Sleet, winds combine to make a mess of Valentine's Day in Northeast, Midwest

TOLEDO, Ohio -- With snow blowing over slippery roads in this frigid city, everyone but emergency workers was ordered to stay off the roads for several hours Wednesday. So what was Derrick Jones doing out there, delivering red roses and heart-shaped balloons?

On this Valentine's Day, that was emergency work.

"Rules are made to broken," Jones said Wednesday, driving along a deserted downtown street after about a foot of snow had fallen. "Valentine's Day is a once-a-year event."

Most customers were surprised to see him. "One guy even gave me a $50 tip just for coming out," he said.

Many giftless spouses across the Midwest and Northeast gladly would have done the same on a day when blowing snow and sleet glazed windshields and roads, messing up Valentine's Day flower deliveries and wrecking couples' plans for romantic dinners out.

Joe Manor, left, and Mike Pascucci give Brian Mockrys vehicle a push out of the snow next to City Hall in Plattsburgh, N.Y., during a heavy snowfall, Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2007. Clinton County in upstate New York is expected to see at least two feet of snow from the storm. A state of emergency has been issued for Clinton County. (AP Photo/Press Republican, Michael Betts)

"We are dead," said Edigio DiPaola, owner of Spennato's Restaurant in Northfield, Ohio, his heavily Italian-accented voice dripping with disappointment. He predicted his intimate restaurant's low lighting, lace tablecloths, Italian wine and marinara sauce would get little use Wednesday.

"We got over a foot of snow, so it's very bad. ... This was a big day for us. Now it will be way below average."

Not even a quiet evening at home was necessarily a comfortable alternative -- about 300,000 customers lost power.

The storm also grounded hundreds of flights and forced the closing of schools and businesses from Kentucky to Maine. At least 13 deaths were blamed on the huge storm system.

Blizzard warnings were posted for parts of New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Maine, where as much as 2 feet of snow was possible.

There were hundreds of accidents. The Ohio State Highway Patrol alone handled more than 1,200, but there were few injuries because most vehicle were moving slowly, Sgt. Brett Gockstetter said.

The storm's cold, snow, sleet and rain made life difficult for Valentine's Day messengers.

"Cold. Slippery. Nobody has their sidewalks sanded," said Caroline Roggero at Rose Petal Florist in Newport, R.I. "They all want their delivery today."

Some delivery drivers got stuck on the roads. Flowers delivered to offices were turned away because the businesses were closed. And customers had to change their orders to have flowers delivered to homes instead of places of work.

"We're hoping people will understand we're doing the best we can do," said Pat Jarvis at Dwyer Florist in Northampton, Mass.

The 15,000-member Society of American Florists says Valentine's Day accounts for more than a third of annual sales. Spokeswoman Jennifer Sparks said most florists have four-wheel drive vehicles, and many tried to deliver flowers early.

Americans were predicted to spend $16.9 billion this Feb. 14, according to the National Retail Federation's annual Valentine's Day survey. More than 45 percent of consumers planned an evening out.

Vermont's state government ordered all nonessential employees home after noon, the New York Capitol in Albany came to a near-halt, and some Pennsylvania state workers were told to stay home. Maine's governor declared a state of emergency to ensure deliveries of heating oil, and New York's governor activated the National Guard.

Parts of Vermont received up to 26 inches, prompting state officials to order tractor-trailers off roads.

In upstate New York, more than three feet of snow fell in Herkimer County in the Adirondacks. But the brunt of the storm bypassed towns near the east end of Lake Ontario that had been buried by 10 feet and more of lake-effect snow over the past week.

It was even too cold and snowy to make snow angels in Syracuse, N.Y. School officials had planned to try setting a world record for most snow angels in one place on Thursday, but postponed the effort, citing the weather.

In the Midwest, Springfield, Ill., got 16 inches of snow, and stiff wind piled the snow into drifts as high as 9 feet in parts of Indiana.

Hundreds of flights were canceled Wednesday at the New York City area's three major airports and in Albany, Boston, Washington, Chicago, Philadelphia, Cincinnati and Indianapolis.

About 300,000 customers lost power in Ohio, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, Kentucky, Indiana, New York's Long Island and the District of Columbia.

The huge weather system was blamed for three deaths in Nebraska; two each in Indiana, New Jersey and Delaware; and one each in Missouri, Ohio and Virginia. A tornado on the southern side of the huge weather system killed one person in Louisiana.

The storm was good news for the ski industry in New England, where snow has been sparse this winter.

"Best day of the year," snowboarder Willie Bozack, 28, of Moretown, Vt., said outside the base lodge at Sugarbush Resort. "It's epic."