No blizzard, but snow still brings chaos

Businesses closed, flights canceled as residents in nation's northeast wait for punishing storm

Tens of millions of people along the US East Coast hunkered down for a storm that for most failed to live up to predictions that it would be one of the worst they'd ever seen.

Forecasters originally said the storm could bring about a meter of snow and punishing hurricane-force winds. But early Tuesday, they downgraded most of those numbers, saying the northeastern US would fare the worst, but even then not as bad as expected.