A storm brings squalls to the Northeast; 2 people die from heart attacks after shoveling snow

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Skiers took to the slopes in New England after a snow storm dumped several feet of dry, fluffy snow in the region.The storm created whiteout conditions in parts of the Northeast brought more snow to the Great Lakes region. (AP Video: Lisa Rathke)

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Snow squalls created whiteout conditions in parts of the northeast during a storm that brought even more snow to the Great Lakes region Thursday.

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Snow covers homes and streets near the John Ball Zoo in Grand Rapids, Mich., Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024. (Neil Blake/The Grand Rapids Press via AP)

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Snow covers cars near the John Ball Zoo in Grand Rapids, Mich., Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024. (Neil Blake/The Grand Rapids Press via AP)

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A bus travels on snow-covered roads in Lowville, N.Y., on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. More snow has been falling on areas that have received feet of it in recent days. (AP Photo/Cara Anna)

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Lisa Sullivan, owner of Bartley’s Book on West Main Street in Wilmington, Vt., clears the snow from the sidewalk in front of her business as the snow falls on Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024. (Kristopher Radder/The Brattleboro Reformer via AP)

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Dennis and Kathy Tibbetts of Kingston, N.Y., walk down West Main Street in Wilmington, Vt., as the snow falls on Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024. (Kristopher Radder/The Brattleboro Reformer via AP)

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A Vermont Agency of Transportation snow plow clears the snow from Route 9/West Main Street in Wilmington, Vt., as the snow falls on Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024. (Kristopher Radder

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Andrew Weidig, an employee at Dot’s in Wilmington, Vt., on West Main Street, shovels the snow from the porch as the snow falls on Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024. (Kristopher Radder/The Brattleboro Reformer via AP)

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Evan Velez of Brattleboro, Vt., walks down Canal Street as the snow starts to dissipate after a snowstorm on Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024. (Kristopher Radder/The Brattleboro Reformer via AP)

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John Reed, a volunteer with the Vermont Food Bank, helps pack up after a fresh food distribution site in Brattleboro, Vt., while snow falls on Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024. (Kristopher Radder/The Brattleboro Reformer via AP)

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Madison Palido, 14, of Brattleboro, Vt., walks to her bus stop after a two-hour delay for the start of school after a snowstorm on Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024. (Kristopher Radder/The Brattleboro Reformer via AP)

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Dylan Burguard of Brattleboro, Vt., builds a snowman with her 1-year-old son, Braedon Miller, after a snowstorm on Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024. (Kristopher Radder/The Brattleboro Reformer via AP)

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Hughes Barber of Brattleboro, Vt., uses a snowblower to clear off his driveway after a snowstorm on Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024. (Kristopher Radder/The Brattleboro Reformer via AP)

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A Vermont Agency of Transportation snow plow clears the snow from Route 9/West Main Street in Wilmington, Vt., as the snow falls on Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024. (Kristopher Radder/The Brattleboro Reformer via AP)

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Edita Huss, of Fitchburg, Mass., shovels snow in front of her home, in Fitchburg, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

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Marilyn Berube, of Fitchburg, Mass., swings in a park near her home after a snowfall, in Fitchburg, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

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Charles Leslie, Sr., of Winchendon, Mass., removes snow from his driveway in front of his home in Winchendon, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

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Charles Leslie, Sr., of Winchendon, Mass., uses a snowblower on his driveway, in Winchendon, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

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A car gets brushed off, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024, in Springfield, Mass. (Don Treeger/The Republican via AP)

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Arnaldo Santana tosses an orange newspaper bag onto the porch of his snow removal customer on Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024, in Springfield, Mass. (Don Treeger/The Republican via AP)

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A cyclist makes his way through the streets in the morning snow, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024, in Springfield, Mass. (Don Treeger/The Republican via AP)

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Arnaldo Santana pushes his bike up a road on his way to shovel the walk and driveway of a client, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024, in Springfield, Mass. (Don Treeger/The Republican via AP)

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Skiers line up to get on a chairlift as snow falls from a storm that moved across the region on Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024, at Stowe Mountain Resort in Stowe, Vt. (AP Photo/Lisa Rathke)

By KATHY McCORMACK

Snow squalls — sudden bursts of heavy snow and gusty winds — created whiteout conditions in parts of the northeast during a storm that brought even more snow to the Great Lakes region Thursday. Two people died from heart attacks after shoveling snow in upstate New York, officials said.

The deaths were recorded Wednesday in western New York’s Erie County, which has seen steady snowfall since the end of the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, well ahead of when winter officially starts on Dec. 21. Numerous schools in Buffalo and surrounding towns were closed Thursday, and vehicle accidents backed up traffic on highways after several inches of snow fell overnight and into the morning.

In Ohio, travel bans were in place Thursday in the northeast corner of the state along Lake Erie, where up to 5 feet (1.5 meters) of snow was on the ground from storms earlier in the week and more was in the forecast. Part of Pennsylvania along the lake was under a blizzard warning until early Saturday with speed reductions in effect on interstates. Surrounding counties in the region were under lake-effect snow warnings.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine declared a state of emergency in four counties ahead of the next round of lake-effect snow, which could bring another foot (30 centimeters) of snow through Friday, according to the National Weather Service.

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Crews in Ashtabula, Ohio, along Lake Erie were busy brushing snow off roofs before the next round piles on top. The city’s fire chief said the department has responded to more than 100 snow emergencies, including collapsed roofs, downed power lines and trees, and people who needed medical care.

Power outages were starting to rise Thursday. Pennsylvania recorded more than 14,000 out of power Thursday morning, according to Poweroutage.com, which tracks outages throughout the nation. As the storm made its way to New England, Connecticut saw nearly 11,000 customers without electricity. Farther south, high winds knocked out power to more than 12,000 customers in Virginia.

“All of the outages we’re seeing are storm-related, mostly trees down on lines. Our crews are working to make repairs and restore power at numerous locations around the state as quickly and safely as possible,” said Eversource spokeswoman Sarah Paduano in Connecticut.

The storm dumped up to 8 inches (20 centimeters) of snow in parts of northern Connecticut, according to weather service reports. Parts of northwestern Massachusetts saw around 9 inches (about 23 centimeters) of snow.

Skiers at the Stowe Mountain Resort in Stowe, Vermont, were taking advantage of the wintry weather.

“It’s awesome to see some snow in the mountains right now,” said Cyrus Schenck of Burlington, Vermont. “I know it’s early December and usually it’s hit or miss, but everything’s covered and trees included. It’s not just where they blew snow.”

Matt Wells, who lives near Columbus, Ohio, said it was his first time at the resort, and he hoped more trails might be opened soon.

“You don’t see it like this in Ohio, but it’s coming down on us so we’re thankful for that,” he said. “We’re hoping we can get a couple more of these open, but the couple they’ve got open are pretty good.”

Other winter-weary residents already were fed up even though the official start of the season is still two weeks away. An Ohio man could face charges after he tossed a shovel-full of snow on a plow driver through his open window after the truck pushed a snow pile into his driveway, police in Lake County said.

Slick roads from snowfall overnight into Thursday morning led to dozens of crashes along roads in Massachusetts and New Hampshire.

Many schools delayed opening or were closed for the day in New England.

Maine’s state government in Augusta didn’t open until midmorning, to ensure a safe commute, Gov. Janet Mills said.

“Drive safely, and remember, always give plenty of room to road crews and emergency responders,” Mills said in a statement.

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Associated Press writers Carolyn Thompson in New York, John Seewer in Ohio, David Collins in Connecticut, Patrick Whittle in Maine, Steve LeBlanc in Massachusetts and Lisa Rathke in Vermont contributed to this story.