Deadly April storm batters Northeast, snarling travel and knocking out power to half a million

A powerful April storm is hitting the Northeast on Thursday, dumping rain and snow with howling tropical force winds, prompting major airport delays and white-out road conditions while knocking out power to over half a million customers.
The strong storm system has been crawling across the U.S. since the weekend — and has already led to several weather-related deaths.
In Pennsylvania, two people died in separate incidents in which a tree fell on their cars during Wednesday’s storms. An elderly man died in Delaware County and an elderly woman, described as in her early 80s, was also killed in Collegeville, Pennsylvania, NBC Philadelphia reported.
As of Thursday morning, the system is making its way out of the northeast with 5 million people under wind alerts across New England and 8 million under winter alerts.
The system will produce heavy, wet snow over north-central New England and northeast New York and pass through Maine on Thursday, the National Weather Service Prediction Center forecast. An additional 12 inches of snowfall is possible through Friday.
A woman exits a tornado-damaged building Wednesday in Sunbright, Tenn. Brett Carlsen / Getty Images
The system will create “significant impacts from heavy snow and wind,” and perilous travel with whiteout conditions, snow covered roads, tree damage and power outages, the NWS said.
Disrupted travel, crashes, and power outages
Air travel has already been impacted with over 1,200 delays and over 300 cancellations within, into or out of the U.S. reported, according to Flight Aware data — all amid a week of busy spring break bookings.
The storm system has also wreaked havoc on roads.
In New Hampshire, state troopers responded to three tractor-trailer rollover crashes in less than seven hours by late Wednesday. State police urged locals