Northeast’s Deep freeze Slightly Eases...01/19/00

(MSNBC) “IT’S THE FIRST real cold that we’ve had, and people haven’t experienced anything like this in a while, so it caught a lot of people off guard,” said Matt McKenzie, spokesman for the Automobile Association of America in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont.

On Tuesday, the mercury dropped to more than 30 degrees below zero in some places — one of the region’s coldest snaps in years. Several deaths were blamed on the cold. But by Wednesday morning, temperatures in Massachusetts ranged from 8 below zero at Great Barrington all the way up to 23 at Provincetown. And unlike Monday and Tuesday, there was little wind to drive wind chill readings down. In New York City, Wednesday morning temperatures were in the low teens, compared with 3 above zero on Tuesday.

SNOW IN NORTH CAROLINA
Up to 6 inches of snow fell on North Carolina, and an additional 3 to 5 inches was possible on Wednesday at higher elevations. Many school districts canceled classes, anticipating slippery roads, and businesses delayed opening until midmorning.

A 4-year-old girl who apparently became separated from friends while playing in the snow in Chapel Hill, N.C., on Monday was found alive on Tuesday. Hailey Bogue was in serious condition late Tuesday, suffering from hypothermia.