Another blast of snow makes its way into Northeast

BOSTON (AP) - February 15, 2014

New England was expected to be hit hardest by the latest blast of winter weather. The National Weather Service called for 10 to 14 inches of snow in eastern Massachusetts and parts of Rhode Island.

At Boston's Logan International Airport, some airlines canceled flights ahead of Saturday night's storm and delays were expected.

Eight to 10 inches was to fall in Connecticut along its Rhode Island border.

At its peak, the storm was expected to dump snow at the rate of 3 inches per hour, meteorologist William Babcock.

The weekend snowstorm comes on the heels of an earlier storm that blanketed the East Coast with snow and ice, caused at least 25 deaths and left hundreds of thousands without power. Parts of New York and Vermont ended up with more than 2 feet of snow.

Early Saturday, Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick urged drivers to stay off the roads for a 12-hour period beginning at 5 p.m., saying, "It won't be possible to keep up with the clearing of the roads."

The newest storm was expected to spawn blizzard conditions along the Massachusetts coastline, including Cape Ann, Hingham, Cape Cod and surrounding islands.

"These areas could be seeing winds reaching up to 70 mph, blowing snow and creating extremely poor visibility," Babcock said. "People should be preparing for deteriorating conditions."

Boston Mayor Martin Walsh announced that the city would deploy more than 600 snow plows, trucks and other equipment through Saturday evening to deal with the storm. He said additional police officers, firefighters and paramedics would be on hand throughout the storm to ensure public safety.

Elsewhere, in Maine, forecasts called for 12 to 18 inches of snow in some areas beginning Saturday night. The weather service warned that heavy snow and strong winds could create hazardous driving conditions. As a result, a 45 mph speed restriction is in place for the entire Maine Turnpike.

A winter storm warning was issued for southeastern New Hampshire through Sunday. Six to 10 inches of snow was expected.

Farther south, New York City's Central Park received 1½ inches of new snow after getting nearly a foot of snow Thursday.

In eastern Pennsylvania, from 2 to 5 inches fell before the storm moved out early Saturday evening. In Lancaster, the station WGAL-TV remained unable to broadcast after a portion of its station roof collapsed Friday.

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