Blizzard to blast New England as storm snarls travel in mid-Atlantic

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A storm will continue to blast northern New England with blizzard conditions, including howling winds and whiteouts, into early Friday afternoon.

Motorists and airline passengers will face delays, which could disrupt holiday travel plans, as the storm strengthens. Some people may have to deal with power outages.

Through Friday, winds will increase as colder air invades the storm.

A band of heavy snow stretched from eastern Maine to eastern Massachusetts on Thursday evening, bringing thundersnow to the Boston and Portland, Maine, areas and dropping over a foot of snow in just a few hours in Waterboro, Maine.

Blizzard conditions to continue in part of northern New England, Quebec

People from central and northern New Hampshire to northwestern Maine, northern New Brunswick and the Eastern Townships of Quebec can expect blizzard conditions to continue into early Friday afternoon.

In this area, increasing winds will cause extensive blowing and drifting of dry, powdery snow and whiteout conditions.

Snowfall in much of this swath will range from 12 to 18 inches (30 to 45 cm), according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Henry Margusity.

"Some of the mountains of New Hampshire could receive 2 feet (60 cm) of snow or more," Margusity said. "This storm will be a skier's dream for northern New England."

Some areas just north and west of Portland, Maine, have received over 2 feet of snow as of early Friday morning.

Wintry mix and wet, clinging snow to raise risk of power outages in central New England

Areas from coastal Maine to parts of Nova Scotia can expect a combination of rain and snow or wet snow from the storm.

Enough snow fell to coat roads in parts of northern and central Pennsylvania. The storm delivered a few inches of snow across part of upstate New York and into Connecticut before coming to an end.

"Accumulations will vary significantly from central and western Massachusetts to central Maine," AccuWeather Chief Video Meteorologist Bernie Rayno said. "A distance of a few miles or a few hundred feet in elevation can mean the difference between an inch of slush to close to a foot of heavy, wet snow."

In portions of central and northeastern New England, the combination of strong winds and clinging snow can cause tree limbs to break and result in power outages.

Temperatures will fall as the storm departs. Wet and slushy areas may freeze and become icy.

Rain to drench coastal mid-Atlantic, south coast of New England

The majority of the Interstate 95 corridor of the mid-Atlantic and right along the southern coast of New England will get only rain from this storm.

In most cases, roads and sidewalks will dry off before temperatures fall below freezing in the wake of the storm. However, motorists and pedestrians should be cautious of surfaces that appear wet on Friday and Friday night as they could be icy.

Rain changed back over to snow for a brief time on the back side of the storm in Boston during Thursday evening.

Significant accumulations did not occur in the immediate Boston metropolitan area, but enough snow fell to lead to slushy conditions and slippery spots on area roads.

Strong winds to buffet northeastern US, southeastern Canada

Winds will increase Friday as the storm strengthens. Most gusts will range from 40 to 45 mph (65 to 72 km/h). However, a few 50-mph (80-km/h) gusts are possible.

The highest gusts will be strong enough to break weak tree limbs and cause sporadic power outages.

Gusts from the east can range between 50 to 60 mph (80 to 95 km/h) in parts of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick during the first part of the storm.

Gusty crosswinds at some area airports can lead to flight delays and cause difficulties for motorists traveling over some of the high bridges around the major cities.

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