Weekly wrap-up: Nor'easter snarls travel, yields widespread power cuts; Aftershocks rattle Papua New Guinea
A second nor'easter in less than a week pounded the mid-Atlantic and northeastern United States, dropping feet of snow and cutting power to more than a million people.
New Jersey was hit hardest with snow. Montville and Morris Plains, in north Jersey, both received more than 26 inches of snow. Three feet of snow fell in Woodford in southern Vermont.
Power outages mounted as the storm intensified and moved up the coast in the middle of the week. Utility companies were already stretched thin as thousands were still without power due to the previous bomb cyclone.
The Associated Press reported that 10 people were hospitalized in North White Plains, New York, with symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning after running a generator inside a home.
Catherine Elliot digs out her car during a nor'easter, Thursday, March 8, 2018, in Portland, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
One person was killed in Suffern, New York, after being struck by a falling utility pole, according to local station News 12.
The heavy snow made travel across the region difficult, if not impossible, in some areas. New Jersey State Police responded to more than 530 vehicle accidents on Wednesday alone.
Last week's storm did uncover a Revolutionary-war era shipwreck off the coast of Maine, however.
The remnants of the sailing ship, which likely sank due to weather between 1750 and 1850, was spotted after the storm battered the coastline, unearthing sand from the area.
Last week's nor'easter has unearthed a 160-year-old shipwreck along Maine's Short Sands Beach. (Photo/York Maine Police Department)
What remains of the ship makes appearances during major storms, most recently in 2013.
Five skiers were rescued after after an avalanche at Squaw Valley ski resort in Olympic Valley, California, late last week.
Reports say one person has died due to the avalanche. In total, over 100 professional ski patrollers, emergency respondents and multiple avalanche rescue dogs responded to the incident, officials said.
Papua New Guinea continued to be struck with aftershocks early this week following a deadly 7.5 magnitude quake last week.
Seventy-five people were killed in the earthquake, and 7,000 homes were damaged or destroyed. Recent aftershocks were strong enough to produce more damage, the USGS said.
Tropical Cyclone Hola, churning in the South Pacific Ocean, battered parts of Vanuatu and New Caledonia this week, before taking aim on New Zealand.
Meanwhile, a storm set to bring flooding rainfall to Spain, Portugal and France this weekend was named Storm Felix.
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