Forecasters see new storm for Northeast

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NEW YORK, Dec. 27 (UPI) -- A new storm was headed for portions of New England, the mid-Atlantic and the Ohio Valley as the region tried to dig out from a deadly Christmas blast.

Accuweather.com said the new storm could strengthen to a strong nor'easter or blizzard in portions of New England and the Maritimes.

Accuweather said the new storm forecast for the last weekend of 2012 will bring more snow to areas already hit by an after-Christmas storm and will bring snow to some areas that received rain or mostly rain.

One piece of good news: Forecasters said storm will not evoke a major outbreak of thunderstorms and tornadoes in the South.

Accuweather predicted a light to moderate snowfall for portions of the Ohio Valley late Friday into early Saturday, and then into the central Appalachians and the Interstate 95 mid-Atlantic corridor into Saturday evening. The storm was predicted to strengthen as it neared the Atlantic and take a north turn.

Predicted to get 1 to 3 inches of snow: the communities of Louisville, Ky., Cincinnati, Huntington, W.Va., Pittsburgh, Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York City.

Accuweather said there is a chance for the snow and wind to increase quickly just east of New York City (Long Island and Connecticut) through eastern New England, and Canada Weather Expert Brett Anderson predicted, "An all-out blizzard appears likely over portions of the Maritime Provinces on Sunday."

Rain is forecast for much of North Carolina, southeastern Virginia and the lower part of the Delmarva Peninsula.

Earlier this week, a deadly storm system moved across the United States, bringing blizzard conditions, blackouts and travel delays.

The weather outside was expected to be frightful in some areas Thursday as the storm chugged across the northeastern United States after unleashing heavy snow, sharp winds and tornadoes in the Midwest and South.

Thousands of travelers were stranded after flight cancellations because of the storm, airport officials told CNN. One flight tracking website indicated at least 360 flights were removed from schedules Thursday after about 1,780 flights were canceled on Wednesday.

Forecasters said heavy snowfall was expected in several states, including upstate New York, southern New England and central Maine through Friday. As much as 2 feet of snow was possible in central Maine, forecasters said.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo urged residents to avoid non-essential travel with snowfalls of 2-inches an hour predicted for some areas.

Wind caused huge delays at airports, including Philadelphia International Airport, which reported delays of at least four hours, the longest delay in the nation, the Federal Aviation Administration said. Several other airports in the northeast experienced delays of more than two hours Wednesday.

The dead include two children, who were killed in a car crash in Arkansas, law enforcement officials said.