US East Coast hit by fourth Nor'easter snowstorm

The fourth nor'easter snowstorm this month hit the US East Coast on Wednesday, the day after Spring officially arrived.

The forecast was for up to 12 to 18 inches of snow in New York City, with 12 to 15 inches expected north of the city, New Jersey and Long Island.

The heaviest snowfall amounts will be right in and around New York City," said Bill Goodman, a meteorologist from the National Weather Service.

The storm caused travel disruptions from parts of the Midwest and southern Appalachians to the mid-Atlantic and coastal New England. Airlines canceled more than 3,000 flights scheduled for Wednesday.

Two-thirds of the scheduled departures from Newark Liberty International Airport, or 418 flights, were called off for Wednesday, according to flight-tracking site FlightAware. More than half of departures from LaGuardia were also canceled.

Other affected airports include Philadelphia, those in the Washington area and in Boston.

Amtrak suspended all its Northeast Regional trains between New York and Boston on Tuesday. The passenger railroad had previously canceled high-speed Acela Express service between those cities.