Northeast US streets empty amid monster blizzard's onset
NEW YORK - Streets across the Northeast were nearly empty early Tuesday after cities from Boston to New York and Philadelphia shut down amid a monster storm expected to unload up to 3 feet (90 centimeters) of snow on a densely populated region of more than 35 million people.
Snow and high winds lashed midtown Manhattan near Madison Square Garden as light snow fell in Boston. Forecasters said the storm would build into a blizzard, and the brunt of it would hit late Monday and into Tuesday.
More than 7,700 flights in and out of the Northeast were canceled, and many of them may not take off again until Wednesday. Schools and businesses let out early. Government offices closed. Shoppers stocking up on food jammed supermarkets and elbowed one another for what was left. Broadway stages went dark.
