Death penalty in the U.S. declining

There were 39 executions in the United States this year, down 10% from last year.

• Shortage of lethal injection chemicals contributes to drop in capital punishment


• The number of executions falls below 40, off 10 percent from last year


• Nine states executed inmates in 2013 with Texas and Florida accounting for most


• The Supreme Court is not likely to address the issue any time soon

(CNN) -- A shortage of lethal injection chemicals has contributed to declining use of capital punishment in the United States with a new report on Thursday noting only 39 executions this year.

It is only the second time in the past two decades the annual number of inmates put to death has dropped below 40.

The total represents a 10 percent reduction from last year. No further executions are scheduled in 2013.

Un-tested drugs used in executions

"Twenty years ago, use of the death penalty was increasing. Now it is declining by almost every measure," said Richard Dieter, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center, and the author of the report.

"The recurrent problems of the death penalty have made its application rare, isolated, and often delayed for decades. More states will likely reconsider the wisdom of retaining this expensive and ineffectual practice."

The nonprofit organization provides accurate figures and a range of analysis, but opposes use of the death penalty.

Lethal injection in nine states

Death Penalty at a crossroads

While the annual number of executions and death sentences continues to drop nationally overall, it remains a legally and socially acceptable form of justice for aggravated murder in 32 states.

But just nine states conducted lethal injections this year, and two -- Texas with 16 and Florida with 7 -- accounted for nearly 60 percent of the total.

Texas is among the active death-penalty states scrambling to find new lethal injection protocols after European-based manufacturers banned U.S. prisons from using their drugs in executions.

Among them is Danish-based Lundbeck, which manufactures pentobarbital, the most commonly used -- either as a single drug, or in combination with others -- to execute prisoners.

New drug combinations

States have been forced to try new drug combinations or go to loosely regulated compounding pharmacies that manufacturer variations of the drugs banned by the larger companies, according to an investigation last month by CNN's Deborah Feyerick.

A pending lawsuit against Texas filed by several death row inmates and their supporters alleges the state corrections department falsified a prescription for pentobarbital using an alias.

Until recently, most states relied on a three-drug "cocktail," but many jurisdictions now use a single dose or a two-drug combination.

Various state and federal courts have postponed some planned executions until issues surrounding the new protocols are resolved.

Every execution this year relied on pentobarbital, except in Florida, which used midazolam hydrochloride -- a drug applied for the first time in human lethal injections.

And Missouri was prepared to inject a single dose of the anesthetic propofol for its two recent executions, until Gov. Jay Nixon halted its application.

The European Union had threatened to limit export of the widely used drug for other purposes if the state had proceeded. The two inmates were separately put to death in recent weeks using pentobarbital instead.

First woman executed

Among the high-profile capital cases this year involved Kimberly McCarthy, the first woman executed in the United States in three years.

The former Dallas-area resident was convicted of murdering her neighbor, and in June became the state's 500th prisoner to die at the hands of the government since 1976, when the Supreme Court allowed capital punishment to resume.

So far, 1,359 people have been put to death across the country since that time, using lethal injection, electrocution, gas chamber, hanging, and firing squad. That includes three federal prisoners.

Spared for now was Georgia inmate Warren Hill, whose attorneys say he is mentally disabled. Courts earlier this year stayed three separate execution dates, one with just minutes to spare.

The Supreme Court in March will hold oral arguments and decide whether the Florida scheme for identifying mentally disabled defendants in capital cases violates previous standards established by the high court.

Freddie Lee Hall and an accomplice were convicted of the 1978 murders of a pregnant 21-year-old woman and a sheriff's deputy in separate store robberies, both on the same day. His lawyers say the death row inmate has an IQ of 60.

In Missouri, Reginald Griffin was freed in October and his sentence thrown out after the state high court found the trial prosecution withheld critical evidence that may have implicated another prisoner in a jailhouse murder.

He became the 143rd person exonerated from death row in the past 40 years.

Maryland abolishes death penalty

Maryland became the sixth state in as many years to abolish its death penalty, joining Connecticut, Illinois, New York, New Jersey, and New Mexico. Eighteen other states have previously done so.

Attorney General Eric Holder faces a tough decision in coming months: whether to seek the death penalty in federal court for Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzokhar Tsarnaev.

Across the country, capital sentences remain at historic lows, with just 79 so far this year.

They have declined in number by 75 percent from 1996, said the report, when 315 people were put on death row.

With the death penalty declining and recent polls showing a corresponding drop in public support, some legal analysts wonder if the Supreme Court is prepared in coming years to take another look at the issue's overall constitutionality -- whether capital punishment in the 21st century represents "cruel and unusual punishment."

No sign of Supreme Court review

The justices in most cases continue to deny most requests for stays of executions, usually without any comment, or a breakdown of which members of the nine-member bench might have granted such a delay.

"It certainly seems that it merits another day in court after 40 years," said Evan Mandery, a law professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, and author of the new book "A Wild Justice: The Death and Resurrection of Capital Punishment in America."

"There are a lot of reasons to think that (moderate-conservative) Justice Anthony Kennedy's vote is up for grabs and his mind is open on this question. So I don't think the outcome of a case would be predetermined one way or another."

But there is no sign such a monumental legal and social review by the nation's highest court will be coming soon.

Supreme Court denies request to stop the execution

Supporters of Edgar Tamayo Arias rally in his hometown in Mexico. The U.S. Supreme Court Wednesday declined to stay his execution.

• Supreme Court denies a request to stay the execution


• Mexican national scheduled to be executed Wednesday night in Texas


• Edgar Tamayo Arias convicted of killing Houston police officer in 1994


• Lawyers says he was denied access to his consulate in violation of treaty

Huntsville, Texas (CNN) -- [Breaking news update]

Texas authorities have executed convicted cop killer Edgar Tamayo Arias.

Mexico's government had pushed to block the execution of Tamayo, a 46-year-old Mexican national, arguing that it would violate international law.

The U.S. Supreme Court denied a request to stay the execution Wednesday.

Jason Clark, a spokesman with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, was put to death at 9:32 p.m. Central Time Wednesday.

Tamayo did not make a statement before his execution.

[Last update 10:29 p.m. ET]

Supreme Court denies stay of Tamayo execution

(CNN) -- A last-ditch push to keep a convicted cop killer alive in Texas failed Wednesday night when the U.S. Supreme Court denied a motion to stay his execution.

The execution by lethal injection of Edgar Tamayo Arias, a Mexican national, is scheduled to proceed Wednesday night, Texas Department of Criminal Justice spokesman Jason Clark said.

Mexico's government has been pushing to block Tamayo's execution, arguing that it would violate international law.

Lawyers for Tamayo criticized the Supreme Court's ruling.

"He will be executed tonight, despite the indisputable fact that his right to consular assistance was violated," attorneys Sandra L. Babcock and Maurie Levin said in a statement.

Arias, 46, was convicted of the 1994 murder of a Houston police officer.

His supporters say he was denied access to his consulate when arrested, as required by an international treaty.

Earlier Wednesday, the state's Board of Pardons and Paroles denied Tamayo's clemency request.

The Bush and Obama administrations had urged Texas and other states to grant Tamayo and inmates in similar situations new hearings, fearing repercussions for Americans arrested overseas.

Since 2008, Texas has executed two other Mexicans convicted of murder who raised similar claims. The Supreme Court refused to delay either one.

Tamayo's lawyers argue the consulate access violation was more than a technicality -- that Mexican officials would have ensured he had the most competent trial defense possible, if they had been able to speak with him right after his felony arrest.

Houston police officer Guy Gaddis was fatally shot after arresting Tamayo and another man for robbery.

Tamayo is one of 40 Mexican citizens awaiting the death penalty in U.S. prisons.

Mexican officials made similar consular-access arguments -- unsuccessfully -- before executions in 2008 and 2011.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has also weighed in on Tamayo's case, arguing that setting an execution date is "extremely detrimental to the interests of the United States."

"I want to be clear: I have no reason to doubt the facts of Mr. Tamayo's conviction, and as a former prosecutor, I have no sympathy for anyone who would murder a police officer," Kerry wrote. "This is a process issue I am raising because it could impact the way American citizens are treated in other countries."

Lucy Nashed, a spokeswoman for Texas Gov. Rick Perry, said the state was committed to enforcing its laws.

"It doesn't matter where you're from — if you commit a despicable crime like this in Texas, you are subject to our state laws, including a fair trial by jury and the ultimate penalty," she said.

CNN's Gustavo Valdes reported from Huntsville. CNN's Bill Mears reported from Washington and CNN's Catherine E. Shoichet reported from Atlanta. CNN's Nick Parker and Mayra Cuevas contributed to this report.

Moments after selfie, blast kills teen

• 'Not a martyr' campaign is gaining traction in Lebanon


• They say it highlights technique of labeling people as martyrs to avoid taking action


• They say in Lebanon, martyr is a respected title but it's now used to desensitize people


• Campaign launched after one innocent victim of a bomb was called a martyr

Beirut, Lebanon (CNN) -- Mohammad Chaar wasn't looking to become a martyr -- or a victim. Late last month, the 16-year-old student was just hanging out with his friends in downtown Beirut, out of school and having fun. They all took a selfie to mark the moment, and never expected that moment would become so momentous.

The car bombing targeted and killed Mohamad Chatah, a former Lebanese Ambassador to the United States -- but several others also lost their lives.

Minutes after the blast, Chaar appeared in another picture. In it, he's seen lying unconscious and bleeding on the pavement. He would die later from his wounds.

As is the custom in Lebanon, hardly any time had passed before Chaar, an innocent bystander, had been branded a far weightier title. All of a sudden, "victim" had morphed into "martyr."

One minute Mohammad Chaar was posing for a selfie. Moments later he was bleeding on the pavement after a car bomb detonated.

Chaar died from his wounds, and it wasn't long before he was branded a "martyr." But many younger Lebanese, sick of the constant violence in their country, were outraged by the label.

Lebanese began protesting the teenager's death through a unique online campaign called "Not a Martyr."

The movement's Facebook page stated: "We can no longer desensitize ourselves to the constant horror of life in Lebanon. We refuse to become martyrs. We refuse to remain victims. We refuse to die a collateral death."

"We're each from a different religion, but our union doesn't have a religion," say the Lebanese photographed.

"My family is stronger than the government - should I laugh or should I cry?" reads this sign. The concept of martyrdom is deeply ingrained in Lebanon's war-scarred psychology. Younger Lebanese are rejecting the term.

The sign of this #notamartyr supporter states: "In 2014, I want to express my opinion, I don't want to be silenced."

Dozens have posted pictures online since the December bombing, and the campaign has given voice to a generation seeking to improve life in Lebanon.

The #notamartyr campaigners aren't the only ones using creativity to combat complacency. After the bombing that killed Chaar, Lebanese artist Rima Najdi put on a provocative performance in January by dressing up as a suicide bomber and wandering around Beirut.

Najdi dressed up as a suicide bomber in protest against the normalization of bombings in Lebanon. While some were scared by her, most were simply amused. Several folks took pictures -- others even posed for selfies with her.

A portrait of Mohammad al-Chaar is seen during a candlelight vigil at the site of the blast. The car bombs haven't stopped since his death.

Lebanon's #notamartyr campaign

Lebanon's #notamartyr campaign

Lebanon's #notamartyr campaign

Lebanon's #notamartyr campaign

Lebanon's #notamartyr campaign

Lebanon's #notamartyr campaign

Lebanon's #notamartyr campaign

Lebanon's #notamartyr campaign

Lebanon's #notamartyr campaign

Lebanon's #notamartyr campaign

Lebanon's #notamartyr campaign

Lebanon's #notamartyr campaign

Hezbollah targeted in Lebanon blast

Lebanese official killed in bomb blast

Hariri trial begins without accused

And for many younger Lebanese, so sick of recent violence and rising sectarianism throughout the country, that was just too much.

"I think Mohammad Chaar was the straw that broke the camel's back," explained prominent Lebanese blogger Gino Raidy.

"Because what he was doing was taking a selfie, which all of us do every day, and it's in a safe neighborhood, supposedly."

READ MORE: Beirut blast kills 4 in Hezbollah stronghold

Raidy and other outraged Lebanese decided they'd had enough. Seeking not only an end to senseless slaughter, but also justice for Chaar, they began protesting the teenager's death through a unique online campaign called "Not a Martyr."

When the movement's Facebook page sprang up soon after Chaar died, it contained a message that resonated:

"We can no longer desensitize ourselves to the constant horror of life in Lebanon," read a statement from the group. "We refuse to become martyrs. We refuse to remain victims. We refuse to die a collateral death."

As a tribute to Chaar and other civilians who died in recent bombings, supporters of the campaign were encouraged to post photos of themselves in which they'd write resolutions they sought for Lebanon and include the hashtag #notamartyr. Dozens have already done so.

Among the pictorial messages posted are the following:

• "I don't want to hear, see nor feel one more explosion"


• "I want to spend less time defending my country and more time proving to people that it is worthy of the love I have for it"


• "I want to bring the murderers to justice"


• "I want a government that doesn't steal money, dreams, hope, from its people"


• "I want painless access to 24 hour electricity and water"


• "I never want to hear 'this is Lebanon' used as an excuse"

The concept of martyrdom is deeply ingrained in Lebanon's war-scarred psychology. But a younger generation is now rejecting the idea that anybody who dies as a result of political- or sectarian-motivated bombings or shootings is automatically a martyr.

"In Lebanon, the word martyr has a lot of gravitas to it," Raidy told me.

"When you say martyr, there's no questioning that title. But it got to a point where it sort of became a way to absolve the government of the duty it has to actually investigate and punish the people doing that ... What you see today is people who are saying, no, we don't want to be a martyr. We are victims if we die when we're going to work or to school or doing daily life things."

Blogger Raja Farah agrees. As we stood in Central Beirut's Martyr's Square, he described "a general sense of helplessness and hopelessness in Lebanon these days."

"I think, a lot of people feel like we're sitting ducks waiting for our politicians to play some kind of sick game," said Farah. "Martyrdom actually requires a kind of self-sacrifice. You have to be willing to die for something. And a lot of these bystanders that are being killed in these attacks never actually voiced any kind of interest in dying in a certain cause."

While many in Lebanon, a tiny country that survived a brutal 15-year civil war, are accustomed to this kind of violence, there's no doubt a sadness has set in of late.

As neighboring Syria burns, sectarian divisions in Lebanon have deepened. Since July, both Shiite and Sunni strongholds across Lebanon have been targeted in a wave of bombings. Dozens have died as a result.

READ MORE: Saudi Arabia pledges $3 billion for Lebanese army

A growing number of Lebanese activists and writers don't want to see their country descend into all out chaos.

"I felt like we needed some kind of motivation," Farah said. "I felt like most people have given up and I think I'm pretty to close to giving up as well, and unless something happens, it's hard to still fall in love with this country and have hopes and dreams about it."

Adding to the general unease over the spillover of violence from Syria's civil war, Lebanon's economy is also in tatters. Job options, even for Lebanon's best and brightest, are few and far between -- a sentiment reflected in the selfie Farah posted.

"Mine says I don't want to end up in Dubai," explained Farah. "I mean, sadly, Lebanon is losing all its youth because there are no opportunities here, it's not safe. If you want to start a family you can't really do it here. Job opportunities are very, very limited."

On the "Not A Martyr" Facebook page and Twitter feed, you'll see many such complaints. Whether taking on economic woes or bemoaning rampant corruption, the campaign has given voice to a generation seeking to improve life in Lebanon.

Lebanese singer Hamed Sinno is among them.

"The campaign is really interesting for me," said Sinno, "because I think it's one of those campaigns that stem out of a political event that actually has reachable goals."

Sinno, lead singer of the extremely popular band Mashrou' Leila, is, like many others, using the platform to advocate change.

"We have people talking about animal rights, about the rights of domestic workers, about small stuff like traffic, like everything else. And then, the bigger stuff as well, like, you know, national security, safety."

Sinno added: "You have people talking about security, you have people talking about their rights as women, their rights as LGBTQ people."

Sinno, who is openly gay, posted a picture of himself holding a sign in Arabic that read, "I want to hold my boyfriend's hand without being afraid of the police."

"My selfie," said Sinno, "was about homophobia with the police and not feeling secure with sort of public displays of affection or public declarations of sexual identity."

According to Sinno, the campaign has also given many Lebanese a much needed space to discuss things they don't like about Lebanon.

"Not that these things are necessarily gonna be resolved when someone posts a selfie," said Sinno, "but it's interesting to sort of see how the bigger political issues in the country actually sediment [sic] into people's daily living experiences."

Sinno and other "Not A Martyr" supporters aren't the only ones using creativity to combat complacency.

After the bombing that killed Chaar, Lebanese artist Rima Najdi put on a provocative performance by dressing up as a suicide bomber and wandering around Beirut. While the costume was cartoonish and bystanders mostly amused, Najdi told me her display was deadly serious.

"This is me protesting against the normalization of these bombings," she said.

For Najdi, who lives abroad and visited Lebanon over the holidays, it was an attempt to jolt spectators out a dangerous mindset she fears is setting in. During her stay, two bombs went off -- the one that killed Chaar and another in southern Beirut.

"I was driving in Beirut and on each red light, I was looking for a bomb, actually. And I was waiting for when the bomb is gonna go off," explained Najdi. "And the fact that I looked outside my car's window and (was) looking at the people and noticing that the people are feeling the same, and they might be as well looking for a bomb, that was kind of the key feeling that I felt I need to do a reaction to in a way, so this is how the idea started basically."

Before she set out in disguise, Najdi was quite worried about the reaction she'd receive. While some were scared by her, most were simply amused. Several folks took pictures - others even posed for selfies with her.

And while Najdi's happy she never faced any danger, that hasn't diminished her concern for what's happening in Lebanon.

"Feeling that you're gonna die anytime soon just becomes a process that you go through if you're walking in the street," said Najdi. "So this is quite worrying."

But Najdi, like the supporters of "Not A Martyr", refuses to give up on Lebanon. For them the point will never be about how to celebrate a death, rather, how to build a life.

Journalist Raed Rafei also contributed to this report.

Dangerous cold hangs around

Windblown snow swirls around a man under elevated train tracks in Philadelphia on Wednesday, January 22. Driven by frigid arctic air, a powerful system is making a mess of things up and down the Eastern Seaboard, especially from Washington to Boston. More than a foot of snow has fallen in parts of the Northeast.

Workers shovel snow off seating at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on January 22. The stadium will host Super Bowl XLVIII.

Tommy Mallios, left, and his brother Evan shovel snow from a sidewalk in Scituate, Massachusetts, on January 22.

A snow blower clears a sidewalk next to a statue of Mahatma Gandhi at Union Square Park in New York City on January 22.

A man makes his way on a snow-covered path between apartment buildings in New York on January 22.

A man crosses a street in downtown Baltimore on January 22.

People sleep inside a Metrobus parked at Union Station in Washington on January 22. The bus was designated a warming station for the homeless.

A woman walks in Baltimore as snow falls Tuesday, January 21.

Dusk falls over a snow-covered White House in Washington on January 21.

Workers shovel snow in front of Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, on January 21 before an NBA game between the Orlando Magic and Brooklyn Nets.

An umbrella comes in handy for a woman on a snow-covered path in Boston Common on January 21.

Wind kicks up snow January 21 in front of a statue in Jersey City, New Jersey.

People brave the elements in New York's Times Square on January 21.

Jason Stoudemire keeps warm while out in Centre Square in Easton, Pennsylvania, on January 21.

Workers clear snow off the steps of the U.S. Capitol in Washington on January 21.

The tugboat Commissioner breaks up ice in Chicago's Burnham Harbor on January 21.

An airplane is de-iced as heavy snow falls at Ronald Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, on January 21.

A man walks through a snow storm in New York on January 21, as a storm alert was issued from noon Tuesday until 6 a.m. Wednesday, with as much as a foot of snow forecast for the metro area.

Pedestrians make their way through snowfall in New York's Times Square on January 21.

A woman walks through a snow storm on January 21 in south Philadelphia.

Snow falls as tourists take in the New York skyline from the Brooklyn Bridge Park on January 21.

Icy roads cause hazardous conditions as cars slip and slide in Staten Island on January 21.

People walk past the art installation "Red Cube" by Isamu Noguchi in New York during a snow storm on January 21.

People walk with umbrellas through snow fall in New York on January 21.

Blustery conditions make for a chilly walk in New York.

A truck plows an access road to the Empty Sky Memorial at Liberty State Park in Jersey City, New Jersey on January 21.

People try to cover up head to toe during frigid conditions in New York on January 21.

A worker clears snow off sidewalks at Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio, on January 21.

A member of the Secret Service Uniform Division stands guard in front of the White House as snow falls in Washington on January 21.

Tony Ciambrello and his granddaughter Addie Maurer walk home from St. Mark's Catholic School in Bristol Borough, Pennsylvania, on January 21.

A person draws a happy face in the snow on a car window in New York.

Antione Larkins shovels snow out of his driveway in Champaign, Illinois, on January 21.

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• NEW: An official reports three suspected weather-related deaths in Pennsylvania


• The blizzard warnings are expiring, but more cold is on the way


• Some areas saw up to 18-inch snowdrifts


• More than 1,400 flights were canceled Wednesday

How cold is it where you are? Share your best photos and footage with CNN iReport.Read this article in Spanish

(CNN) -- Dangerous cold and treacherous driving conditions left millions of Americans along the Eastern Seaboard stuck at home Wednesday.

And, try as we might, we couldn't get any glimmers of hope from the CNN weather department's forecast for what's ahead.

The storm system that dumped record-breaking piles of snow -- including 18-inch snowdrifts in Plymouth, Massachusetts -- is moving off the coast, and remaining blizzard warnings are expiring. But the freezing weather is going to stick around.

Winter blast pummeling East Coast

Meteorologist embraces the cold

Live report interrupted by snowball fight

"Another clipper will reinforce the cold air already in place, so any snow on the ground is expected to hang around," CNN meteorologist Indra Petersons said.

And "more surges of cold Arctic air are on tap for next week," added CNN meteorologist Sean Morris. "New York stays well below freezing for the foreseeable future -- possibly holding until the end of the month, though there's a chance they could briefly rise above 32 degrees Saturday afternoon. Washington, D.C., isn't expected to rise above freezing until Saturday afternoon, when it will be a balmy 37 degrees. But there's more cold and snow on the way early next week."

Meanwhile, in California, some cities are tying records -- for heat. Paso Robles reached 75 degrees Tuesday, while Camarillo reached 84.

But through the Midwest, Southeast and Northeast, temperatures were 15 to 25 degrees below average Wednesday.

Washington's Dulles International Airport recorded about 8 inches of snow Tuesday. New York's Central Park saw 11 inches. Bridgeport, Connecticut, had 6½.

Governors in Delaware, New Jersey and New York issued states of emergency.

This blizzard did not follow a typical pattern, Petersons said. The heaviest snowfall was closer to the coast rather than inland, even though the system was moving from west to east. The storm system strengthened off the coast, picking up moisture from the Atlantic to bump up the snowfall.

Staying home and heading out

Rich Schultz, a father of three in Fair Lawn, New Jersey, told CNN he was spending the day cooking and planning meals for the week, including shepherd's pie and tomato, corn and basil soup.

Others have been venturing out, with potentially deadly consequences.

Three people have died in Pennsylvania in what appear to be weather-related incidents, according to Dana Todd of the Delaware County Medical Examiner's Office.

"Evidence would suggest that weather was a factor, but autopsies have not been performed yet," she said.

The deaths include two men -- ages 67 and 87 -- who were out shoveling, and a 92-year-old woman who had wandered outside her home, Todd said.

Nature photographer Candice Trimble spent Tuesday catching and photographing snowflakes up close in Front Royal, Virginia, she said in a CNN iReport.

Washington D.C. buried in snow

Winter weather continues to blast U.S.

It was a time for play for some in Philadelphia. With about a foot of snow falling on the city, the steps at the Museum of Art became a sledding hill.

On Facebook, dozens of people told CNN about the silver linings they've been finding in the storm. It "makes you very grateful" for the "wealth you have" in taking care of "basic human needs," Sue Skoo wrote.

"Beer stays cold without refrigeration," Dan Evans added.

Out West, at least one Utah resident didn't understand what all the fuss was about.

"A storm brings 10" of snow to Utah and we throw a party," Drew Stoddard, who lives south of Salt Lake City, posted on Twitter. "It happens in New York and they declare a state of emergency."

Travel concerns

Around the Northeast, some schools and offices were closed, and some roads were shut down.

More than 1,400 flights were canceled, according to FlightAware.com.

At New York's LaGuardia Airport, weary travelers spent a restless and sleep-deprived night on airport chairs and cold floors. Flight cancellations put hotel rooms in short supply.

Susan Otterstrom found out Tuesday that she had two more days in the Big Apple, instead of returning to Illinois.

"I got a call that (my flight) was canceled, and I couldn't reschedule until Thursday," she told CNN affiliate WPIX.

Another traveler said she was resigned to living the concourse life until she could catch a flight out.

"I'm just going to stay here and work and doze and whatever," she said. "You do what you have to do."

Amtrak was running a modified schedule on the Northeast Corridor, saying passengers should expect some delays and fewer trains between Washington and Boston.

"Nobody was outside on the streets and no cars were driving," New York City resident Jodi Kaplan said. "Everyone and everything was so quiet. It was as if NYC welcomed this weather and the chance to stop. And be frozen."

Tips for travelers

JetBlue slammed by another big storm

Greatest things about cold weather

CNN's Steve Almasy, Rose Arce, Margaret Conley, Kevin Conlon, Suzanne Presto and Leigh Remizowski contributed to this report.