East Coast braces for another storm days after powerful nor'easter

BOSTON -- Hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses from Virginia to New England remained without power Monday, several days after a major nor'easter struck the East Coast, and with another storm bearing down. Even as the cleanup is underway, another storm is headed to the region Wednesday, albeit a much different beast.

CBS Boston chief meteorologist Eric Fisher said first, a full-fledged blizzard will span across the Northern Plains and the upper-Midwest with very strong winds up and down the Plains.

Fished said a winter storm watch is up along the Northeast Corridor, and the storm is expected to swing across the Northern Plains before it becomes a nor'easter and moves along the East Coast. He said its expected to be colder than last week's storm with less powerful wind gusts.

The Mid-Atlantic states will likely see some precipitation starting late Tuesday and continuing through Thursday.

Last week, the nor'easter pounded the Eastern Seaboard with a combination of gusting winds, rain and snow, and coastal communities were left to deal with damaging high tide flooding as powerful waves and churning surf pounded shorelines and beachfront homes.

Dozens of Massachusetts schools remained closed Monday, most in coastal areas south of Boston, the region which bore the brunt of the storm. It could be midnight Tuesday before everyone is back online.

In Pennsylvania, more than 100,000 residents were waiting for power to be restored as hundreds of crews worked to clear trees and repair power lines. Officials said some customers may not have service restored until at least Tuesday. At the peak of the storm, roughly 587,000 customers were without power. Some schools were closed, while others were delaying their opening.

Nearly 50,000 people in the Washington area were without power Monday, and some might not have service restored for a few more days.