Storm strands hundreds along Kentucky interstates

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Authorities say heavy snow has left hundreds of vehicles stuck on rural stretches of interstates in Kentucky.

By midday Thursday, a strong cold front moving across the eastern U.S. had dumped more than 20 inches of snow into parts of Kentucky, and conditions worsened in the Northeast as snow was starting to pile up, reaching nearly 6 inches and counting in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, outside Philadelphia, by early afternoon.

Gov. Steve Beshear said Thursday that during the height of one pileup in western Kentucky, more than 400 vehicles were stuck along westbound Interstate 24 between Cadiz and Eddyville. Beshear says about 200 vehicles are still stuck.

Another huge pileup occurred along a stretch of Interstate 65 near Elizabethtown in central Kentucky.

Kentucky State Police Trooper Jeff Gregory says some people have been stranded in their vehicles since Wednesday night.

Gregory says about 200 tractor-trailers, plus hundreds of passenger vehicles, were stuck along an eight-mile stretch of I-65.

Beshear declared an emergency authorizing the National Guard to help with relief efforts.

Here's a look at what's happening around the country:

Slippery runway

A plane from Atlanta skidded off a runway at New York's LaGuardia Airport while landing Thursday, crashing through a chain-link fence and coming to rest with its nose perilously close to the edge of an icy bay.

The Delta flight veered off the runway at around 11:10 a.m., authorities said. Emergency responders were still assessing people, but any injuries appeared to be minor, the Fire Department of New York said.

The plane came to rest in several inches of snow.

Passengers trudged through the snow in an orderly line after climbing off the plane. Both the airport's runways are closed until further notice, which is standard procedure after such incidents.

Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines said the passengers were bused to a terminal. It said the airline will work with authorities to figure out what caused the crash.

The weather also meant cancelations of more than 4,000 flights to, from, or within the U.S. on Thursday, according to FlightAware.

Cold hanging around?

Ryan Maue, a meteorologist at Weather Bell Analytics, said cities including Waco, Texas; Chicago, Memphis and Cleveland should expect record cold Friday morning.

In some cases, the old records could be obliterated.

In Memphis, for example, the coldest temperature on record for March 6 is 20 degrees. The forecast is calling for a low of 11. And at northern Virginia's Dulles Airport, a forecast low of 7 would shatter the record of 15.

"This is amazing for early March," he said of the Thursday-Friday, one-two punch of snow and cold.

For those awaiting spring, there's a hint of good news: Unlike the persistent deep-freeze experienced by much of the country in February, this one shouldn't hang around as long.

Is higher fare fair?

With the nation's capital under a snow emergency, cab rides are more expensive.

The D.C. Taxicab Commission said snow emergency fares are in effect from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday. That means cabs can add a $15 surcharge to the metered fare. It's meant to entice drivers to keep working.

Power knocked out

The storm knocked out power to 82,000 homes and businesses in West Virginia on Thursday. The northern and western parts of the state were hardest hit.

Officials warned that restoring power could be difficult because of road closures from high water in many spots.

Congress flees flurries

The weather forecast got Congress going and produced rare bipartisan agreements in the House and Senate to finish business early and get out of town.

Senate leaders set the last vote of the week for 2:30 p.m. Wednesday. But that wasn't good enough for Republican Sen. James Inhofe of Oklahoma.

"Is there any way you could change that to 2:20 from 2:30?" Inhofe asked on the Senate floor. "There are four people who can't make planes, otherwise."

He was accommodated.

Falling short of the record?

Bostonians might not get the snow they need to break a record.

This winter, the city has received 105.5 inches of snow - more than 8 1/2 feet, the National Weather Service said. The record is 107.6 inches recorded during the 1995-96 season. Records date to 1872.

But, the current storm might not drop enough snow to reach the record, as little more than a dusting was expected in Boston.