Storm Whips Into Northeast Bringing Snow, Rain A powerful winter storm was expected to drop one to two feet of snow on parts of the Northeast just a day after it swept through the nation's middle, dumping a record snowfall in Arkansas and ruining holiday travel plans for thousands. The storm, which was blamed for six deaths, pushed through the Upper Ohio Valley and made its way into the Northeast Wednesday night. Within hours, there was anywhere from a few inches of snow to a dozen in some locations. National Weather Service spokesman David Roth said the Northeast's heaviest snowfall would be in northern Pennsylvania, upstate New York and inland sections of several New England states before the storm ended Friday morning and headed to Canada. Little or no accumulation was expected in the East Coast's largest cities: New York, Philadelphia and Boston. Other areas were to get a messy mix of rain and snow or just rain - enough to slow down commuters and those still heading home from visits with family. Hundreds of flights were canceled or delayed on Wednesday and scores of motorists got stuck on icy roads or slid into drifts. Said John Kwiatkowski, an Indianapolis-based meteorologist with the weather service: "The way I've been describing it is as a low-end blizzard, but that's sort of like saying a small Tyrannosaurus rex." A tree service employee trims the broken branches of this tree in McNeill, Miss., Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2012. More than 25 people were injured and at least 70 homes were damaged in Mississippi by the severe storms that pushed across the South on Christmas Day, authorities said Wednesday. Hundreds of trees were damaged or destroyed, many with broken branches overhanging homes or property. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis) Close The storm system spawned Gulf Coast region tornadoes on Christmas Day, startling people like Bob and Sherry Sims of Mobile, Alabama, who'd just finished dinner. "We heard that very distinct sound, like a freight train," said Bob Sims. They headed for a center bathroom. Power was still out at the Sims' home on Wednesday, but the house wasn't damaged and they used a generator to run heaters to stay warm. Some neighbors were less fortunate, their roofs peeled away and porches smashed by falling trees. The storm also left freezing temperatures in its aftermath, and forecasters said parts of the Southeast from Virginia to Florida saw severe thunderstorms. Schools on break and workers taking holiday vacations meant that many people could avoid messy commutes, but those who had to travel were urged to avoid it. About 40 vehicles got bogged down trying to make it up a slick hill in central Indiana, and four state snowplows slid off roads as snow fell at the rate of 3 inches an hour in some places. Larry McClain and John Crider, each driving a mobile construction crane from Shady Grove, Pa., traveled only 15 miles before snow forced them off the highway and into a McDonald's in Hagerstown, Md. The vehicles aren't permitted to travel in snow. They planned to spend the night in a motel before resuming the trip south. Crider was headed for Oklahoma City and McClain for Corpus Christi, Texas. "We were hoping they would have told us to stay at home today but they thought maybe we could get south and beat the storm - but we didn't do it," McClain said.