Third Snowstorm Slugs Midwest, Then Moves Eastward

The third storm in a week made its relentless way eastward Thursday, blanketing the Midwest with snow and sending snow-weary residents scrambling to stock up on supplies.

Five inches fell on Pulaski, Ind., and 3 inches fell in the Chicago area as the storm picked up speed. Winter advisories were posted from the Appalachians to the Carolinas and the mid-Atlantic coast, where forecasters predicted either a foot of snow or rain and freezing rain today.

Most people still were trying to navigate sidewalks buried by last weekend’s blizzard, a storm blamed for at least 100 deaths, including a 16-year-old girl who drowned Thursday when her car slid into a pond in Chatham County, N.C.

National Weather Service meteorologist Scott Reynolds said the new storm will not be “Blizzard II: The Sequel.”

“We don’t expect it to be quite as strong,” Reynolds said. “It may not be all snow. By Friday night, it could be plain cold rain. Then again, it could be all snow.”

In Philadelphia, the top city official for dealing with the snow-clogged roads missed the record-breaking snowfall. Streets Department Commissioner Larry Moy was vacationing in Mexico.

“He’s really agonizing over not being here,” city Managing Director Joseph Certaine said.