Its impact didn’t reach the epic levels many government officials had warned of, but the first blizzard of 2015 was keeping much of the U.S. Northeast shut down, at least for the day.
Two deaths were reported, both in New York. There has been one widespread power outage reported, in Massachusetts.
As of Tuesday night, close to 4,800 flights were canceled in the United States, with the largest number of cancellations at LaGuardia, Newark, Philadelphia and JFK airports, according to Flight Aware.
Here’s a look at some of the latest developments in states hit by the winter storm.
Massachusetts
The snow: The storm “will most likely be a top five snowfall record for most locations with widespread 20 to 30 inches,” the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency said.
“This is a very significant storm and in many parts of Massachusetts, I think, you could call it, in fact, a historic event,” Gov. Charlie Baker said.
An inch or two of snow fell each hour Tuesday afternoon, and drifts reached 3 to 5 feet, the agency said. More than 3,300 crews plowed state roads, the state transportation department tweeted.
Power outages left 30,180 customers in the dark, officials said.
No deaths were reported, said spokesman Peter Judge of the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency.
Boston schools will remain closed Wednesday, and Mayor Martin J. Walsh said the parking ban in the city will remain in effect until further notice.
“Boston is still in the middle of a winter storm of historic proportions,” the mayor said in a statement. “People should only be driving under emergency circumstances. We are doing everything we can to dig out and stay on top of every safety concern, but we need everyone’s cooperation.”
Travel ban: It was lifted for Berkshire, Franklin, Hampden and Hampshire counties, but the rest of the state and all of Interstate Highway 90 are no-transportation areas for the remainder of Tuesday, the state transportation agency said.
The ban will be completely lifted Wednesday, the governor said.
“With that said, it’s very important that people keep in mind that there’s a tremendous amount of cleanup that needs to be done,” Baker added.
Forecast: The hardest-hit area — Auburn, Massachuetts — got 32.5 inches of snow. And it hasn’t stopped yet.
Heavy snow will continue through Tuesday in parts of the state including Boston, with additional accumulations of up to a foot, CNN meteorologist Michael Guy said. Winds will continue with gusts of up to 45 mph; areas along the cape could see gusts of more than 70 mph.
About 100 feet of seawall was breached in Marshfield, which caused significant flooding and structural damage to several homes, the fire department said.
New York
The snow: New York has been the only state to report fatalities: a 17-year-old boy in Huntington suffered a chest injury and died after he hit something while snow tubing, and an 83-year-old man with dementia was discovered frozen in his backyard in Suffolk County, said Tim Sini, an assistant deputy for the Suffolk County executive for public safety.
As tragic as the deaths were, the snowfall wasn’t as bad as expected in the nation’s most populous city.
“We’ve dodged the bullet,” said New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, adding, “This is nothing like we feared it would be.” Long Island got more snow than New York City did, with accumulation of up to 18 inches around Islip, Guy said.
Subway and rail transportation were partially restored. Long Island was hit with 16 inches of snow, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. By Tuesday afternoon. LaGuardia Airport was open but had no flight activity, and JFK International was open with minimal flights, said Steve Coleman, spokesman for Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
Officials are working to get flights up and running at the airports, he said. “There are two factors there: how fast we can clear the airports — and we’re doing a good job on that — and how fast the airlines can get back up to speed,” he said.
Travel ban: Travel bans were lifted for the entire state, Cuomo said.
Forecast: Snow will continue to fall throughout the day in some areas, with light accumulations, Guy said.
Connecticut
The snow: “By and large we’ll be back to normal for most of our state tomorrow,” said Gov. Dannel Malloy.
The eastern part of the state was heaviest hit.
Daryl Finizio, the mayor of New London, described the storm as “a big one.”
“It’s probably going to hit in the top five of all time for the city,” he said.
Travel ban: The statewide restriction was lifted Tuesday afternoon.
“We still encourage all residents to limit travel and use common sense while driving,” the governor tweeted.
New Jersey
The snow: As of Tuesday morning, the National Weather Service reported about 6 inches of snow at Newark Airport, with less in some other parts of the state. Around noon, the forecast said there was an 80% chance of more snow.
Travel ban: The ban was lifted statewide. Port Authority bridges and tunnels in New York and New Jersey reopened.
Public transportation was up and running on a weekend schedule. The airport in Newark was open, with minimal flights, said Coleman of the Port Authority.
Forecast: Some continued flurries were expected.
Pennsylvania
The snow: Pennsylvania deployed a small number of National Guard members to help the state make it through an expected heavy snowfall in the Philadelphia area, CNN affiliate WFMZ reported.
Travel ban: Gov. Tom Wolf discouraged people from being out or driving.
Earlier, the governor issued a disaster emergency proclamation, which allowed authorities to respond immediately to any emergencies brought on by the storm.
John Krafczyk, the local maintenance manager of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, told the Philadelphia Inquirer that whiteouts are possible, which means more traffic accidents. He warned that a refreeze could make roads slick Tuesday night.
New Hampshire and Maine
The snow: Both states were under winter storm warnings. Schools and other activities have been canceled.
Travel ban: Like every other state, officials were telling people to resist the urge to travel. Maine Gov. Paul LePage declared a state of emergency early Tuesday, according to his office’s website. All state offices were closed.
Forecast: In the coastal waters off Massachusetts and Maine, gale-force wind warnings were in effect until 7 a.m.
Rhode Island
The snow: Providence reported more than 10 inches of snow Tuesday afternoon. “We’re expecting a lot more heavy snow and a lot more heavy wind,” Providence Mayor Jorge O. Elorza said.
Gov. Gina Raimondo declared a state of emergency Monday in advance of the blizzard.
Travel ban: State Police Col. Steven O’Donnell had earlier said the agency would enforce a driving ban but that didn’t include public safety workers and other necessary employees.
The ban ended at 8 p.m. Eastern Tuesday, Raimondo tweeted.
“Please use caution on road and stay safe,” she said.
Forecast: According to weather.gov, the wind chill could dip as low as minus 3. More snow is likely Tuesday night, with some rain and more snow Wednesday morning.
