Major Blizzard Misses NYC, But Blasts L.I. & New England.

A storm packing blizzard conditions spun up the East Coast early Tuesday, pounding coastal eastern Long Island into Maine with high winds and heavy snow, but it failed to live up to the hype in big cities like Philadelphia and New York, which canceled its travel ban amid better-than-expected weather conditions


Pedestrians make their way through driving snow in midtown Manhattan on Jan. 26, 2015. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)


Massachusetts was pounded by snow and lashed by strong winds early Tuesday as bands of heavy snow left some towns including Sandwich on Cape Cod and Oxford in central Massachusetts reporting more than 18 inches of snow. Total accumulation was expected to reach or exceed two feet in most of Massachusetts, potentially making it one of the top snowstorms of all time.


 People walk down mostly empty streets following road closures in Times Square on January 26, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Cem Ozdel/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

 On Monday, life abruptly stopped across NYC, Long Island and upstate parts of the region as officials ordered workers to go home early, banned cars, buses and subways after 11 pm, except for emergency vehicles. They also closed bridges and tunnels, and assembled their biggest plowing crews. But travel bans were lifted before midmorning in New Jersey and New York as the city got less than 8 inches of snow.. New York City buses, subways and trains were expected to restart later in the morning and a return to a full schedule was expected Wednesday.

 Schools and businesses let out early, and virtually all schools and colleges, public and private closed on Wednesday, expecting the worst.  Government offices closed. Shoppers stocking up on food jammed supermarkets and elbowed one another for what was left. Broadway stages went dark.