Burlington, VT - As skiers in many regions of the western U.S. bathed in record-setting heat, a massive St. Patrick's Day nor'easter charged up the New England coast and dropped widespread snowfall across ski resorts in the eastern U.S. and Canada.

A St. Patrick's Day nor'easter brought the luck o'the Irish to Vermont skiers today.(photo: Killington Resort)

Belleayre Mountain reported 27 inches of new snow in the Catskill Mountains of New York, postponing the Cardboard Classic race until March 31. Jay Peak and Smugglers' Notch, both in Vermont, reported 24 and 20 inches, respectively, from the storm. Killington in the central part of the state reported 18 inches.

“With the Sprint U.S. Freestyle Championship here next weekend, followed by the Bud Light Bear Mountain Mogul Challenge March 31, all this new snow will make for some outstanding spring skiing and snowboarding conditions,” said Dave Rathbun, vice president of brand management and sales at Killington Resort.

Snowfall stretched north of the border into Canada as well, where the storm forced the cancellation of today's final slalom race of the Bombardier J1 Championships at Mont Orford, Que., where over a foot of new snow fell.

“It is very unfortunate to be obligated to cancel these races. The Race Organizing committee have done everything possible to get the races going, but the heavy snowfall compromised the safety of the ski racers," said Benoit Lalande, Director of Eastern development at Alpine Canada Alpin.

Snowfall was expected to persist overnight tonight across Upstate New York and Northern New England. "Another area of snow associated with the upper level trough and some lake enhancement is moving through central/north-central New York," First Tracks!! Online weather forecaster Scott Braaten said this afternoon. "This area of lift will swing through Vermont overnight and models are showing enhanced H7 omega lift over the northern Green Mountains developing after 10 p.m. tonight. Good convergence should cause snow to become steadier later this evening and tonight with additional accumulations of up to three inches in the valleys, including the greater Burlington area, and three to six inches from Mad River Glen and Sugarbush northward along the (Green Mountain)spine."