Snow Storm

Millions head for work after East Coast snowstorm:

NEW YORK — Millions of people along the East Coast were bracing for potentially dicey commutes as they returned to work Monday after a weekend winter storm dropped record snowfall, interrupted holiday shopping and stranded travelers.

The storm crept up the coast on Saturday and Sunday, walloping states from the mid-Atlantic to New England, causing hundreds of delayed or canceled flights, widespread power outages and treacherous driving conditions. The weather was blamed for several deaths in North Carolina and Virginia.

But despite its powerful punch, many took solace in the timing of the storm and the knowledge that it could have been worse had it come during the work week. The weekend arrival helped minimize headache-inducing commutes and reduced frenzied efforts to dig out the car before heading for work.

The New York City Transit agency said it anticipated a normal rush hour Monday morning as hundreds of subway employees worked overnight to finish cleaning platforms.

Even as workers returned to the job Monday, their children in some cases were being given the day off.

The School District of Philadelphia and the Archdiocese of Philadelphia canceled classes for 195,000 public school and Roman Catholic school students to give the city another day to clear roads and sidewalks. Public schools in Baltimore and Roanoke, Va., among other cities, also were closed Monday.

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