midseason conditions,” he said. “The storm couldn’t have come at a better time.”

The storm came from the Gulf and drenched South Florida with rain starting late Thursday, leaving flooded homes and stranded drivers.

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