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Northeast Blizzard Dumps Two Feet of Snow and It’s Still Falling — See the Overnight Pics

Feb. 9, 2013 7:22am Liz Klimas

Two feet of snow dropped in some areas — and it’s still coming
Wind gusts topping 76 miles per hour
650,000 homes and businesses in New England without power
5,300 flights cancelled from NYC and Boston airports alone
Four deaths attributable to the storm thus far

BOSTON (AP) — A behemoth storm packing hurricane-force wind gusts and blizzard conditions swept through the Northeast on Saturday, dumping more than 2 feet of snow on New England and knocking out power to 650,000 homes and businesses.

More than 28 inches of snow had fallen on central Connecticut by early Saturday, and areas of southeastern Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Hampshire notched 2 feet or more of snow – with more falling. Airlines scratched more than 5,300 flights through Saturday, and New York City’s three major airports and Boston’s Logan Airport closed.

The wind-whipped snowstorm mercifully arrived at the start of a weekend, which meant fewer cars on the road and extra time for sanitation crews to clear the mess before commuters in the New York-to-Boston region of roughly 25 million people have to go back to work. But it also could mean a weekend cooped up indoors.

Take a look at some of the pictures from overnight out of New York and Boston:

For a group of stranded European business travelers, it meant making the best of downtime in a hotel restaurant Friday night in downtown Boston, where snow blew outside and drifted several inches deep on the sidewalks.

The six Santander bank employees found their flights back to Spain canceled, and they gave up on seeing the city or having dinner out.

“We are not believing it,” said Tommaso Memeghini, 29, an Italian who lives in Barcelona. “We were told it may be the biggest snowstorm in the last 20 years.”

The National Weather Service says up to 3 feet of snow is expected in Boston, threatening the city’s 2003 record of 27.6 inches. A wind gust of 76 mph was recorded at Logan Airport.

Here’s a look at the storm from a couple local news reports:

Hartford, Conn.:

Boston, Mass.:

A look at the whiteout driving conditions overnight in Conn.:

In heavily Catholic Boston, the archdiocese urged parishioners to be prudent about attending Sunday Mass and reminded them that, under church law, the obligation “does not apply when there is grave difficulty in fulfilling this obligation.”

Halfway through what had been a mild winter across the Northeast, blizzard warnings were posted from parts of New Jersey to Maine. The National Weather Service said Boston could get close to 3 feet of snow by Saturday evening, while most of Rhode Island could receive more than 2 feet, most of it falling overnight Friday into Saturday. Connecticut was bracing for 2 feet, and New York City was expecting as much as 14 inches.

Early snowfall was blamed for a 19-car pileup in Cumberland, Maine, that caused minor injuries. In New York, hundreds of cars began getting stuck on the Long Island Expressway on Friday afternoon at the beginning of the snowstorm and dozens of motorists remained disabled early Saturday as police worked to free them.

About 650,000 customers in the Northeast lost power during the height of the snowstorm, most of them in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant in Plymouth, Mass., lost electricity and shut down Friday night during the storm. Authorities say there’s no threat to public safety.

At least four deaths were being blamed on the storm, three in Canada and one in New York. In southern Ontario, an 80-year-old woman collapsed while shoveling her driveway and two men were killed in car crashes. In New York, a 74-year-old man died after being struck by a car in Poughkeepsie; the driver said she lost control in the snowy conditions, police said.

Forecasters said wind gusts exceeding 75 mph could cause more widespread power outages and whip the snow into fearsome drifts. Flooding was expected along coastal areas still recovering from Superstorm Sandy, which hit New York and New Jersey the hardest and is considered Jersey’s worst natural disaster.

In Manhattan, streets normally bustling after midnight, were quiet Saturday but for the hum of snow blowers, the scrape of shovels and the laughter from late night revelers who braved the snow.

Bill Tavonallo, 39, said he walked home on purpose from a Manhattan bar to enjoy the snow falling.

“With Sandy, we were scared. But this is wonderful,” he said, his glasses crusted with ice. “It’s nice to have a reason to slow down.”

In Massachusetts, Gov. Deval Patrick enacted a statewide driving ban for the first time since the Blizzard of `78, a ferocious storm that dropped 27 inches of snow, packed hurricane-force winds and claimed dozens of lives.

In New York, Fashion Week, a series of designer showings with some activities held under tents, went on mostly as scheduled, though organizers put on additional crews to deal with the snow and ice, turned up the heat and fortified the tents. The snow did require some wardrobe changes: Designer Michael Kors was forced to arrive at the Project Runway show in Uggs.

For Joe DeMartino, of Fairfield, Conn., being overprepared for the weather was impossible: His wife was expecting their first baby Sunday. He stocked up on gas and food, got firewood ready and was installing a baby seat in the car. The couple also packed for the hospital.

“They say that things should clear up by Sunday. We’re hoping that they’re right,” he said.

Said his wife, Michelle: “It adds an element of excitement.”

—

Associated Press writers John Christoffersen in Fairfield, Conn., Samantha Critchell and Colleen Long in New York and Sylvia Wingfield in Boston contributed to this report.

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Comments (64)

XCitizen
Posted on February 9, 2013 at 12:17pm
Just finished my drive way…8-9inches of ‘powdered snow!
It’s always the same propa ganda by the Lib ignoram’s of the media
with the dooms day reports!!! Worse…Gov.(Mussolini) Coumo’s shrill
scream to get cars’ off the roads., over the air waves.
Ok ..last year…2 snow days..but normal…at least 2 big storms between
December and March… 2 years ago.. March it snowed 3 days in the upstate
NY areas. The news media pronounces a doom and gloom rant, to get the elderly
to flee to the markets to buy food for “”"1 Day!! So whose in co-hoots..the Grocery
Chain…the ratings for news…panic? Does anyone own a freezer? or store food supplies/

Can some on kidnap Al Gore.. and stickhim inside an icecube?

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Gonzo
Posted on February 9, 2013 at 11:28am
It’s snowing in New England in February, quick ban all fossil fuels before it’s too late!

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- MIBUGNU2
  Posted on February 9, 2013 at 10:28pm
  YEA !!! BFD, it’s snowing in February, GOOD GAWD !!!!
  O’Blamer’s Climate Bozos will be out in force.. well I have
  NEWS for them, there’s more on the way, Rained in Phoenix
  today so it will be in their back yard soon…..
  
  Report this comment
Tigress1
Posted on February 9, 2013 at 11:16am
OK, I guess I’ll believe my parent’s stories about having to trudge 2 miles through 3 feet of snow every morning to get to school. Oh wait. This snow is abnormal! It’s due to global warming! It’s so severe that they decided to ramp up the hype by giving the storm a name!

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- Quester55
  Posted on February 10, 2013 at 4:56am
  As a child, growing up in Central Michigan, We’d get Blizzards on a regular bases during thee winter, some where very bad, with Snow Drifts that reached our second floor window, nearly 16 feet from the ground & at other times, leaving the 4 foot high fence post covered. As kids, this was Great, Our parents didn’t share our glee, over these facts, but, they never panicked over the snow, they knew what those in the North-east states seem to have forgotten, A lot of snow now, means better crops in the spring!
  Bottom line; Instead of Cursing GOD for this weather, they ought to be singing praises to him!
  
  Report this comment
Dalady
Posted on February 9, 2013 at 11:04am
There was a blizzard in my neck of the woods many years ago. After the snow stopped falling and the wind quit blowing, the men got their shovels and cleared our street. The gubmint plow showed up about 5 days later. Glad we didn’t wait for them, might have turned into the Donner party by then;)

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- WATER-THE-TREE
  Posted on February 9, 2013 at 2:52pm
  Once when I lived in Maryland, They said it was going to snow, so I was sure we would not be having school the next day. so I stayed up late, 11:00 pm nothing, 12:00 am still nothing, My dad said I had better get some sleep because we were going to school and I said no they said it would snow, 1:00 am it started, snow flakes the size of golf balls. By 7:00 am in the morning there was 21/2 to 3 feet of snow, That was wonderful. we missed a whole week of school, and I could not find my papers for the day for the route that I delivered till the plows uncovered it a week later. 3 feet, that was the biggest snow I had ever seen. We survived quite well.
  
  Report this comment
fortdick
Posted on February 9, 2013 at 11:01am
Well, there goes another 60 billion in tax dollars.

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rdk
Posted on February 9, 2013 at 10:52am
It is up nort. It is winter. It is snowing. So the stroy here is what?

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- Rowgue
  Posted on February 9, 2013 at 11:33am
  They actually don’t get much snow on the east coast despite them being up north in cold climates. This is a huge problem for them because they aren’t prepared to deal with snowfall like this.
  
  Report this comment
- XCitizen
  Posted on February 9, 2013 at 12:00pm
  Right…!
  
  Report this comment
- jhpackard
  Posted on February 9, 2013 at 1:55pm
  ROWGE: Yes, they do get piles of snow. I grew up there.
  
  Report this comment
OlefromMN
Posted on February 9, 2013 at 10:50am
Big Sis has put out another warning. Make sure not to build a snowman (snowperson for the PC wusses) that stands over 6′ tall. The top ball may fall off and strike the builder on the head causing chills from snow entering the back of their jacket and cooling the spine. This too has been known to cause fits of anger due to said “victim” being laughed at and retaliating by throwing smaller balls of snow at the taunters and escalating it into outright “warfare”.

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jungle J
Posted on February 9, 2013 at 9:53am
baloney by the baloney sellers for the mentally ill.

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- tajloc
  Posted on February 9, 2013 at 10:52am
  Out here in the West we are going to start naming our sunny days ‘cuz we don’t get snowstorms and hurricanes. Not going to use cute names just numbers. Last year we got to 301.
  So sad for all the LIV’s We are truely sorry to have sent all that cold weather. I think you got your own water from the lakes and Atlantic. We don’t send water ‘cuz we are in the middle of drought ALPHA. No mas agua aqui. Say couldn’t we get some cash for no water? Can’t hurt to ask.
  But do we have a water czar? See, that is the trouble with GOV run world. At least Hurricane Sandy is gone now that Nemo is here.
  Uh oh I see it is snowing. Is that good or bad? Don’t worry we will survive.
  
  Report this comment
awayyougo
Posted on February 9, 2013 at 9:44am
I remember in the 70′s we would get 2-3 ft of snow and it was no big deal kids maybe missed one day of school, peep stayed home and left in a couple of days. BIG DEAL ! You just have to deal with it, everything is a natural disaster and the sky is falling. 2ft of snow and 75 mph winds are bad but its not the end of the world. Stay home get to know your family again. Oh and BTW don’t rely on the government. Have a generator or a kerosene heater. Prepare people.

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- constitutionisbest4all
  Posted on February 9, 2013 at 10:29am
  this is crazy, when i was young we got 4 ft overnight on numerous occasions we never complained, but with counties and townships cutting back there is no plan to keep the roads clear etc. th enews people do tend to get a little ridiculous with the reporting these days. seems like sensationalism is the norm now.
  
  Report this comment
Grand design
Posted on February 9, 2013 at 9:40am
I was kinda hoping for at least six feet of snow in the North East! That way the rest of the country wouldn’t have to listen to all the Liberal whining for a few days about whatever is chafing them at the moment!

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- iampraying4u
  Posted on February 9, 2013 at 10:02am
  If the NE keeps cheating at the voting polls they will get more bad weather
  
  Report this comment
tozzo
Posted on February 9, 2013 at 9:23am
I am so sick of all the ridiculous hype over everything that happens nowadays. Everything is the biggist, most spectacular, never before, over the top of all time…..etc…etc… Is it just me or what?

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- DagneyT
  Posted on February 9, 2013 at 9:39am
  Tozzo, you forget that we are now a dependent society that requires the government to help us, so it just sounds more overblown. It really isn’t. I remember this kind of coverage back in the 60′s…oh…wait! That is when the dumbing down and dependency encouragement began! Silly me.
  
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- woodyee
  Posted on February 9, 2013 at 9:39am
  You’re correct.
  
  Report this comment
- Eastinfection
  Posted on February 9, 2013 at 9:40am
  imagine how much revenue the Feds would generate if they put a tax on exaggerated adjectives!
  
  Report this comment
- Bonnieblue2A
  Posted on February 9, 2013 at 10:20am
  I was watching the Weather Channel this morning and a “reporter” was standing behind a pile of shoveled snow so that it would look like the snow was up to his waist. In the background two vehicles could be seen parked and the snow was only about 3-4 inches up the bottom of the tires. Yes, the sensationalism is disgusting.
  
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- OlefromMN
  Posted on February 9, 2013 at 11:16am
  You are right on the mark TOZZO.
  
  I just heard a FOX “reporter” call a scene of a house covered in the most beautiful blanket of white powder “scary”. Scary? Really?
  
  Report this comment
Magyar
Posted on February 9, 2013 at 9:11am
College +20 years in NH— Yea it’s a lot of snow but we were always ready and it wasn’t any big deal— It’s the low landers that f%ck everything up by not being prepared and then whine ’cause it’s a bit chilly in house when the power goes down…. waaa waaa!

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Tri-ox
Posted on February 9, 2013 at 9:07am
A big ol’ nothingburger of a storm, totally over-hyped. It’s winter for goodness sake.

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FlagWavingPatriot
Posted on February 9, 2013 at 8:57am
I wonder if we’ll see Al Gore up there helping shovel all that global warming.

Oh, I forgot, I’m supposed to believe that when it gets hot, it’s global warming. It gets cold, it’s global warming. There’s a drought, it’s global warming. It rains, it’s global warming. We have hurricanes, it’s global warming. We don’t have hurricanes, it’s global warming. It doesn’t snow, it’s global warming. There’s a blizzard, it’s global warming. It’s calm, it’s global warming. It’s windy, it’s global warming.

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- Old Vermonter
  Posted on February 9, 2013 at 10:13am
  You forgot the two most important words: “MAN MADE” global warming.
  
  Report this comment
Wigidy
Posted on February 9, 2013 at 8:50am
…and here I thought the 10 inches with 40 mph winds two weeks ago where I live was bad (although we have seen much worse). Although the pictures don’t show 2 feet of snow, I’m sure some suburban areas must have it. To our fellow Americans up in the Northeast, stay safe.

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woodyee
Posted on February 9, 2013 at 8:02am
Good morning folks! I grew up in this stuff – I’m old enough to remember ‘old’ blizzards and snow-storms in NJ and NY, and this is NO DIFFERENT. The ONLY difference is in the reporting and in the ruggedness of today’s North Easterner.

Folks, am I the only one getting Travel Channel video’s in place of the embedded videos we’re supposed to be seeing above?

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- battles
  Posted on February 9, 2013 at 8:42am
  Well I grew up in south Texas and snow just scares me to death – shaking in my boots!
  
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- AbrahamsSheepdog
  Posted on February 9, 2013 at 9:18am
  Get some tube sled snowboard or something and enjoy the white stuff. And without power, uh watch out for Zombo’s. Be safe.
  
  Report this comment
LEFTIST_CLOWNS_AND_FAR_RIGHT_JOKERS
Posted on February 9, 2013 at 8:01am
This may be a wicked pisser (pissah) of a stahm (storm). Stay off the pike (Mass Turnpike) and away from the rotary’s (traffic circle). If you didn’t visit the packie (package / liquor store) when you were out… stay at home, sit in the parlah (parlor / living room) of your triple deckah (triple decker house) and enjoy a tonic (soda) or a homemade frappe (milkshake w / icecream).

And while you have some time riding this stahm out… reevalutate your condition and the condition of that awful Liberal state of yours and make some hard Conservative choices. That goes for you too New York and the rest of New England. Might as well include New York as part of New England (from Westchester on down)

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- OlefromMN
  Posted on February 9, 2013 at 8:51am
  Uff dah! Doas people on dah East Coast Coast act like they never seen snoa before. Hey Sven, look at the silly New Yorkers whine.
  
  Report this comment
- LEFTIST_CLOWNS_AND_FAR_RIGHT_JOKERS
  Posted on February 9, 2013 at 10:25am
  And remember… don’t pahk (park) your cah (car) on the odd numbered side of the street tonight. The city workers will have a field day dumping your cah (car) high atop a snoa (snow for Sven-sake) bank.
  
  And if you’re from NYC…
  
  Yo… fuggedda’bout it!
  
  Report this comment
NoMoMrNiceGuy
Posted on February 9, 2013 at 7:58am
I guess the term PREPPER is not so silly to ya in the NE now. 650K homes with no power and still snowing ! God Bless ya all.

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- constitutionisbest4all
  Posted on February 9, 2013 at 10:34am
  they engineer power lines to withstand storms, but stupid people in town plant trees too close the the lines, then whine when the power companies want to trim the trees. did i mention they are the same people who complain when the trees fall on the lines and the power goes out.
  
  Report this comment
Old Vermonter
Posted on February 9, 2013 at 7:56am
As usual, the storm was over hyped. I’m in Vermont where it snows once a week in winter. If it weren’t for the wind it would have been nothing unusual. We got about 18 inches. Yeah, Boston got hammered, but the rest of us will shovel out and life will go on. Tomorrow will be sunny and this whole thing will be history.

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The-Monk
Posted on February 9, 2013 at 7:50am
It’s been a long time since I used the term…. wussies..

I think it’s time to bring that noun, which is also a verb, back again.

Wussies…. get a Life and deal with a little snow. Or doesn’t your smart phones help you plow your driveway? LOL.

No app for that? Too freaking bad…. LMAO@U

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- AbrahamsSheepdog
  Posted on February 9, 2013 at 9:23am
  Excellent.
  
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- Sleazy Hippo
  Posted on February 9, 2013 at 11:04am
  It’s easy to be judgmental about icy snowy conditions. ‘Specially from the tropics, eh?
  
  I was standing on the sidewalk during last nights snowfall (3 am) and I startled the security guard who was making his rounds when I said, “Howdy Doodoo,” and he picked up a snowball.
  
  I took the snowball away from him before he could do anything, and I said, “that’s no way to say hello.”
  
  Crazy Boston College Scene! Wish I was a Tampan on Davis Island again.
  
  Report this comment
DZ-015
Posted on February 9, 2013 at 7:48am
Climate change, obviously. Mother Nature just can’t make up her mind which way to go.

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The-Monk
Posted on February 9, 2013 at 7:44am
Poor babies…. I don’t see 2 feet of snow anywhere they are standing.

Looks more like 2 inches.

Didn’t anyone of them walk up-hill both ways in 3 feet of snow to get to school?

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- Grasshopper42
  Posted on February 9, 2013 at 7:53am
  Agreed. Here in Nebraska we’d call this flurries . . .
  
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circleDwagons
Posted on February 9, 2013 at 7:39am
Wow, unbelievable what are these people going to do? Where is obama? Where is fema?

We got a dusting of snow yesterday, very dispointing. The childrendid not have snow to play with.

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TRUTHandFREEDOM
Posted on February 9, 2013 at 7:34am
There are prices to pay for for living in the north.

Sometimes it’s oppression of food and beverage choices and 2nd amendment rights. Sometimes it a pile of frozen moisture all over your property and in your path.

The question is, “can progressives sell it as a crisis to an increasingly ignorant population?” !

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Eastinfection
Posted on February 9, 2013 at 7:28am
What is the guy in pic # 1 planning to do with that “assault umbrella”?

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- TRUTHandFREEDOM
  Posted on February 9, 2013 at 7:35am
  Bloomberg’s gonna have to ban those!
  
  Justice shall be done!
  
  Report this comment
- louzyana
  Posted on February 9, 2013 at 7:58am
  Seriously, he could poke someone’s eye out with that weapon!!
  
  Report this comment
- LEFTIST_CLOWNS_AND_FAR_RIGHT_JOKERS
  Posted on February 9, 2013 at 9:00am
  “Seriously, he could poke someone’s eye out with that weapon!!”
  
  I seem to remember Pamela Anderson saying something similar… about Tommy Lee.
  
  Report this comment

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