Snowstorm blankets New England
BOSTON (AP) - January 14, 2008 Following the snowiest December on record in some parts of the
region, and a spell of spring-like warmth, meteorologists said as
much as 14 inches of snow was possible in southern New Hampshire
and areas west and north of Boston.
Many communities declared snow emergencies in advance of the
storm and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino ordered only essential city
employees to report to work.
Snow piled up quickly with 11 inches by late morning at
Winchendon, in north-central Massachusetts, the National Weather
Service said. Pine Plains, N.Y., near the Connecticut state line,
reported 7 inches, and Burlington, Conn., had 6.5 inches. The
Boston area had about 5.
Kaj Munic was up at 4:30 a.m. plowing the heavy, wet snow off
driveways in Columbia, Conn. "You have to hit most places at least
twice," said Munic, a 59-year-old contractor.
Hundreds of public and private schools canceled classes for the
day in anticipation of the snow in Massachusetts, New Hampshire,
Vermont, Maine, Connecticut, Rhode Island and parts of eastern New
York.
School officials were taking no chances, especially after a Dec.
13 storm in which many youngsters in Providence, R.I., were stuck
on buses for hours. That storm also caused monumental traffic jams
around Boston.
Numerous flights were canceled at airports including Boston's
Logan International and Maine's Portland International Jetport.
"We are open, but capacity is very low because airlines made
decisions yesterday and (Monday) morning to cancel many of their
flights," said Phil Orlandella, a spokesman for the Massachusetts
Port Authority.
Utilities reported scattered power outages, including a peak of
more than 36,000 homes and businesses blacked out in Connecticut,
said Mitch Gross, a spokesman for Connecticut Light and Power. More
than 9,000 lost power in Massachusetts.
"It's the issue of heavy wet snow taking down trees or tree
branches, which are taking down wires," Gross said.
The New Hampshire Legislature canceled all events.
Authorities said major highways were slick and a number of
accidents and spinouts were reported. But volume was lighter than
usual as many commuters apparently heeded storm forecasts.
"Right now, we're not seeing the traffic that we would normally
see on a Monday," said Massachusetts State Police Lt. Eric
Anderson.
The snowfall was lighter than expected in some areas, with the
Connecticut measurements falling short of the predicted
accumulation of up to 14 inches. Initial forecasts for New York
City's northern suburbs were for as much as a foot, but the metro
area got mostly rain.
So far this winter, Concord, N.H., has gotten 54 inches of snow,
nearly 44 inches has fallen at Portland, Maine, and Bangor, Maine,
has totaled 49 inches.
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Associated Press writers Steve Feica in Hartford, Conn., Dave
Collins in Windsor, Conn., and Pat Eaton-Robb in Columbia, Conn.,
contributed to this report.
