South chilled by Arctic winds, record snow in East

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Bitter cold and snow sweeping into the eastern U.S left part of New England under record snowfall and hit Southerners with subfreezing temperatures that farmers fear could destroy strawberries and other crops.

The deep freeze was expected to last for at least the rest of the week. The National Weather Service said the mercury could fall below zero in St. Louis later this week for the first time since 1999.

The duration of the cold snap is unusual, especially in the South, where the weather is typically chilly for just a day or two before temperatures rebound into the 50s.

Waves of Arctic air pushed into central Mississippi, Alabama and the Florida Panhandle, where farmers were scrambling to save strawberries and tomatoes as temperatures dipped into the 20s and wind chills into the teens. Hard freeze warnings covered the region Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service.

Charleston, S.C., was expecting subfreezing overnight lows all week. Parts of West Virginia could see 4 to 8 inches of snow by Wednesday morning, and many counties canceled school Tuesday ahead of the storm. A dusting of snow fell in western and central Kentucky overnight, heralding 3 to 5 inches expected in those areas, with some locally heavier amounts.

Record snows were reported over the weekend in Vermont. In Burlington, a storm dumped more than 33 inches, breaking a single-storm record of nearly 30 inches set in 1969.

Most took it in stride, but some took it too far: Vermont State Police cited a man after stopping him pulling a sled — with a rider in it — behind his car on Interstate 89 on Sunday. He was cited for driving with a suspended license.

It was a similar scene in upstate New York, where so-called "lake effect snow" blanketed parts of the state with more than 3 feet. More was expected in the region Tuesday.

Forecasters say snow will continue to fall on parts of northeast Ohio that already have two feet or more on the ground.

In Maine, the search continued for an 18-year-old snowmobiler who disappeared shortly after the storm started Friday night, and a small plane crashed into a river channel there Monday after reporting ice buildup on the wings.

A search resumed for a 7-year-old boy who fell through ice into a river in southern Wisconsin while sledding with friends Monday.