An unpredictable winter storm that buried parts of the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions with snow but barely laid a glove on Washington was bound early Thursday for New England, where it was expected to bring strong winds, more snow and the possibility of coastal flooding.

The late-winter storm brought new damage Thursday to parts of the Jersey shore still struggling to recover from Superstorm Sandy, including a dune breach that forced the closure of a major coastal highway.

Pounding surf broke through a temporary dune in Mantoloking, the hardest-hit Jersey shore town by Sandy, during the early-morning high tide.

Det. Stacy Ferris said the breach spanned three oceanfront properties, sending seven to 15 centimetres of water flowing through onto the highway. As a result, officials closed Route 35 from Herbert Street to the Bay Head border; the southern part of the borough remained open.

The storm marched into the Mid-Atlantic region Wednesday, dumping nearly 60 centimetres of snow in some places and knocking out power to about 250,000 homes and businesses. It largely spared the nation's capital, which was expecting much worse and had all but shut down.

Officials in Washington didn't want a repeat of 2011, when a rush-hour snowstorm stranded commuters for hours, so they told people to stay off the roads and gave workers the day off.

Storm a no-show in Washington

The storm's no-show in Washington came after it pummeled the nation's midsection Tuesday, killing at least four people in weather-related traffic accidents. More than 1,100 flights were cancelled Tuesday at Chicago's two airports alone, and hundreds more were cancelled Wednesday in Washington, Philadelphia and New York.

As the storm moved up the coast Wednesday night, it brought heavy winds to the Jersey Shore, still reeling from Superstorm Sandy, and had New England residents bracing for a potentially more powerful punch.

The National Weather Service was predicting up to 18 centimetres of heavy, wet snow in southeastern Connecticut through Friday morning and wind gusts that could hit 80 km/h, bringing possible power outages. A coastal flood warning was in effect starting Thursday morning for east-facing shores in Massachusetts, with up to a 3-foot surge at high tide in some areas. Central Massachusetts was bracing for 10 to 20 centimetres of snow, while early predictions were that Boston would get less.

In Washington, where as much as 25 centirmetres had been forecast, the storm did little but drop harmless snowflakes that rapidly melted amid warmer-than-expected temperatures. Federal offices in the region were to reopen Thursday.

"They just say that it might snow and the whole city shuts down," said Sheri Sable, who was out walking her two dogs in light rain and marveled at how even the dog park she frequents failed to open at 7 a.m.

There were bigger problems elsewhere in the region, though.

On the Jersey Shore, winds raked the beachfront in Point Pleasant Beach on Wednesday, blowing drifts of sand onto Ocean Avenue, and shredding the decorative entrance canopy at a hotel across the street from the beach.

Lashing winds also blew off part of the roof of a Stone Harbor, N.J., condominium complex and Ocean City officials advised residents to move their cars to higher ground in preparation of possible flooding. Maryland's Bay Bridge, which connects Maryland's Eastern shore with the Baltimore-Washington region, was temporarily closed in both directions, because of wind gusts of up to 100 km/h.

In North Carolina, state officials said high winds led to sound side flooding along N.C. 12 and brought the Hatteras-Ocracoke ferry run to a halt.

In Virginia, Gov. Bob McDonnell declared a state of emergency and about 50 National Guard soldiers were sent out to help clear roads. Up to 50 centimetres of snow piled up in central and western parts of the state. More than 200,000 people in Virginia alone lost power and another 40,000 in New Jersey were left in the dark. Hundreds of wrecks were reported around the region.

The storm dumped 60 centimetres of snow in parts of neighboring West Virginia, closing schools in more than half the state and leaving more than 20,000 customers without power.