Highways and sidewalks turned treacherous on Saturday for the millions of people living in the northeastern United States as the area's first big storm of the season piled up nearly 30 centimeters of blowing snow, grounding flights and cuttingsintosholiday shopping. At least six deaths were blamed on the storm.Snow fell at a rate of about 2.5 centimeters an hour on Saturday morning at Binghamton, New York, and the National Weather Service issued blizzard warnings for parts of Maine, Connecticut, southeastern New York and New Jersey.

　　Forecasters warned that as much as 60 centimeters of snow was coming to parts of Massachusetts and Vermont.

　　The snow was too deep for some of man's best friends.In Swampscott, Massachusetts, Phil MacLaughlin said it wasn't easy walking his Chihuahua, El Jefe, because the snow was almost as deep as El Jefe was high. "He won't go in the snow because he'd be snout deep," MacLaughlin said.

　　The first wave of snow struck on Friday, and by Saturday highways were coated with layers of snow and slush.

　　Community and church groups canceled activities on Saturday from PennsylvaniasintosMaine, and many school districts postponed college entrance tests.

　　"Hopefully people won't go out unless they have to. There will be other weekends to Christmas shop - this isn't the one," said a Rhode Island State police officer.

　　Not all shoppers heeded the advice. Many jammed supermarkets to stock up on groceries.