head a winter storm Heavy, wet snow forced hundreds of school closures, flight cancellations and thousands of power outages in parts of the Northeast on Tuesday.
The storm’s path crossed parts of New England, southern New York state, northeastern Pennsylvania, and northern New Jersey. A few inches to several feet of snow is expected Wednesday. depending on the area.
“This is going to be an unusual winter storm for our small state because there’s going to be a big difference in the amount of snow depending on where you are,” said Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont, who ordered the closure of all executive branch state office buildings. “Some cities could see significant snow, while others could see a fraction of that amount or even rain.”
On Twitter Tuesday morning, Lamont said utility companies were reporting “over 1,400 power outages,” mostly in the western part of the state. That number is expected as the storm continues, he said.
More than 400 flights to or from the US were canceled on Tuesday, with Boston and New York airports seeing the most cleared flights, according to flight tracking website FlightAware.
The National Weather Service said 2 inches (5 centimeters) or more of snow per hour was falling in New York at higher elevations, in the eastern Catskills through the mid-Hudson Valley, and in the central Taconics and Berkshires. There was an emergency Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Monday night.
Wet, heavy snow snapped trees and knocked out power lines in the New York metropolitan area. More than 30,000 homes and businesses in the Albany area are without power.
Snow totals will be the highest for the season, said meteorologist Andrew Orrison of the weather service’s office in College Park, Maryland.
“The snowfall in the Northeast has been below average this year, so this nor’easter will be very impressive,” he said.
In parts of New England, the rain turned to snow and the wind picked up. At least 80,000 customers were without power in New England. In New Hampshire, it was election day for mayors, but more than 70 communities postponed voting because of the storm.
“We know driving conditions can be treacherous,” Patrick Moody told AAA New England.
Snowfall amounts expected from Wednesday’s storm are 18 inches (30 to 46 cm) in high elevations in Massachusetts and 4 to 6 inches in Boston, the weather service said. High elevations in southwestern New Hampshire could get up to 2 feet of snow, while Augusta, Maine could see up to 8 inches.
Northeast storms continue to wreak havoc on California. Crews rushed to repair a breach in a storm-surge river on California’s central coast as another surging river arrived this week that could inundate the state’s swampy farmland and farming communities.
