A person crosses a snow covered street in New York City. Source: Getty Images
A MASSIVE storm packing hurricane-force winds and blizzard conditions swept through the Northeast on Saturday, dumping up to 70cm of snow on New England and knocking out power to 650,000 customers in the region.
More than 70cm of snow had fallen on central Connecticut by early Saturday, and areas of southeastern Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Hampshire notched 60cm or more of snow - with more falling.
Airlines cancelled more than 5,300 flights through Saturday, and New York City's three major airports and Boston's Logan Airport closed.
The wind-whipped snowstorm mercifully arrived at the start of a weekend, which meant fewer cars on the road and extra time for sanitation crews to clear the mess before commuters in the New York-to-Boston region of roughly 25 million people have to go back to work.
But it could also mean a weekend cooped up indoors.
A runner runs in the snow in the park along Commonwealth Ave in Boston. Picture: AP
In heavily Catholic Boston, the archdiocese urged parishioners to be prudent about attending Sunday Mass and reminded them that, under church law, the obligation ``does not apply when there is grave difficulty in fulfilling this obligation.''
Halfway through what had been a mild winter across the Northeast, blizzard warnings were posted from parts of New Jersey to Maine.
The National Weather Service said Boston could get close to 3 feet of snow by Saturday evening, while most of Rhode Island could receive more than 2 feet, most of it falling overnight Friday into Saturday. Connecticut was bracing for 2 feet, and New York City was expecting as much as 14 inches.
Tow truck operator Shawn Juhre sets up road safety reflectors before towing a car out of a ditch during a winter snow storm in Buffalo, NY. Picture: AP
Early snowfall was blamed for a 19-car pileup in Cumberland, Maine, that caused minor injuries. In New York, hundreds of cars began getting stuck on the Long Island Expressway on Friday afternoon at the beginning of the snowstorm and dozens of disabled motorists remained early Saturday as police worked to free them.
About 650,000 customers in the Northeast lost power during the height of the snowstorm, most of them in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant in Plymouth, Mass., lost electricity and shut down Friday night during the storm. Authorities say there's no threat to public safety.
At least four deaths were being blamed on the storm, three in Canada and one in New York.
In southern Ontario, an 80-year-old woman collapsed while shoveling her driveway and two men were killed in car crashes. In New York, a 74-year-old man died after being struck by a car in Poughkeepsie; the driver said she lost control in the snowy conditions, police said.
With two storm fronts converging over Boston it is causing a major snow storm with expected falls of up to one metre.
Forecasters said wind gusts exceeding 75 mph could cause more widespread power outages and whip the snow into fearsome drifts. Flooding was expected along coastal areas still recovering from Superstorm Sandy, which hit New York and New Jersey the hardest and is considered Jersey's worst natural disaster.
In Manhattan, streets normally bustling after midnight, were quiet Saturday but for the hum of snow blowers, the scrape of shovels and the laughter from late night revelers who braved the snow.
Bill Tavonallo, 39, said he walked home on purpose from a Manhattan bar to enjoy the snow falling.
"With Sandy, we were scared. But this is wonderful,'' he said, his glasses crusted with ice.
"It's nice to have a reason to slow down.''
Mary Ann Bova walks along a slippery snow covered sidewalk in Buffalo, New York, during the start of a blizzard that hit the US east coast.
In Massachusetts, Gov. Deval Patrick enacted a statewide driving ban for the first time since the Blizzard of '78, a ferocious storm that dropped 27 inches of snow, packed hurricane-force winds and claimed dozens of lives.
In New York, Fashion Week, a series of designer showings with some activities held under tents, went on mostly as scheduled, though organizers put on additional crews to deal with the snow and ice, turned up the heat and fortified the tents.
The snow did require some wardrobe changes: Designer Michael Kors was forced to arrive at the Project Runway show in Uggs.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission says the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant in Plymouth experienced an automatic shutdown about 9.15pm on Friday after losing off-site power.
A pedestrian makes his way through driving snow with a broken umbrella in the Back Bay neighbourhood of Boston, Massachusetts.
Spokesman Neil Sheehan says the plant has declared an unusual event, which is the lowest level of emergency classification.
Sheehan says that the reactor shut down without any problems and that backup generators are powering plant equipment.
The NRC says there's no threat to public safety.
The shutdown came as a major snowstorm began clobbering the New York-to-Boston corridor, knocking out power to more than 300,000 customers in Massachusetts.
Sanitation workers use tractors to pile up salt at a depot in New York before the impending blizzard hits the US east coast.
New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island have declared states of emergency as Winter Storm Nemo begins dumping a massive metre of snow.
Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick banned all vehicles on the road from 4 pm and those who ignore the rule could face a year in jail or a $500 fine. Only service vehicles, medical staff heading to work and media are permitted to use the roads.
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg told residents to keep out of the streets and warned "we've got to prepare for the worst case" as he spoke at a press conference from City Hall.
"Stay off the city streets, stay out of cars and stay in your homes," he said, adding that tonight people should "cook a meal, stay at home, read a good book, take it easy".
The massive nor'easter as seen from space.
The state has also readied 6,000 National Guardsmen as it was revealed 40 million people across the northeast are in Nemo's path.
With memories of Hurricane Sandy still raw, homes now face a storm meteorologists have described as a potential 'monster' which could be the biggest blizzard some cities have seen in a century.
As well as heavy snow accumulation from New York to Boston and beyond, hurricane-force winds are expected in coastal areas - battering the same regions worst affected by Sandy in October.
"This storm has the potential to be one of those events that you remember for a lifetime,' said meteorologist Terry Eliasen, executive weather producer of CBS Boston station WBZ-TV.
Frustrated travelers found themselves stranded at airports from New Jersey up to Maine ahead of a storm that could dump three feet of snow on the East Coast. Deborah Gembara reports.
The weather has sent residents scurrying to stock up on food and gas up their cars. The storm could dump between 30cm and 90cm of snow from New York City to Boston and beyond.
Even before the first snowflake had fallen, Boston, Providence, Rhode Island, Hartford, Connecticut, and other towns and cities in New England and upstate New York towns cancelled school Friday, and airlines scratched more than 3,700 flights through Saturday, with the disruptions certain to ripple across the US.
"This one doesn't come along every day. This is going to be a dangerous winter storm," said Alan Dunham, meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Taunton, Mass. "Wherever you need to get to, get there by Friday afternoon and don't plan on leaving."
The heaviest snowfall was expected Friday night and into Saturday. Wind gusts could reach 75 mph. Widespread power failures were feared, along with flooding in coastal areas still recovering from Superstorm Sandy in October.
The East Coast of the USA is in emergency mode as a massive winter storm threatens to repeat the blizzard of 1978. Fox News
Boston could get up to 1 metre of snow, while New York City was expecting up to 36cm. Mayor Michael Bloomberg said plows and 250,000 tons of salt were being put on standby. To the south, Philadelphia was looking at a possible 13cms.
In the southeastern Massachusetts town of Whitman, where up to 77cm of snow was forecast, public works crews were clearing crosswalk signs, trash barrels and anything else that might impede plows later in the day.
"We've had instances where they have predicted something big and it's petered out," said Dennis Smith, a public works employee. "I don't think this is going to be one of those times."
Smith's partner, Bob Trumbull, sounded a note of optimism, saying the relative lack of snow earlier this winter would make this storm easier to clean up. "At least there is room for this snow. There are no snowbanks so we will have a place to put it," Trumbull said.
Snow was being blamed for a 19-car pileup in Maine Friday morning in Cumberland, as 6 inches blanketed the area.
A New Jersey town hit hard by Superstorm Sandy issued a voluntary evacuation order for areas that are still recovering from that storm.
Residents in flood-prone sections of Brick Township were also urged to move their cars to higher ground by 5 p.m.
Amtrak suspended train service between New York and Boston in the afternoon.
The organizers of New York's Fashion Week - a closely watched series of fashion shows held under a big tent - said they will have extra crews to help with snow removal and will turn up the heat and add an extra layer to the venue.
Airlines canceled at least 3,775 flights ahead of the storm, according to airline tracking website FlightAware. At New York City's three main airports, most U.S. airlines planned to suspend operations between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m., resuming after noon on Saturday, FlightAware said. At Boston's Logan and other New England airports, most airlines were to cease operations between noon and 4 p.m.
This is a storm of major proportions," Boston Mayor Thomas Menino said Friday. "Stay off the roads. Stay home."
Blizzard warnings were posted for parts of New Jersey and New York's Long Island, as well as portions of Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut, including Hartford, New Haven, Conn., and Providence. The warnings extended into New Hampshire and Maine.
In New England, it could prove to be among the top 10 snowstorms in history, and perhaps even break Boston's record of 27.6 inches, set in 2003, the National Weather Service said. The last major snowfall in southern New England was well over a year ago - the Halloween storm of 2011.
Dunham said southern New England has seen less than half its normal snowfall this season, but "we're going to catch up in a heck of a hurry." He added: "Everybody's going to get plastered with snow."
Some gas stations in Connecticut ran out of fuel Thursday night during the rush to prepare for the storm. Long lines were reported at many stations.
At Stop & Shop supermarket in Mount Vernon, New York, on Friday morning, there was a line of shoppers outside when it opened at 7 a.m., and a steady stream followed. Checkout lines were long.
Mary Anne DiBello was stocking up her cart as the snow began to fall. She said she hosted a sleepover Thursday night with four 9- and 10-year-olds, including her daughter.
"Now I think I'm going to be stuck with them until I bring them to school on Monday," she said.
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