Winter storm hits Northeast, causing difficult driving, closed schools and canceled flights

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Parts of the Northeast U.S. were hit Tuesday by a snowstorm that canceled and delayed flights, made roads slippery and prompted many school districts to cancel classes or switch to remote learning —- or at least try to switch.

In New York City, the online learning system that serves the nation’s largest school district experienced technical problems first thing in the morning, preventing many of the 915,000 students from logging in.

More than 1,000 flights were canceled so far Tuesday morning, mostly at the airports in the New York City area and in Boston. Accidents were reported across the region, and several states were banning tandem and empty tractor-trailers from highways.

“It’s been a quiet winter, so it’s kind of welcoming,” Ricky Smith said about the snow as he made his way to a construction job in New York City. "I just hope nobody gets hurt.”

The city's decision to push ahead with remote learning instead of declaring a snow day drew criticism from many parents and students, and the problems with the online system exacerbated the discontent. School officials said they were working to fix the issue, which they said involved authentication services.

Chong Bretillon, a parent in Queens, said she received repeated errors as she tried to gain entry to a Zoom room for her elementary school student, while messaging with dozens of other parents who were encountering the same problems.

“I just spent almost an hour trying to log in and log out,” Bretillon said. “Everyone’s frustrated.”

New York Mayor Eric Adams defended the decision to go remote in the schools, saying it was necessary because of learning losses during the coronavirus pandemic.

The highest snowfall totals, around 8 inches (20 centimeters) and possibly more in some locations, were...