A state-by-state look at the Northeast snowstorm
Feb 11, 2013, 8:32 AM
(AP) – A look at effects in states and provinces in the path of the massive storm that swept across the Northeast U.S. and southern Canada:
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CONNECTICUT
The storm dumped at as much as 3 feet of snow on Connecticut, paralyzing much of the state. President Barack Obama declared a state of emergency for the state, allowing federal aid to be used in recovery.
Five deaths apparently were weather related, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said, including a 73-year-old man who died when he fell while cleaning up in Danbury. The National Guard was brought in to help clear snow in New Haven, which got 34 inches. Snow totals were 32 inches in Manchester and 20 inches in Danbury.
The governor ordered all roads closed for nearly a day, and even emergency responders got stuck on highways. About 38,000 homes and businesses were without power at the storm’s peak. By early Monday, 1,225 were left without electricity.
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MAINE
Portland set a record snowfall reading of 31.9 inches, the National Weather Service said, and blowing snow reduced visibility on the coast. The weather contributed to a fatal crash.
Vehicles, including state police cruisers, were stuck in the deep snow, state police said, warning that stranded drivers should expect long waits for tow trucks. About 12,000 homes and businesses lost power.
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MASSACHUSETTS
Boston was blanketed in up to 2 feet of snow, falling short of the city’s record of 27.6 inches set in 2003. In some communities just outside the city, totals were higher, including 30 inches in both Quincy and Framingham. Hardest hit were the South Shore and Cape Cod, but there were no serious injuries due to flooding, the governor said.
An 11-year-old boy died of carbon monoxide poisoning after being overcome as he sat in a running car to keep warm, while his father was shoveling snow to get the car out of a snow bank in Boston’s Dorchester neighborhood. A Boston man believed to be in his 20s also died of carbon monoxide poisoning in a running, snowed-in car. Also, a longtime member of the Worcester Fire Department suffered a heart attack after shoveling snow at his Webster home Saturday and died at a hospital.
Public transit in the city was suspended, and authorities expected to have trains and buses running in time for Monday morning’s commute. Logan Airport was closed until late Saturday.
More than 400,000 customers lost power in the state, and some were warned to expect to be without it for days. Many areas were too dangerous to send in crews, utility NStar said. Crews whittled the total down to just over 126,000 outages by early Monday.
The state enforced its first travel ban on roads since the Blizzard of ’78, a ferocious storm that dropped 27 inches of snow, packed hurricane-force winds and claimed dozens of lives.
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NEW HAMPSHIRE
The capital of Concord saw its second-highest snow total on record, 24 inches. Both Seabrook and East Hampstead saw 26 inches of snow. There were only a few hundred power failures statewide.
Saturday morning’s high tide sent waves crashing into closed roads along the seacoast, local police said, but there were no reports of significant damage.
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NEW JERSEY
The state was spared the worst of the storm, and the highest snowfalls were spread across northern New Jersey, where River Vale got 15 inches, the National Weather Service reported.
Bus and train service that was briefly suspended, and Newark Liberty Airport was closed Friday night. Flooding, seen on a massive scale during Superstorm Sandy, did not appear to cause major problems.
Officials say just a few thousand customers lost power during the storm, and nearly all had their service restored by early Saturday afternoon.
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NEW YORK
Police had to use snowmobiles to reach ambulances, fire trucks, police vehicles, some snowplow trucks and passenger vehicles stranded overnight on the Long Island Expressway. About 10,000 homes and businesses lost power on Long Island, which saw as much as 2 1/2 feet of snow. Only 193 had no power by early Monday.
About a foot of snow fell on New York City, which was “in great shape,” Mayor Michael Bloomberg said. The Staten Island neighborhoods hit hardest by Superstorm Sandy dodged another round of flooding.
Airports reopened Saturday and New York transportation officials told commuters to expect nearly normal service Monday on trains. Plowing continued on a 27-mile stretch of the Long Island Expressway that had been closed.
Three deaths in the state were blamed on the storm. A 23-year-old man plowing his driveway with a farm tractor went off the edge of the road and was killed in Columbia County, police said. A 74-year-old was fatally struck by a car in Poughkeepsie; the driver said she lost control in the snowy conditions, police said. And a 58-year-old man apparently suffered a medical problem while removing snow from his car at a senior citizens’ apartment complex in Selden on Long Island.
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RHODE ISLAND
Residents were urged to stay off the roads to allow crews to clear up to 2 feet of snow. About 180,000 homes and businesses lost power; 20,736 still lacked electricity early Monday.
At T.F. Green Airport, outbound flights were to resume Sunday afternoon. Public transit service scheduled to resume Monday.
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VERMONT
Wind, not snow or tides, was the issue in Vermont. Ferry service between Charlotte, Vt., and Essex, N.Y., was closed Saturday because of the gusts. Parts of the state saw 10 inches of snow.
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Sources: State and local authorities; AP reporting
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