Winter Storm Linus
The second winter storm of 2015 has brought freezing rain to the Northeast. Reuters

New York can’t catch a break after low temperatures brought freezing rain to the area Monday. Residents woke up to snow, which then turned to slush after rain flooded the streets. As the temperature dropped, the roadways turned into sheets of ice, only to be covered later by even more snow. The Weather Channel has dubbed this winter storm Linus.

But it’s not just New York. Much of the Northeast has been affected by the storm. Even before its arrival, snow and ice remained from the late-January nor'easter that dropped nearly 2 feet of snow in certain areas. Unlike that storm, Monday's brings the threat of power outages to New York City and Long Island as ice accumulations weaken tree limbs and possibly take down power lines, the Weather Channel wrote. The freezing rain could continue into Monday night. Throughout the tristate area, there could be as much as 0.4 inch of ice accumulation.

As the roads became treacherous, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo urged commuters to be safe. “Please continue to exercise caution when traveling and stay safe during this winter storm,” Cuomo tweeted Monday.

New York paper Newsday cautioned travelers to stay home, if possible.

The New York City Department of Sanitation also cautioned drivers to stay safe. “Drive very carefully,” they tweeted.

The National Weather Service called it a “potent winter storm” that stretched from the Ohio Valley to New England. There will be “widespread snow from the Great Lakes to Maine,” forecasters said. Snow totals could range from 6-12 inches. During the weekend, the storm brought similar snow totals to Detroit and Chicago, the Weather Channel said.

In the Midwest, the storm has been blamed for six deaths, the Weather Channel said. It also grounded 5,000 flights in the Midwest and Northeast.

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