Story highlights Power outages in 16 states and DC down to 525,000 from 625,000

At least 16 deaths are linked to storm, including 3 while shoveling snow in Maryland

Some 625,000 customers are without power; nearly 6,500 flights are canceled

N.C. governor says, ""We have not seen a storm like this in decades"

[Breaking news update, Saturday, 12:54 a.m. ET]

The number of power outages that occurred across 16 states and the District of Columbia during the latest winter storm dropped to 525,273 early Friday from a previous 625,000 late Thursday.

[Originally published story, Friday, 9:55 a.m. ET]

Massive winter storm taking toll in power outages, canceled flights -- and lives

(CNN) -- Enough already. Really.

As if the East Coast hadn't gotten the point by now, Mother Nature drove it home yet again -- that this is winter, hear it roar.

Roar it did Thursday, as a massive storm system that just finished pummeling much of the Southeast moved northward. Some of what fell from the sky was rain, some was sleet, some was snow.

Whatever it was, it made for a mess.

Fast-falling snow caused tractor-trailers to jackknife and prompted authorities in New York to ban commercial traffic on Interstate 84 -- a major east-west highway running through the state -- the state transportation department tweeted

Photos: Southeast storm moves north Photos: Southeast storm moves north Southeast storm moves north – Vehicles are piled up in an wreck Friday, February 14, in Bensalem, Pennsylvania. Traffic accidents involving multiple tractor-trailers and dozens of cars completely blocked one side of the Pennsylvania Turnpike outside Philadelphia. Hide Caption 1 of 52 Photos: Southeast storm moves north Southeast storm moves north – A pedestrian walks through a cloud of steam on a snowy street in New York on February 14. Commuters faced slick roads after a winter storm brought snow and ice to the East Coast. Hide Caption 2 of 52 Photos: Southeast storm moves north Southeast storm moves north – A traveler walks through Ronald Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, on February 14. Numerous flights were canceled and delayed this week as a result of the snowstorm that pounded a huge section of the country. Hide Caption 3 of 52 Photos: Southeast storm moves north Southeast storm moves north – People dig out vehicles buried in snow in Albany, New York, on February 14. Hide Caption 4 of 52 Photos: Southeast storm moves north Southeast storm moves north – Chris Starace works to clear snow from his roof in Ossining, New York, on Thursday, February 13. Hide Caption 5 of 52 Photos: Southeast storm moves north Southeast storm moves north – Snow and ice cover an Atlanta neighborhood on February 13. Hide Caption 6 of 52 Photos: Southeast storm moves north Southeast storm moves north – People walk through the snow on February 13 in Brooklyn, New York. Hide Caption 7 of 52 Photos: Southeast storm moves north Southeast storm moves north – The lower Manhattan skyline is seen behind a pile of snow in Brooklyn on February 13. Hide Caption 8 of 52 Photos: Southeast storm moves north Southeast storm moves north – After spending the night at Reagan National Airport, Ernie Harmon of Long Island, New York, watches a movie while waiting for his flight February 13. Hide Caption 9 of 52 Photos: Southeast storm moves north Southeast storm moves north – Snow covers cars in Brooklyn on February 13. Hide Caption 10 of 52 Photos: Southeast storm moves north Southeast storm moves north – Claire Lamborne removes snow from her car in Warrenton, Virginia, on February 13. Hide Caption 11 of 52 Photos: Southeast storm moves north Southeast storm moves north – A snowman is seen in front of a hardware store in Washington on February 13. Hide Caption 12 of 52 Photos: Southeast storm moves north Southeast storm moves north – Don Hammond of Newtown, Connecticut, shovels his driveway as snow continues to fall February 13. Hide Caption 13 of 52 Photos: Southeast storm moves north Southeast storm moves north – A long line of travelers winds around the atrium of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on February 13 as people attempt to catch flights previously canceled because of the massive winter storm. Hide Caption 14 of 52 Photos: Southeast storm moves north Southeast storm moves north – Rescue workers in Oxon Hill, Maryland, attempt to upright an overturned tractor-trailer on Interstate 495 on February 13. Hide Caption 15 of 52 Photos: Southeast storm moves north Southeast storm moves north – Snow collects at the base of escalators at the Dupont Circle Metro Station in Washington on February 13. Hide Caption 16 of 52 Photos: Southeast storm moves north Southeast storm moves north – A postal worker makes his delivery rounds through blizzard conditions in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, on February 13. Hide Caption 17 of 52 Photos: Southeast storm moves north Southeast storm moves north – Motorists push a vehicle on Highway 70 in Raleigh, North Carolina, on February 13, a day after the worst of the storm struck the town. Hide Caption 18 of 52 Photos: Southeast storm moves north Southeast storm moves north – A man helps push a car in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, on February 13. Hide Caption 19 of 52 Photos: Southeast storm moves north Southeast storm moves north – Snow blankets a street in Ossining, New York, on February 13. Hide Caption 20 of 52 Photos: Southeast storm moves north Southeast storm moves north – A traveler kills time as work crews continue to clear snow from the runways at Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, on February 13. Hide Caption 21 of 52 Photos: Southeast storm moves north Southeast storm moves north – A man in Bethlehem helps push a stranded motorist February 13. Hide Caption 22 of 52 Photos: Southeast storm moves north Southeast storm moves north – Lyall MacFee shovels snow in front of Sciortino's Pizzeria in Albany, New York, on February 13. Hide Caption 23 of 52 Photos: Southeast storm moves north Southeast storm moves north – A man digs out a small snowplow that got stuck while clearing snow from a sidewalk in Chevy Chase, Maryland, on February 13. Hide Caption 24 of 52 Photos: Southeast storm moves north Southeast storm moves north – A man braces his umbrella while walking through the wind and snow in New York City on February 13. Hide Caption 25 of 52 Photos: Southeast storm moves north Southeast storm moves north – Police work to tow a bus that slid off the road in Philadelphia on February 13. Hide Caption 26 of 52 Photos: Southeast storm moves north Southeast storm moves north – A man walks along the snow-covered Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington on February 13. Hide Caption 27 of 52 Photos: Southeast storm moves north Southeast storm moves north – A woman covers her face while walking in New York City on February 13. Hide Caption 28 of 52 Photos: Southeast storm moves north Southeast storm moves north – A worker clears a snowy sidewalk in Washington on February 13. Hide Caption 29 of 52 Photos: Southeast storm moves north Southeast storm moves north – Cars sit covered in snow on a street in Manassas, Virginia, on February 13. Hide Caption 30 of 52 Photos: Southeast storm moves north Southeast storm moves north – A man in Philadelphia shields his face from the elements February 13. Hide Caption 31 of 52 Photos: Southeast storm moves north Southeast storm moves north – A snowplow removes snow from the sidewalk in Washington's Lafayette Park, across the street from the White House, on February 13. Hide Caption 32 of 52 Photos: Southeast storm moves north Southeast storm moves north – People walk through snow February 13 in the Chinatown neighborhood of New York City. Hide Caption 33 of 52 Photos: Southeast storm moves north Southeast storm moves north – People help push a car stuck in the snow February 13 in Alexandria, Virginia. Hide Caption 34 of 52 Photos: Southeast storm moves north Southeast storm moves north – Kevin Miller looks out the passenger window of his friend's car as they sit stuck in traffic during a winter storm in Raleigh on Wednesday, February 12. Hide Caption 35 of 52 Photos: Southeast storm moves north Southeast storm moves north – Traffic moves slowly along Wade Avenue in Raleigh on February 12. Motorists were encouraged to stay off roads. Hide Caption 36 of 52 Photos: Southeast storm moves north Southeast storm moves north – Katharine Newton, a student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, calls her parents February 12 while walking more than two miles from campus to her parents' home. Hide Caption 37 of 52 Photos: Southeast storm moves north Southeast storm moves north – Snowplows clear Interstate 75/85 in downtown Atlanta on February 12. Hide Caption 38 of 52 Photos: Southeast storm moves north Southeast storm moves north – A downed power line is draped across several vehicles in Atlanta on February 12. Hide Caption 39 of 52 Photos: Southeast storm moves north Southeast storm moves north – A police officer redirects traffic in Charlotte, North Carolina, on February 12. Hide Caption 40 of 52 Photos: Southeast storm moves north Southeast storm moves north – Ice coats trees hanging over a sign for the Broadway at the Beach tourist attraction in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, on February 12. Hide Caption 41 of 52 Photos: Southeast storm moves north Southeast storm moves north – A sign warns drivers of winter weather as they travel on a bleak section of Highway 141 in Norcross, Georgia, on February 12. Hide Caption 42 of 52 Photos: Southeast storm moves north Southeast storm moves north – A truck in Bossier City, Louisiana, blocks access to Interstate 220, which was closed because of icy conditions on February 12. Hide Caption 43 of 52 Photos: Southeast storm moves north Southeast storm moves north – City workers spread a mixture of sand and salt on an intersection in Avondale Estates, Georgia, on February 12. Hide Caption 44 of 52 Photos: Southeast storm moves north Southeast storm moves north – Ice and snow cover Interstate 26 in Columbia, South Carolina, on February 12. Hide Caption 45 of 52 Photos: Southeast storm moves north Southeast storm moves north – Shmetrice Moore, a nurse at an Emory University hospital in Johns Creek, Georgia, scrapes snow and ice off her windshield as she and others are released early from their shift on February 12. Hide Caption 46 of 52 Photos: Southeast storm moves north Southeast storm moves north – Hossam Shalaby waits for his rescheduled flight under a departure board at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Tuesday, February 11. Hide Caption 47 of 52 Photos: Southeast storm moves north Southeast storm moves north – A vehicle travels in Greenville, South Carolina, on February 11. Hide Caption 48 of 52 Photos: Southeast storm moves north Southeast storm moves north – People shop for what is left at a Publix grocery store in Decatur, Georgia, on February 11. Hide Caption 49 of 52 Photos: Southeast storm moves north Southeast storm moves north – Vehicles slowly make their way over a snow-covered Route 35 in Fort Payne, Alabama, on February 11. Hide Caption 50 of 52 Photos: Southeast storm moves north Southeast storm moves north – Weather data is projected onto the face of Clint Perkins, director of state operations for the Georgia Emergency Management Agency, as he works in Atlanta on February 11. Hide Caption 51 of 52 Photos: Southeast storm moves north Southeast storm moves north – A vehicle drives through falling snow on the U.S. 421 bypass in Sanford, North Carolina, on February 11. Hide Caption 52 of 52

JUST WATCHED Frozen over: the snowstorm in 60 seconds Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Frozen over: the snowstorm in 60 seconds 00:58

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As of 9:30 p.m., the New York metro area was already buried: The National Weather Service reported up to 11 inches in the Bronx, 14 inches in Fairfield, Connecticut, and even more than that in East Rutherford, New Jersey, home to the recent Super Bowl.

And it's not like the end is near. Another round is expected to wallop the same area overnight, coming down 1 to 3 inches an hour at times. And Massachusetts' Berkshires could see 14 to 24 inches of snow before the storm runs its course.

For some, the issue isn't just the fact that there's snow: This is winter, after all, in the Northeast. But it's more that people there haven't gotten much of a reprieve.

That's why New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, opening up his press conference Thursday, said: "Welcome to winter storm six of the last six weeks."

And as New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie pointed out before the worst of the storm hit: "This has just been a brutal winter where it never really has gotten warmer. And so the natural melting away of snow and ice is not happening."

Especially over its full course, this storm has proven to be nothing to mess with.

At least 16 deaths have been blamed on the storm. Three of them were in Howard County, Maryland, where three men -- ages 45, 55 and 57 -- suffered suspected cardiac arrest "while in the act of shoveling snow," said county spokesman Mark Miller, who noted that what fell there was "a heavy wet snow."

There were also three deaths apiece in Texas and North Carolina, including one in a rural part of the latter due to a falling tree limb. And in the New York borough of Brooklyn, a 36-year-old pregnant woman died after being struck by a small tractor clearing snow. Her nearly full-term baby was delivered by cesarean section at a hospital and was in critical condition.

Amid such tragedy, even as people hunker down or cope without electricity, life has gone on, too.

Augusta Kalsky documented the snowy, icy, windy morass Thursday for CNN iReport, calling this system "one of the more aggressive Nor'easters" she's seen since returning to Manhattan four years ago.

At the same time, she added, "The usual drivers and pedestrians (are) attempting to go about their business as usual."

Power outages; about 6,500 flights canceled

There was nothing usual about Thursday for Aretha Williams. The Fairburn, Georgia, woman's power went out at 6 a.m. Wednesday -- her birthday, of all days. And 34 hours later, it was still out.

Over that time, she and her teenage daughter took turns going back and forth to their car to get warmed up by the engine and heater, and charge their phones. When they tried to contact the local utility, Williams says, the calls went straight to voice mail -- leaving her with no idea when her lights and heat would come back on.

"We are just frustrated," Williams said late Thursday afternoon, hours after first alerting CNN iReport to her ordeal.

Venturing out on the still slippery roads, Williams and her daughter did manage to buy lunch but couldn't find any available firewood. That's one reason why she's strongly considering trying to find somewhere warm to spend the night.

As she said, "It's too cold. I can't go through this another night with my daughter."

Unfortunately, Williams has plenty of company in being in the dark.

Some 625,000 customers -- more than half of whom were in North and South Carolina -- were without power up and down the East Coast as of 6:45 p.m. One positive was that number was down about 75,000 from a few hours earlier, indicating utilities were making progress.

Many others have other kinds of headaches, like would-be air travelers.

FlightAware , an air travel tracking website, reported around 8 p.m. Thursday that nearly 6,500 flights originating in or destined for the United States had been canceled.

Charlotte's airport in North Carolina was among the most impacted. Still, there are few along the East Coast -- from Atlanta to Washington to Philadelphia to Boston -- that haven't had their schedules turned upside down, yet again, by this winter storm.

And rail travel hasn't been immune. Amtrak has suspended some service in the Northeast, South and Mid-Atlantic regions again for Thursday.

N.C. governor: 'Some people didn't take my warning'

In and around Atlanta, the storm could have been worse.

For proof, all Georgians had to do was think back two weeks ago -- when motorists ditched hundreds of cars along roads, students had to camp out overnight in school and some spent upwards of 20 hours stuck on impassable roads.

This time around, the state seemed to have learned its lesson. A combination of snow, ice and rain slammed Georgia, leading to widespread power outages. But this time, at least, people stayed off the roads.

It seemed like deja vu, though, for a time in North Carolina. There, the snow showed up fast and furious in the middle of the day on Wednesday. And when motorists hit the road, many got stuck -- with some of them even leaving their vehicles in the road and walking away altogether.

Yet Gov. Patrick McCrory, speaking Thursday to CNN, resisted comparing what happened in his state to what had happened earlier in Georgia.

He pointed out that he'd declared a state of emergency and began warning people "don't put your stupid hat on" well ahead of the storm.

"Some people didn't take my warning," McCrory said.

There were drivers who spent four to five hours in gridlock traffic but none were on the road overnight, added the governor. And by Thursday, when round two of the storm rolled through, much of the state was quiet as people hunkered down inside.

Rather than pin it on officials or citizens, McCrory suggested that the uniquely large, powerful, fast-moving storm deserved the blame for it all -- the traffic jams, the widespread blackouts, and the deadly dangerous conditions outside. In North Carolina alone, the storm was hitting in full force in five different metropolitan areas at the same time.

"We have not seen a storm like this in decades," the governor said.