A sprinkler system pipe in the attic of part of the Hubert Place complex froze and burst Sunday.

SOUTH HADLEY - A pipe burst pipe at Hubert Place and dumped gallons of water into part of the elderly housing apartment complex, temporarily displacing 13 residents Sunday.

The burst pipe at the complex, located at 93 Canal St., was one of dozens that happened across Western Massachusetts as temperatures dropped below zero and wind chills made it seem even colder. Amherst Fire Department alone dealt with four different broken pipes Sunday afternoon.

The South Hadley Fire District 1 received a call shortly after 2 p.m. about a sprinkler system activation at 93 Canal St. When firefighters arrived, they realized there was no fire and the activation was because a pipe to the sprinkler system burst in the attic, Fire Capt. Jim Pula said.

"There was water coming through the electrical fixtures and it flooded the first and second floors," he said.

In total four of the 12 apartments in the east wing of the complex were flooded. Water was puddled in the hallways and ceilings were badly damaged because of the large amount of water, Pula said.

The Fire Department quickly shut off the water and then turned off the electrical system for the wing. The Building Inspector also responded to the problem, he said.

"We were able to isolate that section of the building," he said, adding the other two wings of apartments were undamaged.

The 13 residents are mainly staying with family or friends. Repairs to the building, which is operated by WestMass ElderCare, are expected to be made early this week. Residents should be able to return to their homes by Wednesday, Pluta said.

About 25 homes mainly on Fort Pleasant Avenue lost heat early Sunday morning.

SPRINGFIELD - Gas pressure has been returned to residents who were left without heat on the coldest night of the year.

"We have crews out to monitor the gas pressure so we don't have the situation again," said Andrea Luppi, Communications & Community Relations Manager for Columbia Gas.

A total of 21 homes on Fort Pleasant Avenue and Warner Street and four more in Longmeadow lost heat early Sunday morning. The first call reporting the lack of heat came in at 3:30 a.m., she said.

Crews worked to try to restore gas pressure since early morning. By about 7 p.m. gas was restored and pilot lights to furnaces and water heaters in each home were lit again, Luppi said.

"It is rare and it could be for a variety of reasons. It could have been because of the extreme cold," she said.

Engineers are still trying to figure out exactly why gas pressure dropped on the line. It did happen last year in different locations also in the extreme cold, she said.

The city and Columbia Gas set up a warming shelter in the Forest Park Middle School at 2 p.m. so residents had a place to get warm. Although there is no one there now, Luppi said the shelter will remain open until 9 p.m.

With temperatures expected to drop as low as 12 below zero Sunday night, crews are expected to remain in the area to monitor the gas pressure to ensure it does not drop again, she said.

Mayor Domenic J. Sarno expressed frustration with Columbia Gas, especially when the company said it would not be able to restore gas by 6 p.m., as officials initially predicted.

He had planned to set up cots in Forest Park Middle School if heat was not restored soon to residents.

EASTHAMPTON — For the first time, bi-weekly informational packets for Easthampton City Council members — which include minutes from the previous meeting — will be available for download on the city's website. City Clerk Barbara LaBombard announced at a meeting of the council's rules committee Thursday that she had decided to give the electronic distribution method a try, reports the...

EASTHAMPTON -- For the first time, bi-weekly informational packets for Easthampton City Council members -- which include minutes from the previous meeting -- will be available for download on the city's website.

City Clerk Barbara LaBombard announced at a meeting of the council's rules committee Thursday that she had decided to give the electronic distribution method a try, reports the Daily Hampshire Gazette.

The committee had been discussing an idea, put forth by Precinct 4 councilor Jennifer Hayes, to let councilors receive their meeting-related documents in "PDF" form via email instead of as printouts and copies. Councilors had been interested in hearing LaBombard's perspective because creating electronic documents would affect workflow in the City Clerk's office.

Traditionally, the only City Council documents available online had been agendas. Councilors have had to stop by the municipal building to check their "cubbies" for hard copies of other relevant information.

The new practice is only for City Council documents, which can be found under the "committee meetings" section of the city's municipal website. The Planning Board, Conservation Commission, Zoning Board of Appeals, and other local bodies will continue to rely upon paper copies for now.

One resident was displaced when a frozen pipe burst and damaged her apartment.

AMHERST - One resident was displaced after her apartment was damaged by a burst pipe and two University of Massachusetts buildings were flooded by burst pipes Sunday afternoon.

The Amherst Fire Department responded to four different problems of frozen pipes that burst Sunday afternoon. In addition, firefighters answered multiple calls from homeowners whose homes were flooding because pipes froze and then burst late Saturday night and Sunday morning.

"It has been so mild and then the temperatures just dropped down," Amherst Fire Chief Tim Nelson said.

Temperatures have been below 10 during the day on Sunday today but the wind chill has made it far colder. They are expected to drop below zero again Sunday night.

A pipe in an apartment complex at 15 High St. froze and burst at about 1:30 p.m. One apartment was damaged and the resident will stay with friends until repairs can be made, Nelson said.

Pipes on two separate sprinkler systems in buildings at the University of Massachusetts also froze and burst on Sunday.

The first happened at about 1:20 p.m. in the Goodell Library, pouring large amounts of water throughout the building.

"It was a mess. The good thing is there is no school Monday so they can clean up then," Nelson said.

The second happened in the Integrated Science Building, on Thatcher Way, which is one of the University's newer buildings. That happened at around 2:20 p.m., Nelson said.

The Fire Department also responded to a burst pipe in a sprinkler system at about 3:15 p.m. in a business building at 25 University Drive. Blair Cutting & Smith Insurance and several offices were located there, Nelson said.

"There was water spilling out of the door when we got there," he said.

In the overnight, Nelson said the Fire Department also assisted at least three residents who had burst pipes.

"One of the most important things people should know is where their water shutoff is. If they don't know they lose valuable time if a pipe bursts," he said.

There were several other reports of burst pipes in other communities:

A pipe burst in Mercy Medical Center's EMT area Sunday morning. No patients were impacted by the issue, according to 22 News.

A total of 13 residents were displaced when a frozen pipe in a sprinkler system burst in Hubert Place in South Hadley. One wing of the elderly apartment complex had to be evacuated until repairs can be made.

Residents still do not have gas for hot water heaters and stoves.

SPRINGFIELD - Natural gas pressure in the Forest Park area remains low, preventing hot water heaters and appliances to be turned on.

Columbia Gas officials reported gas had been turned back on as of 7 p.m., but later explained that was only for furnaces.

Because the pressure has not been fully restored, Springfield has extended the hours of the warming shelter at Forest Park Middle School on Oakland Street until 11 p.m., said Andrea Luppi, Communications & Community Relations Manager for Columbia Gas.

"We still have guys on site and we are working with the mayor," she said.

The gas pressure dropped some time early Sunday morning to 21 homes on Fort Pleasant Avenue and Warner Street and four homes in Longmeadow.

"We have been watching the pressure," said Marc Murphy, building manager of two apartments on Fort Pleasant, which have a total of 32 units. "We have just enough pressure on site so we can have heat."

This is not the first time the area has lost gas pressure. Last winter during different cold spells the neighborhood also lost gas pressure leaving people with no heat or hot water, Murphy said.

Luppi confirmed gas pressure did drop several times last winter as well. Improvements were made to the gas main but no one is certain why pressure keeps dropping.

As soon as temperatures get warmer, the company will try to find a permanent solution to the problem, she said.

Murphy said he and other workers have been at the apartment building since 6 a.m. Sunday and will likely remain there all night monitoring the gas pressure and making sure the building stays warm so pipes don't freeze and burst.

He said he is concerned as soon as it gets colder they will lose gas pressure again. Temperatures are expected to drop to as low as 6 below zero Sunday night according to the National Weather Service.

"We were here today setting up electric heaters so we didn't lose the whole building," he said. "We weren't sure when it would come on and we were trying to and keep as many pipes warm as possible."

Water in a few pipes did freeze during the day, but Murphy said they were able to thaw them and prevent them from bursting.

A Vietnam veteran who has served for over 35 years has been appointed to the Holyoke Soldiers' Home Board of Trustees.

HOLYOKE -- A Vietnam veteran who has served for over 35 years has been appointed to the Holyoke Soldiers' Home Board of Trustees.

Gov. Charlie Baker swore in Michael F. Case as the new chairman of the board Monday.

Case is a veteran who served for over 35 years in the Air Force and Massachusetts National Guard. His military service sent him to Bosnia, Iraq and Vietnam. He was one of many guardsman helping with rescue efforts after Hurricane Katrina.

For two decades, Case worked for the Pittsfield Police Department. The Berkshire County native was promoted to the rank of sergeant within the department and served as commander of the special reaction team.

He replaces Steven E. Como as chairman of the board. Como, Superintendent Paul Barabani, Deputy Superintendent John Paradis all announced their intentions to leave the Holyoke Soldiers' Home at the end of last year. Barabani said his retirement was in light of issues resulting from a lack of funding from the state. 

After Barabani announced he would retire, Paradis said would leave the Holyoke Soldiers' Home as he did not wish to work with another superintendent.  

Cheryl Lussier Poppe, superintendent of the Chelsea Soldiers' Home, became the interim director in January.

The Holyoke Soldiers' Home is a state-funded health care facility. It has an average 264-bed occupancy, 102 more than the Chelsea home, though the Eastern Massachusetts facility has a 22 percent larger budget. 

Following the mass turnover of leadership, the Veterans of Foreign Wars Hampden District 7 asked Baker to look into the Holyoke Soldiers' Home.

Baker toured the facility Monday and said in a statement supporting veterans in the state is a "top priority" for his administration. He thanked Como for his work on the board and added, "The mission and importance of this home is crucial, and I thank the staff for their dedication to providing quality health care for our veterans." 

Duryl Hale admitted to two armed robberies in Springfield in 2014.

SPRINGFIELD - Duryl Hale has been sentenced to two to three years in state prison after admitting to four counts of armed robbery and one of armed assault with intent to rob.

The counts list the victims in two separate robberies on two different days, Assistant District Attorney James M. Forsyth said.

Hampden Superior Court Judge Richard J. Carey also sentenced Hale, 19 , to two years of probation to serve after his state prison sentence.

Duryl Hale Police photo

Hale admitted participating in a robbery with others on Sept. 23, 2014. His lawyer Brett D. Lampiasi said that although others had knives, Hale did not.
Carey had previously sentenced co-defendant Keandre Roberts, 19, to four to six years in state prison. He sentenced Elijah Jovann Wheeler-Watson, another 19-year-old co-defendant, to three to five years in state prison, citing a lesser record than Roberts.

Roberts pleaded guilty to seven counts of armed robbery, one for each victim, and one count of armed assault with intent to rob. Wheeler-Watson pleaded guilty to six counts of armed robbery.

Public Service Enterprise Group plans a 485 megawatt gas plant at Bridgeport Harbor Station.

Connecticut's last remaining coal-fired power plant will soon be converted to burn natural gas instead.

Bridgeport Harbor Generating Station will start generating power from natural gas in June of 2019, said the Public Service Enterprise Group, which plans a $550 million investment to make the switch.

Only two years ago PSEG said it wanted to keep the coal plant, even in the face of pressure from environmentalists and an outside consultant's report that the plant, built in 1967, was no longer profitable.

PSEG's planned gas-powered plant recently secured payments for 485 megawatts in an ISO New England forward capacity auction, meaning it has promised to supply future power to the six-state grid when needed.

New England's power mix has been shifting away from coal and towards natural gas for the past two decades. Nearly half of all power generated in the region now comes from natural gas plants, and less than five percent from coal, according to the latest figures from ISO New England, which manages the grid.

"We are pleased that PSEG Power will be making further investments in power generation in our city," said Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim. "The new plant will result in jobs and tax-base generation, adding more than $5 million in additional tax revenue per year to the city."

PSEG Power, the city of Bridgeport, and several community groups and environmental organizations agreed to a community benefit agreement to comply with Connecticut's Environmental Justice Act. Part of the agreement establishes a $2 million fund focused on creating environmental benefits for Bridgeport residents.

Gov. Dannel Malloy called the planned conversion "incredibly positive news," and said Connecticut "continues to show that we can meet our energy needs while decreasing our carbon footprint -- we are leaders in combating global warming."

An accident on I-91 southbound, in Holyoke has been cleared, state police said. No injuries were reported.

HOLYOKE - Traffic is moving slow on I-91 south in Holyoke, state police said.

State police said an accident on Interstate 91 near the 18.8 mile marker has been cleared, but traffic is still moving slow, partly as a result of snow, sleet and icy road conditions.

Traffic is backed up past Exit 18 in Northampton, state police said. According to state police, no injuries were reported in the accident.

The National Weather Service issued a winter weather advisory Monday afternoon cautioning of inclement weather.

SPRINGFIELD -- The National Weather Service issued a winter weather advisory Monday afternoon cautioning of inclement weather.

Parts of Massachusetts and Connecticut will see snow, sleet and freezing rain Monday evening into Tuesday morning.

Light snow began to sporadically fall in parts of Massachusetts Monday afternoon. It will transition to "a period of sleet and freezing rain by late evening," the National Weather Service said in the advisory. "Freezing rain will gradually change to rain toward daybreak Tuesday."

Meteorologists warn roads will become slippery due to sleet and freezing rain.

Affected communities include those in the following Massachusetts counties: Essex, Hampden, Middlesex and Worcester. Central, Hartford and Tolland Counties in Connecticut will also be affected.

The change in precipitation is caused by rising temperatures throughout the evening. The high was near 23 degrees in Springfield and Worcester Monday. It will rise to around 33 degrees by 5 a.m. in Springfield, 37 in Worcester, National Weather Service meteorologists say. The high in Western and Central Massachusetts Tuesday will be in the mid-50s. 

The weather advisory went in effect Monday afternoon and will remain issued until 7 a.m. on Tuesday.

Cooking with a stick and Tom Ricardi's "Birds of Prey" exhibition were two of the activities featured at the Clifford A. Phaneuf Environmental Center on Porter Lake. Watch video

SPRINGFIELD - Children taking part in Fabulous February braved the bitter cold in Forest Park on Monday.

Hot dogs on an open flame helped.

Cooking with a stick and Tom Ricardi's "Birds of Prey" exhibition were two of the activities featured at the Clifford A. Phaneuf Environmental Center on Porter Lake.

Ricardi exhibited seven birds including a Golden Eagle and a Kestrel.

The Eastern Screech Owl was a favorite with the children with many posing with the bird on their arm at the end of the show.

Later on in the day the campers were treated to a magic show by magician Conrad McIntire.

The train derailment was reported about 4:30 p.m. No injuries had been reported, police and fire officials said.

MONTAGUE - Montague Center Fire Department was responding to a reported train derailment. The derailment was reported about 4:30 p.m., police said.

The Montague Center Fire Department was responding to a location off of Turners Fall Road.

Police and fire officials both said they do not believe there are injuries are involved. No information was available regarding whether fire officials were responding to a partial or total train derailment.

Following an evening of inclement weather, temperatures will rise to the 50s on Tuesday.

SPRINGFIELD -- Be prepared to thaw out this week.

Following an evening of inclement weather, temperatures will rise to the 50s on Tuesday.

Snow is likely across the state before midnight on Monday, the National Weather Service reports. As temperatures rise overnight, snow will turn to sleet, freezing rain and eventually rain Tuesday morning.

National Weather Service cautions of snow, sleet & freezing rain Monday evening, Tuesday morning

Boston and Berkshire County will be hit with freezing rain from midnight to 3 a.m., Springfield and Worcester can expect an extra hour of it. Temperatures will rise to the mid-30s by 5 a.m. across Massachusetts.

The high Tuesday will be around 55 degrees in Springfield and Worcester, 57 in Boston, 50 in Pittsfield. 

Rain is expected throughout Tuesday with thunderstorms possible after 4 p.m. in Central and Western Massachusetts.

Braintree Fire Chief James O'Brien said an attentive postal worker saved a life by following his instinct and notifying authorities when a man he encounters on his delivery route failed to come to the door one day last week.

A digest of news stories from around New England.

George Thomas said the inside of his window commonly has an ice build-up like the inside of a refrigerator freezer. Watch video

SPRINGFIELD - "There's no place like home."

Peter Teolis is being sarcastic. He reaches for a cliche to describe his lower Belmont Avenue apartment, but it's only because he and his roommate, George Thomas, find their flat hard to describe otherwise.

The 21/2-room apartment at 76 Belmont Ave. lacks sufficient heat, they say. The heater comes on briefly every four to six hours, and the temperature in their apartment drops into the 30s.

"You wake up and see your window full of ice in your house and you can see your breath, and you're like 'damn! It's so cold' " Thomas said.

The pair has lived in the apartment for two years, and for two winters, they have complained about a lack of heat.

They've complained to the landlord, RR & Co. Realty. They've complained to the city Department of Code Enforcement.

They're due to appear in Housing Court on Friday as part of an on-going dispute with the landlord.

But still it's cold. Unbelievably cold, they said.

They are forced to try to heat the place with a small space heater that frequently shuts down when it is overtaxed. Thomas said they often will use the broiler in the gas stove to help heat the apartment. Yes, he said, he is aware heating an apartment with a gas stove is one of the worst things he could do. A build-up of carbon monoxide could kill them. But the alternative, he said, is freezing to death.

Both Teolis, 53, and Thomas, 37, said the cold - and the lack of heat -- is impacting their health.

Teolis has cancer, a heart condition and has suffered multiple strokes. Thomas, his personal care attendant, has been hospitalized twice in the past two winters.

Last year, he developed hypothermia. A week ago he was treated in the hospital for treatment of pneumonia.

"There's no way this apartment is 65 degrees in the winter," Thomas said.

The living area has a large bay window facing northwest. It appears to be a single-pane storm window. One can feel a draft standing next to it.

And then there is the ice. At the bottom of the window is a layer of solid ice, 2 to 3 inches thick, so thick that it can't be chipped away with a wooden ruler.

"You should have seen it this morning. It was covered, Thomas said. He shows several photos of the same window he took this morning. The amount of ice resembles the inside of a refrigerator freezer
 
The apartment has one radiator in the living area. On Monday afternoon, it is cool to the touch.

In the bathroom, just off the kitchen, Thomas pulls away small cabinet to show where a radiator used to be. It was removed a year ago and the connecting pipe capped. The steam pipe, running from floor to ceiling, that connected to the radiator feels blazing hot.

In the kitchen is another radiator that they said was installed in July. It has never produced heat, they said, and now they use it as a storage shelf. It is cold to the touch.

"It's there just for show. Just for show," Teolis said.

"There's no heat. Why do you think we have stuff on it," Thomas said.

A spokesman for RR & Co. Realty said the building was inspected Monday morning and the heating system was operational. The 48-unit building as two boilers and each was functioning properly.

"It was extreme weather conditions," he said. "We running all over town, doing the best we can. It's all hands on deck trying to address things and do what we can."

He declined to speak specifically to the concerns of Thomas and Teolis, saying management was aware of their specific complaints over several months.

David Cotter, the deputy director of code enforcement for the city of Springfield, said heating issues are common with multi-unit apartments, especially where the temperature is controlled centrally instead of in each unit.

The state law requires the central thermostat be set to at least 68 degrees from 7 a.m to 11 p.m., and at least 64 degrees between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m., he said.

The trouble is that in big, drafty old buildings, not every unit will have the same heat.
Some will seem hot, some will seem cold and as a result tenants complain.

When his office considers heating complaints, an inspector will go to the specific unit, take a temperature reading, and if it falls below they state minimum, they will contact the landlord about rectifying it.

Thomas said the cost of heat is supposed to be included in their rent $800 rent.

But because they use the space heater and the stove to supplement their heat, they are hit with additional costs in the winter.

"The electric bill is $1,000 just from this," he said pointing at a small space heater. "This thing draws a lot of energy. A lot of energy."

Because they use it so much for heat, the gas bill in the winter is between $300 and $350, he said.

The gas - my God!" Thomas exclaimed. "When we first move in summer, the gas bill was $13 only from cooking."

With Wall Street closed for Presidents' Day, Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 soared 7.2 percent to close at 16,022.58, rebounding from last week's slump to post its second biggest one-day gain in three years.

By KELVIN CHAN

HONG KONG -- World stocks rallied on Monday, led by a jump in Japan's main index, amid hopes for more stimulus from central banks in Europe and Japan.

With Wall Street closed for Presidents' Day, Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 soared 7.2 percent to close at 16,022.58, rebounding from last week's slump to post its second biggest one-day gain in three years.

That led to big gains in Europe, where Britain's FTSE 100 closed 2 percent higher at 5,824.28 and Germany's DAX gained 2.7 percent to 9,206.84. France's CAC 40 rose 3 percent to close at 4,115.25.

Stocks began rallying after government data showed Japan's economy shrank 1.4 percent on an annualized basis last quarter because of weak consumer demand and slower exports. It's a setback for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's economic revival program, which aims to stoke inflation through massive monetary easing. However, the report also gives the government more reason to open the stimulus taps wider to restore growth, economists said.

"Together with the recent slump in the Nikkei and the appreciation of the yen, the case for additional easing remains compelling," said Marcel Thieliant of Capital Economics. He predicted the Bank of Japan will step up bond purchases and push interest rates that are already in negative territory even lower.

Investor sentiment was also bolstered by comments from China's central bank chief playing down the likelihood of a one-off devaluation of the yuan.

People's Bank of China Governor Zhou Xiaochuan signaled in a Caixin magazine interview published over the weekend that there was no basis for further depreciation of China's currency, providing relief for the country's exporting neighbors worried that a weakening yuan would hurt their competitiveness.

Later in the day, stocks were nudged higher and the euro fell sharply after the European Central Bank reiterated that more stimulus would be considered at the next policy meeting in March.

The euro was down 1 percent at $1.1138 after ECB chief Mario Draghi said Monday there were "a variety of instruments" the ECB could employ if it decided more stimulus is needed. It could pump more money into the economy or cuts rates further, something that would weigh on the value of the euro.

U.S. futures, meanwhile, rose. Dow futures up 1.2 percent and those for the S&P 500 up 1.3 percent.

Elsewhere, South Korea's Kospi climbed 1.5 percent to 1,862.20 and Hong Kong's Hang Seng was up 3.3 percent to 18,918.14. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 rose 1.6 percent to 4,843.50. Taiwan's benchmark was flat while markets in Southeast Asia gained.

The Shanghai Composite Index in mainland China, though, lost 0.6 percent to finish at 2,746.20 after reopening following the Lunar New Year holiday.

Chinese shares were also weighed down by the latest monthly trade figures. Exports fell 11 percent while imports slid by nearly a fifth, according to customs data, highlighting persistent weakness in the world's second biggest economy.

Economists, however, were reserving final analysis until figures for February are out because the timing of the Lunar New Year holiday distorts China's economic data at the beginning of the year.

In energy trading, benchmark U.S. crude oil futures rose 29 cents to $29.73 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract climbed $3.23 on Friday. Brent crude, a benchmark for international oils, gained 5 cents to $34.04 a barrel in London.

Company spokeswoman Jenni Moyer says engineers continue to work on what she characterized as a temporary network interruption.

Customers of Comcast Corp. lost part of their cable television service for several hours in many major U.S. metropolitan areas Monday, but the company said the problem was fixed in most places by early afternoon.

Company spokeswoman Jenni Moyer says engineers continue to work on what she characterized as a temporary network interruption.

"Our engineers continue to work on this issue and almost all services have already been restored," she said. "We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused our customers."

The tracking site Downdetector.com reports that the outage started around 6:30 a.m. Eastern time and affected much of the East Coast from Washington, D.C., to Boston. Other affected areas included Pittsburgh, Detroit, Chicago, Minneapolis, Houston, Denver and San Francisco. Repairs were mainly completed between noon and 1 p.m., the company said.

Comcast, based in Philadelphia, says the outage primarily affected TV service. Customers lost some of their channels but kept some service. Some customers weren't affected at all, the company said.

Comcast said it was unclear what caused the outage or how many subscribers were affected.

The apparent tornadoes were part of a large winter storm system that was clobbering the eastern U.S. with snow, sleet, strong winds and rain, and which came on the heels of record-breaking low temperatures.

By JENNIFER KAY
and JEFF AMY

Suspected tornadoes touched down in a rural town on Florida's Panhandle and in Mississippi on Monday, destroying up to 10 homes, damaging a school, and sending fire crews out to investigate reports of residents trapped under rubble.

The tornadoes were part of a large winter storm system that was clobbering the eastern U.S. with snow, sleet, strong winds and rain, and which came on the heels of record-breaking low temperatures.

Officials in Florida and Mississippi were investigating reports of at least three possible tornadoes. One of the apparent twisters swept through the rural town of Century, in the northwest corner of Florida's Panhandle, late Monday afternoon, destroying or significantly damaging about 10 homes, said Escambia County spokeswoman Joy Tsubooka.

Tsubooka said fire crews were investigating reports that some residents may have been trapped in the rubble of destroyed homes, but she said several of the reports had already proved to be unfounded. She said some people had reported minor cuts from flying debris but that she had not received any reports of serious injuries.

Century is located on the Florida-Alabama border about 45 miles north of Pensacola, Florida. Pensacola news station WEAR-TV showed a large, black funnel cloud touching down on a highway near the town, and images submitted by viewers to the news station's Facebook page showed downed trees and damage to the exteriors of at least two homes. Gulf Power reported on its website that about 800 people in Century were without electricity.

Radar had indicated a tornado present in the storm system that moved over Century into Brewton, Alabama, said Gene Jacobi with the National Weather Service in Mobile, Alabama. He said the weather service would send crews out Tuesday to survey areas where damage and the funnel cloud had been reported.

In Mississippi, windows were blown out of cars and two gymnasiums and a library were damaged at a K-12 school in Wesson where children were in attendance when heavy thunderstorms and a possible tornado walloped at least 19 counties. There were no reports of any students injured, said Mississippi Department of Education spokeswoman Patrice Guilfoyle.

Emergency management officials also reported a destroyed mobile home in Lincoln County, Mississippi, while a gas station and some homes were damaged in Sylvarena in Smith County. More than 18,000 power customers were without power.

In the eastern U.S. on Monday, a day after record low temperatures plunged several states into a deep freeze, wet weather including snow, freezing rain and sleet were pummeling the region.

National Weather Service meteorologist Bruce Sullivan said there could be significant snowfall -- 4 to 8 inches -- in eastern Ohio, western Pennsylvania and western New York. Some mountainous areas could get even more snow.

With federal offices and many businesses closed for Washington's Birthday, though, many people were able to hunker down at home.

In Virginia, the state police asked motorists to delay any unnecessary travel until weather conditions could improve. By late afternoon, authorities were on the scene of 37 traffic crashes statewide, including a fatal crash in Fauquier County. Troopers also were responding to nine disabled vehicles across Virginia. They already had responded to 538 traffic crashes and 347 disabled vehicles for the day.

In North Carolina, light freezing rain, sleet and snow caused wrecks and closed schools and businesses. The National Weather Service said the precipitation was light Monday morning, but with temperatures in the 20s, it was freezing immediately on bridges, roads and other surfaces.

By Tuesday, when temperatures get higher, the rain and some runoff could cause flooding in some areas, Sullivan said.

Sunday's teeth-chattering temperatures were some of the coldest on record.

In several Northeastern cities -- including New York, Boston and Hartford, Connecticut -- temperatures on Sunday morning dipped below zero, falling to minus 40 on Mount Washington in New Hampshire.

The National Weather Service said the temperature in New York City's Central Park fell to minus 1, a record low for the date. The last time it was below zero in Central Park was in January 1994.

Boston reached minus 9, breaking the record set in 1934 by 6 degrees. It reached minus 16 in Worcester, Massachusetts, breaking the 1979 record of 11 below zero. Providence, Rhode Island, hit minus 9 and Hartford reached minus 12, also breaking records from 1979.

In Montpelier, Vermont, the overnight temperature hit minus 19, tying a record set in 2003. And South Lincoln, Vermont, recorded 27 below zero.

Outreach teams brought 105 people into New York shelters, and 288 showed up at hospitals and health facilities, including more than 20 who were brought in for care needed immediately, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said.

AP writer Deepti Hajela in New York contributed to this report.

The robber used a knife to pry open the register, but when the clerk doused him with water, he dropped the tray and escaped without the cash, Springfield police said.

SPRINGFIELD - A clerk at the China House on Main Street in the North End stopped a robber from getting away with cash from the register.

Police Lt. Brian Keenan said a man with a knife walked into the China House at 5:15 p.m. Monday, demanding money.

When the female clerk wouldn't open the register, the robber used his knife to pry the register open, Keenan said.

Keenan said the clerk doused him with water, and he dropped the tray and drove off in a silver SUV. He is described as being 5'8'' to 5'11'' tall with a slim build, dressed in a black hoodie and clothes.

He did not get away with any cash.

Anyone with any information is asked to call the Springfield Detective Bureau at 413-787-6355.

Crews had blocked off part of Dartmouth Street to gain access to the fire.

HOLYOKE - The Holyoke Fire Department last night had blocked off a section of Dartmouth Street and was fighting a fire at 91 Dartmouth Street.

Fire officials at 9:30 p.m. said they were waiting to get additional information.