Storm Snarls Travel in Eastern United States...02/19/00

CHICAGO (Reuters) - A winter storm slapped parts of the eastern United States with snow and ice on Friday, forcing the cancellation of hundreds of airline flights and closing schools from the Midwest to the East Coast.

Snow fell from the Plains eastward, the heaviest amounts in a band stretching from Nebraska to parts of New York. As much as 10 inches was forecast for the hardest-hit areas.

On the southern edge of the snowstorm freezing rain turned roads into skating rinks. Heavy rain and thunderstorms doused areas south of that.

On the tail end of the storm system, severe thunderstorms in central Arkansas spawned at least one tornado, which damaged a few businesses and homes in the city of Benton but did not cause any injuries, state officials said.

Around one-quarter of the schedule, or roughly 400 flights, were canceled at O'Hare and Midway airports in Chicago. Northwest Airlines canceled 176 flights in and out of Detroit Metropolitan Airport even before the snow reached there.

The cancellations created a ripple effect that delayed and disrupted air travel across much of the East.

There were delays of up to two hours for arrivals and one hour for departures at Newark International Airport in New Jersey, with as many as 50 cancellations there. LaGuardia Airport in New York also had delays of up to two hours and some cancellations as well.

``They're pretty socked in at Chicago and Detroit,'' said a spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

Light snow fell in New York City, with larger amounts on the ground inland. Some commuters left work early to beat the storm home.

In New England, traffic in the air and on the ground was snarled as the snowstorm hit.

Flight delays and cancellations at Boston's Logan International Airport sent travelers scurrying to Amtrak's already crowded northeast corridor passenger train service.

Many schools in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Massachusetts canceled classes or closed early. Schools were also closed in northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin, and classes were canceled in Washington, D.C., and neighboring Virginia and Maryland though an overnight snowfall there was followed by rain.