Lots of folks spent Wednesday afternoon digging out the snow shovel, rooting through the trunk to find the ice scraper and getting out boots and gloves in light of an expected nor'easter forecasters believed would dump snow and slush into the region overnight.

But our area dodged a weather bullet when the storm kept too far east to touch us, according to the National Weather Service.A bit farther south, the northern Philadelphia area saw a couple of inches of snow. The Staten Island borough of New York had about four inches of snow, while Connecticut was buried under eight inches.As of Thursday morning, the National Weather Service was anticipating several days of sunshine, with temperatures ranging from 50 degrees on Friday to highs in the lower 60s on Sunday and Monday, with nighttime temperatures in the high 30s to low 40s perfect for getting outside to clean up debris left by Hurricane Sandy.The deadly superstorm a hybrid of three separate weather events that killed more than 100 people along the east coast had threatened to dump heavy rains and bring high winds to the coal region on Oct. 29, but the deluge was less than expected. However, high winds took their toll in downed trees and utility wires, knocking out power to hundreds of thousands of PPL customers.Jersey shore and New York residents bore the brunt of both storms. Nine days after Sandy swamped the coast, the nor'easter swept in with wind and snow, compounding the misery of those who have been out of power since Sandy.Electric company crews were still working to restore power knocked out by Hurricane Sandy when the nor'easter hit. As of Wednesday afternoon, 38,992 Jersey Central Power & Light customers in Monmouth County remained without power. In Ocean County, 27,184 were still in the dark, and 41,291 JCP&L customers in Morris County were without power.Coastal towns, hard-hit by Sandy, suffered even more devastation from the nor'easter. Thousands in flood-prone areas were forced to evacuate as the nor'easter rolled up the coast.