The start of a winter storm with heavy, wet snow led to hundreds of school closings, canceled flights and some power outages in parts of the Northeast on Tuesday.
Winter Storm Warnings are in effect for portions of the interior Northeast through New England. Winter Weather Advisories are in effect for portions of the Northeast, the north/central Appalachians, and areas downstream of Lake Superior and Lake Ontario. Freeze Watches and Warnings are in effect for much of the interior Southeast, Tennessee River Valley, and Ozarks. Wind Advisories are in effect for portions of the Mid Atlantic into the Northeast along the I-95 corridor.
The storm's path included parts of New England, upstate New York, northeastern Pennsylvania and northern New Jersey. Snow totals by the time it winds up Wednesday were expected to range from a few inches to a few feet, depending on the area.
“This is shaping up to be a unique winter storm for our small state in that there will be big differences in snowfall amounts depending on where you are located,” said Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont, who ordered all executive branch state office buildings closed. “Some towns may receive a significant snowfall total, while others may receive a fraction of that amount or maybe even just rain.”
The airport in Albany, New York, which began clearing snow on Monday night, was open, but canceled 16 morning departures early Tuesday. Bradley International Airport in Connecticut also was open and clearing snow; about 15% of its flights were canceled.
The National Weather Service said that in New York 2 inches of snow per hour or more was falling in higher elevations, in the eastern Catskills through the mid-Hudson Valley, central Taconics and Berkshires.
Rain was turning into snow across parts of New England and winds were picking up.
In New Hampshire, it was Election Day for town officeholders, but more than 70 communities postponed voting because of the storm.
“We know that the driving conditions are going to be treacherous," Patrick Moody of AAA New England said.
The weather service said expected snow totals from the storm, which is expected to wind up Wednesday, range from a foot to 18 inches in higher elevations in Massachusetts, to 4 to 6 inches in Boston. Higher elevations in southwest New Hampshire could get up to 2 feet of snow, and Augusta, Maine, could see 8 inches to a foot.