Jan. 23 saw the Patriots win the AFC Championship game, and nearly three feet of snow fall on their home state of Massachusetts. The blizzard dumped 40 inches where it developed over Nantucket Island. Parts of Massachusetts were hit with up to three feet.

New York, New Jersey and Connecticut were also hit hard, each receiving as much as 18 inches.

Businesses across the Northeast saw very little traffic as families holed up or dug themselves out. With Sunday came more snow and the AFC Championship game, keeping more people from stores and businesses, the Washington Post said.

The hardest hit were travelers, as most of the Northeastern airports were shut down. More than 1,200 flights were canceled in the New York area alone, according to the New York Times.

“It was crazy,” said Morgan McCluskey, a resident of Bangor, Maine. “We hadn’t had any snow for two weeks, and then we get handed two feet!” Although snow continued to fall throughout Maine, the weekend blizzard was all that brought snow for most of the Northeast.

Due to the early warnings from meteorologists across the states, and also the diligent efforts of the snow removal teams, most businesses and schools reopened on Jan. 24.

There were few deaths, most of which were due to heart attacks started by shoveling. In New York City 10-year-old Markita Weaver was struck and killed by a snowplow as she waited for a friend on a snow bank, according to the New York Times.

Dave Melendez, a member of Portland, Maine’s Public Works Department’s. snow removal team, was one of many who worked almost nonstop to removed the snow from roads and highways.

“Our whole lifestyle changes when we get a big storm like this,” Melendez said, according to the Bangor Daily News. “We’re owned by the city come winter operations. That’s ok, it’s worth it.” Melendez also said that although the storms are hard for those with families, the plow drivers take pride their work.

First-year Julia Kartman from Phoenixville, Pennsylvania was surprised with the way many in Greensboro handled the recent ice storm.

“Apparently, a lot of people went to the BP because of the storm … They wouldn’t do that up north, since they get crazy storms all the time,” Kartman said.

Despite the huge snowfall, many ski resorts in northern New England reported less than desired amounts of fresh snow. Sunday River in Maine reported only 4 inches, while Sugarbush in Warren, Vermont received almost 20 inches.

Many would-be skiers were stuck at home during the blizzard, but as the week progressed, “we’ll see our call volumes go up … as people get out of their driveways, and get their kids back to school,” J.J. Tolden, communications manager at Sugarbush said, according to the Bangor Daily News.