Winter Weather New York
A lone pedestrian crosses Monroe Ave in near white-out conditions, Wednesday, March 12, 2014 in Rochester, N.Y. Many business and government offices c...
A lone pedestrian crosses Monroe Ave in near white-out conditions, Wednesday, March 12, 2014 in Rochester, N.Y. Many business and government offices closed early ahead of a winter storm. (AP Photo/Democrat & Chronicle, Shawn Dowd) MAGS OUT NO SALES
APTOPIX Winter Weather Illinois
Fresh snow coats trees along Salt Creek at Fullersburg Woods in Oak Brook, Ill., after a winter storm on Wednesday, March 12, 2014. (AP Photo/Daily He...
Fresh snow coats trees along Salt Creek at Fullersburg Woods in Oak Brook, Ill., after a winter storm on Wednesday, March 12, 2014. (AP Photo/Daily Herald, Daniel White) MANDATORY CREDIT, MAGS OUT, TV OUT
Winter Weather OH
A multi-vehicle accident in the eastbound lane of the Ohio Turnpike near the County Road 268 overpass ties up traffic Wednesday, March 12, 2014, near ...
A multi-vehicle accident in the eastbound lane of the Ohio Turnpike near the County Road 268 overpass ties up traffic Wednesday, March 12, 2014, near Clyde, Ohio. Pileups on the Ohio Turnpike involving at least 50 vehicles killed at least two people and seriously injured a state trooper on Wednesday, said the Ohio State Highway Patrol. (AP Photo/The Toledo Blade, Jeremy Wadsworth)
Winter Weather OH
A multi-vehicle accident in the eastbound lane of the Ohio Turnpike near the County Road 268 overpass ties up traffic Wednesday, March 12, 2014, near ...
A multi-vehicle accident in the eastbound lane of the Ohio Turnpike near the County Road 268 overpass ties up traffic Wednesday, March 12, 2014, near Clyde, Ohio. Pileups on the Ohio Turnpike involving at least 50 vehicles killed at least two people and seriously injured a state trooper on Wednesday, said the Ohio State Highway Patrol. (AP Photo/The Toledo Blade, Jeremy Wadsworth)
Winter Weather OH
A multi-vehicle accident in the eastbound lane of the Ohio Turnpike near the County Road 268 overpass ties up traffic Wednesday, March 12, 2014, near ...
A multi-vehicle accident in the eastbound lane of the Ohio Turnpike near the County Road 268 overpass ties up traffic Wednesday, March 12, 2014, near Clyde, Ohio. Pileups on the Ohio Turnpike involving at least 50 vehicles killed at least two people and seriously injured a state trooper on Wednesday, said the Ohio State Highway Patrol. (AP Photo/The Toledo Blade, Jeremy Wadsworth)
TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) -- Pileups on an Ohio highway involving at least 50 vehicles killed three people Wednesday as a late-winter storm swept through the Midwest and the Northeast.
Emergency workers struggled to reach accidents and stuck vehicles because of snowy conditions and traffic backups.
Drivers sat for hours, said Mike Ramella, who was in the middle of a 7-mile (11-kilometer) backup.
"I'm just sending emails, still working," said Ramella.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol confirmed the deaths but didn't immediately have further details.
Tens of thousands of homes and businesses in northern Illinois and Indiana lost power, and a few hundred flights were canceled at Chicago's airports. The got about 6 inches (15 centimeters) of snow.
Wednesday's storm was moving east. Some places could see their heaviest snowfalls of the winter before the storm dissipates over Canada.
The storm was helping to edge snowfall totals toward the top of the record books.
Chicago had already been buried this winter by 75.5 inches of snow, the fourth most on record dating back to 1884-85. Wednesday's snow pushed the seasonal total into third place.
