First Snow 2014: Snowstorm Stalls Millions in Northeast; Highways Closed, 2,300 Flights Canceled; State of Emergency; Boston Buried Under Two Feet of Snow
First Snow 2014: The first snowstorm of 2014 stalled the Northeast. New Jersey declared a state of emergency. Major highways have been closed in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Boston is buried under two feet of snow. Airports across the country have cancelled thousands of flights. The snow is accompanied by strong winds and dangerously cold temperatures.
New York and New Jersey governors declared states of emergency. Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick said state offices will be closed all day Friday. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo closed three major highways.
The first snow of 2014 span from the southern Appalachians into New England. The snow is still coming down. The snow is expected to last into Friday. The National Weather Service said the heaviest snow is expected to hit central New York and the coast of Massachusetts. The storm dumped up to 7 inches in New York City. 23 inches have fallen in Massachusetts. Temperatures have dropped to a wind chill of 29 below zero. Chicago's suburbs were hit with nearly 17 inches of snow.
More than 2,300 flights were cancelled on Thursday night because of low visibility and heavy accumulations. As of Friday morning, 1,600 flights were still cancelled across the country.
According to the aviation tracking website FlightAware.com, U.S. airlines canceled more than 2,300 flights Thursday because of the snowfall and low visibility. New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport closed early Thursday. The airport is expected to reopen this morning.
Amtrak spokeswoman Christina Leeds said the trains will run on a modified schedule and Amtrak will operate on all of its Northeast lines. Metro-North Railroad commuter trains between New York City and suburban Connecticut, Long Island and New York's Hudson Valley, the Long Island Rail Road and New Jersey Transit will run on weekend schedules. New York City buses have been fitted with chains.
Forecasters warned that gusts of up to 30 miles per hour could bring wind chills to minus 25 degrees. You can get frostbite in a half hour. Bundle up.
