Thousands without power as storm brings heavy snow to north-east US

A fierce storm has lashed the north-east in the US, with widespread power outages amid the hurricane-force winds and heavy snow.

With spring tantalisingly in their grasp, many residents were left shaking their heads — and wielding shovels they had hoped would not be needed again — after the third major storm in two weeks buried some towns beneath two feet of snow on Tuesday.

“The groundhog was right. Six more weeks of winter, and probably then some,” said Paul Knight, of Portland, Maine.

The National Weather Service said Derry, New Hampshire, got 25 inches, while Burrillville, Rhode Island, and Kezar Falls, Maine, both got 20 inches.

High winds and blowing snow led meteorologists to categorise the storm as a blizzard in parts of New England, including Boston. Gusts approached 70mph on Cape Cod, the weather service said.

At one point, more than a quarter-million people were without power in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island.

Utility companies said they would have extra crews out on Wednesday to restore power to those still without it.

Amtrak suspended all service on Tuesday between Boston and New York City. The railroad later announced that most services between the two cities would resume on Wednesday.

Road and air travel also was disrupted: Slick roads were blamed for at least one death in North Carolina, and flight-tracking site FlightAware reported more than 1,500 cancelled flights.

Janice James’s house in Osterville on Cape Cod was in the dark again after losing power for three days in the last storm. Mrs James and her four children spent the day eating food she made before the storm and hoping the lights and heating would come back soon.

“We are freezing,” the 39-year-old said.