Winter storm snarls travel from Midwest to Atlantic

NEW YORK - The work week got off to a slippery start Monday as a storm packing freezing rain, sleet and snow made travel difficult from the Ozarks to New England.

Poor driving conditions marked the early Monday commute and traveling was expected to be difficult through much of the day as the storm moves northeastward from the mid-Mississippi Valley. The National Weather Service issued a winter weather advisory for an area stretching from near St. Louis to southern New England.

Roads and sidewalks began to glaze over Sunday night in central Indiana along the Interstate 70 corridor, but the storm produced lighter amounts of ice than forecasters had predicted due to slightly warmer air and lighter precipitation. Sharply colder air is forecast for later Monday.

In upstate New York, a few more inches of snow are forecast to top off the 2- to 4-plus feet of snow that piled up from the most recent lake-effect storms. Snow fell Monday morning from Buffalo to Albany, causing minor delays for commuters in some areas.

Near Cleveland, Ohio, there were slowdowns on major highways with snow expected through the morning and early afternoon.

Cold weather and icy conditions forced schools in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York to either open late or close for the day.

Federal agencies in the Washington area opened under a two hour delay as freezing rain threatened the region. Many schools in the Washington region opened late, but public schools in Loudoun County, Frederick County and Harford County were closed.

Philadelphia and New York dealt with freezing rain, sleet and light snow early Monday. Boston could see periods of freezing rain and sleet.

Transportation officials are reducing speed limits on northeastern Pennsylvania highways as a winter storm continues to make roads slick. Low clouds are delaying flights in and out of Philadelphia International Airport.

Snowfall across the area, including the southern Great Lakes, northern Pennsylvania, New York and New England is expected to be 3 inches or less.

The National Weather Service says bad weather could create hazardous travel conditions for parts of northern and central New Mexico this week.

An upper-level trough on Monday is expected to produce rain and higher-elevation snow, mainly from the central mountain chain westward. Forecast snow levels will run around 7,000 feet on Monday before dropping to near 5,500 feet Monday night.