Latest Storms Disrupt Northeast

Cancel everything. Shut it all down!

Thousands of flights were canceled, students got an extra day off from school or were being sent home early, and the federal government closed its offices in the Washington area Tuesday as a winter storm bore down on the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast.

The National Weather Service said the storm could bring 8 to 12 inches of snow to Philadelphia and New York City, and more than a foot in Boston. Bitterly cold air with wind chills as low as 10 degrees below zero was forecast.

It warned of heavy winds and hazardous driving conditions as the storm moved up the East Coast.

With federal workers told to stay home, Tom Ripley, who works at a Washington hardware store, said his morning commute was cut in half because ''there was almost no one on the road.''