Storm brings squalls to the Northeast; 2 dead from heart attacks after shoveling snow

Snow squalls — sudden bursts of heavy snow and gusty wind — created whiteout conditions in parts of the northeast during a storm that brought even more snow to the Great Lakes region Thursday. Two people died from heart attacks after shoveling snow in upstate New York, officials said.

The deaths were recorded Wednesday in western New York’s Erie County, which has seen steady snowfall since the end of the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, well ahead of when winter officially starts on Dec. 21. Numerous schools in Buffalo and surrounding towns were closed Thursday, and vehicle accidents backed up traffic on highways after several inches of snow fell overnight and into the morning.

In Ohio, travel bans were in place Thursday in the northeast corner of the state along Lake Erie, where up to 5 feet of snow was on the ground from storms earlier in the week and more was in the forecast. Part of Pennsylvania along the lake was under a blizzard warning until early Saturday with speed reductions in effect on interstates. Surrounding counties in the region were under lake-effect snow warnings.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine declared a state of emergency in four counties ahead of the next round of lake-effect snow, which could bring another foot of snow through Friday, according to the National Weather Service.

Crews in Ashtabula, Ohio, along Lake Erie were busy brushing snow off roofs before the next round piles on top. The city’s fire chief said the department has responded to more than 100 snow emergencies, including collapsed roofs, downed power lines and trees, and people who needed medical care.

Power outages were starting to rise Thursday. Pennsylvania recorded more than 14,000 out of power Thursday morning, according to Poweroutage.com, which tracks outages throughout the nation. As the storm made its way to New England, Connecticut saw nearly 11,000 customers without electricity. Farther south, high winds knocked out power to more than 12,000 customers in Virginia.

“All of the outages we’re seeing are storm-related, mostly trees down on lines. Our crews are working to make repairs and restore power at numerous locations around the state as quickly and safely as possible,” said Eversource spokeswoman Sarah Paduano in Connecticut.

The storm dumped up to 8 inches of snow in parts of northern Connecticut, according to weather service reports. Parts of northwestern Massachusetts saw around 9 inches of snow.

Some winter-weary residents already were fed up even though the official start of the season is still two weeks away. An Ohio man could face charges after he tossed a shovel-full of snow on a plow driver through his open window after the truck pushed a snow pile into his driveway, police in Lake County said.

Slick roads from snowfall overnight into Thursday morning led to dozens of crashes along roads in Massachusetts and New Hampshire.

Many schools delayed opening or were closed for the day in New England.

Maine’s state government in Augusta didn’t open until midmorning, to ensure a safe commute, Gov. Janet Mills said.

“Drive safely, and remember, always give plenty of room to road crews and emergency responders,” Mills said in a statement.