Nor’easter slams the Northeast

A man shovels snow in near whiteout conditions during a nor'easter in Marshfield, Massachusetts, on January 29.

The nor’easter snowstorm has delivered heavy snowfall and high winds as predicted in Massachusetts, Gov. Charlie Baker said at a news conference on Saturday. 

More than 100,000 power outages have been reported statewide and more are expected overnight due to high winds, he said. 

The snow was falling at a rate of 2 to 4 inches per hour for several hours in many parts of the state and is expected to continue for the next couple of hours, Baker said. Southeastern Massachusetts may receive up to 30 inches of snow while the greater Boston area may get 2 feet, the governor said. 

The rate of snow is expected to slow soon but light to moderate snowfall will continue until approximately 11 p.m. ET.

Utility crews are doing damage assessments and will begin working on restoring power when wind falls below 35 mph, Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs Katie Theoharides said during the presser.

Baker said crews will be working throughout the night into early tomorrow morning to clear the snow. Approximately 3,000 pieces of snow-clearing equipment are in use across the state, he said. The governor said it will take until at least mid-morning Sunday for the roads to be in better condition for drivers.  

The Massachusetts governor said the tractor-trailer ban on all interstate highways will remain in effect until 11:59 p.m. Saturday.

Delaware Gov. John Carney terminated the state of emergency he announced Friday night and eased driving restrictions in certain counties in the state starting at 6 p.m. ET, according to a news release from his office.

Carney eased driving restrictions in Kent and Sussex counties, allowing drivers to operate vehicles there with “extra caution” as outlined by the Delaware Department of Transportation’s (DelDOT) Level 1 driving warning guidelines.

Those warnings start at 6 p.m and are effective until 8 a.m. Sunday, according to Carney. The governor also lifted the Level 1 driving warning for New Castle County effective 6 p.m. 

“Drivers should continue to exercise caution as DelDOT continues to clear roadways,” Carney said in the release. “Thank you to our DelDOT crews, the Delaware National Guard, and all state and local officials for their response efforts throughout this storm.”

According to the National Weather Service, the following areas broke snowfall records for this calendar date, Jan. 29:

Atlantic City’s monthly total is now 33.2 inches, far surpassing the previous monthly mark of 20.3 inches set in January 1987.

Zack Andersen skis off a jump built on the lawn of Dormition of the Virgin Mary Greek Orthodox Church, on Saturday, January 29, in Somervillle, Mass.

There are nearly 19 million people under winter weather alerts across six states as of 4 p.m. ET, according to the National Weather Service.

These alerts extend from southern New York to Maine and include New York City, Boston and Portland.

Nine million people remain in a blizzard warning from New York to Maine, mainly along the coast, the NWS added.

Wondering how much has already fallen? This map shows snow reports from across the Northeast.

As of 2:30 p.m. ET Saturday, the highest snowfall amounts have been recorded along the New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts and Rhode Island coastlines, according to the National Weather Service.

Bayville, N.J., observed 19 inches; Bay Shore, N.Y., recorded 18.5 inches; Norton, Mass., got 17.6 inches; and Warren, R.I., measured 17 inches.

Nantucket fire crews are battling high winds and snow, which have caused several fallen trees across the Massachusetts island, Fire Chief Stephen Murphy told CNN Saturday afternoon.

Downtown Nantucket and other areas of the island have been affected by flooding at high tide, and as a result, Murphy said several roadways are closed.

Murphy says several areas are without power due to downed wires.

“The fire department has been busy responding to many fire alarms due to the weather but has not responded to any needs for rescues due to the storm,” Murphy said, adding that there are currently no shelters opened on the island by either emergency management or the Red Cross.

More than 3,500 flights within, into or out of the United States have been canceled for Saturday as the potentially dangerous nor’easter moves along the East Coast, according to FlightAware.

There are also currently over 1,000 delays within, into or out of the US.

In addition to Saturday’s weather woes, more than 1,000 flights have already been canceled for Sunday, according to the site.

A flight information display system shows departure times at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on December 27, 2021 in Arlington, Virginia.

Related article What should I do if my flight has been canceled or delayed?

Multiple blizzard warnings have been issued from the National Weather Service because of the nor’easter barreling up the East Coast today.

Officials have warned residents to hunker down and avoid driving so plows can work on clearing the snow.

Read more about what to do if you get stuck:

ZAO, JAPAN - JANUARY 20: Snow trees are seen at Zao Ski Resort on January 20, 2018 in Yamagata, Japan. The natural creation is called Ôsnow monstersÕ, attract visitors. on January 20, 2018 in Zao, Japan. (Photo by Matt Roberts/Getty Images)

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Eastern Massachusetts has observed hurricane-force wind gusts from the powerful winter storm whipping through the state.

Cape Cod is getting the worst of the winds. Wellfleet and West Dennis recorded maximum wind gusts of over 80 mph, and Provincetown observed a gust of 76 mph, while Nantucket and Chatham saw gusts of around 60 mph, according to the National Weather Service.

To put it into perspective, category 1 hurricane winds measure 74-95 mph.

As the nor’easter hammers the East Coast with snow and fierce winds, this is the view on the ground:

Thomas Hoaglin, the maintenance manager at the Beachmere Inn in Ogunquit, Maine, recorded video of weather conditions during Saturday’s nor’easter.

The inn is right on the water, but the ocean can barely be seen right now because of the blowing snow.

A Maryland man captured video of the boardwalk area in Ocean City at about 11:35 a.m. ET on Saturday showing intense wintery conditions.

Tim Grooms said the snow seemed to have died down, but the winds were blowing snow into drifts.

Jodi Wolin recorded this video on Saturday morning from one of the upper floors of a 40-story building overlooking Boston Harbor.

James Degelder shot this video from the Ocean Bluff area of Mansfield, Mass., on Saturday just before high tide at about 8:05 a.m. ET.

And CNN’s own Meg Wagner was out in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park this morning between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. ET.

View more photos here:

Xavier Martinez scrapes snow off his windshield during a storm in Providence, R.I., Saturday, Jan. 29, 2022. A powerful nor'easter swept up the East Coast on Saturday, threatening to bury parts of 10 states under deep, furiously falling snow accompanied by coastal flooding and high winds that could cut power and leave people shivering in the cold weather expected to follow.

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Related gallery Photos: Nor'easter sweeps East Coast

Roughly 4 feet of water spilled over the sea wall in Marshfield, Mass., this morning due to the winter storm slamming the Northeast, according to Town Administrator Michael Maresco.

The town is experiencing winds of about 55 to 65 mph, 2 to 3 inches of snow per hour, and about 20% of residents — around 2,500 — are without electricity.

The town is opening a warming center for those affected.

Officials have gotten a few emergency calls from the elderly who lost power and needed electricity to generate oxygen, he said.

He said this storm is “worse than the storms we had in ’18, right now, at least the amount of snow, not the amount of water.”

Officials are concerned about roads freezing over due to frigid temperatures, he added.

Speaking at a Saturday afternoon news conference, Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont said that as of now, not many outages were reported, and he warned residents to stay off the road as storm conditions persist.

A transportation department official said that more than 600 plows have been out clearing the roads and about 100 contractors are ready as a backup in case they’re needed. 

A small number of accidents were reported, according to one official, and some vehicles have also been cited for undisclosed violations.

Metro-North and other commuter lines are shut down on Saturday, but authorities believe that regular Sunday service will resume after the snow subsides.

Lamont said the storm would get worse before it gets better and recommended that residents stay in their homes on Saturday.

A man carefully walks down snow-covered subway stairs in Brooklyn, New York, on Saturday.

The head of the Metropolitan Transit Authority said “the subway system is operating almost fully” as storm conditions impact New York City.

Of the 472 subway stations, only a few are lacking service, with service temporarily suspended to the Rockaways in Queens, MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said during a news briefing Saturday.

There are 2,400 buses operating with “chains on their tires,” Lieber said.

The commuter rail is a “tale of two different stories,” he added.

The Long Island Railroad, which services Nassau and Suffolk counties, has been shut down and will remain so throughout the day. The timing of reopening Sunday depends on when the storm abates, he said.

Metro-North, which services Westchester and areas north of New York as well as Connecticut, is a “positive story” with hourly service at three branches, Lieber said.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said Long Island is the “epicenter” of this storm that is expected to continue to drop snow in parts of the state at least until 6 p.m. ET.

If you see a gap in snowfall, “don’t be misled by that,” Hochul said. Meanwhile, the deep freeze after the snow will impact the cleanup, officials said.

As of 9:30 a.m. ET, parts of Nassau and Suffolk counties had received seven to 11 inches with another five to 12 inches expected as the snow will continue until 6 p.m. ET, she said.

In New York City, four inches of snow has fallen so far with another four to seven inches expected before 3 p.m. ET, she said.

Hochul said compounding the weather conditions was the upcoming deep freeze the state expected.

“It’s not just snowfall that’s going to melt very quickly and going to be fine,” she explained. “There are layers of ice that will be under it the ice will take longer to go away because of the frozen temperatures.”

Mike Cohea, of Pawtucket, Rhode Island, captured video of a USPS mailman braving the nor’easter to deliver the mail Saturday morning.

You can see the mailman holding up his hand to shield his face from the strong winds.

Watch the video:

Three major New York and New Jersey area airports have seen a majority of flights canceled amid the inclement weather Saturday.

More than 76% of flights at John F. Kennedy International Airport and over 90% of flights at LaGuardia Airport were cancelled, said acting commissioner of the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services Jackie Bray.

More than 85% of scheduled flights at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey were cancelled due to the storm, a total of 606 flights in all, the airport tweeted.

New Jersey’s governor said Saturday that while the snowstorm is a statewide event, the Jersey Shore is “getting clobbered.”

Gov. Phil Murphy said that Atlantic City, Asbury Park, Manasquan, Avalon, and “any number of communities” are seeing 15-plus inches of snow, with several hours still to run.

These areas are also seeing very high gusting winds. Murphy added that while he’s not unconcerned about flooding, his focus remains on the accumulation of snow and the powerful winds.

Murphy reminded residents of his state of emergency declaration that has imposed a commercial vehicle ban to “prevent the jackknifing of tractor-trailers.” 

“You do everything you can but you can’t deny the fact it’s Mother Nature,” he continued. “So you can mitigate some of this, but you can’t necessarily overcome all of it.”

Murphy said that it’ll take some time for the state to recover from the snowstorm. While the state has been plagued by fewer power outages than expected — they’re under 1,200 — and fewer accidents, the governor asked that New Jersey residents remain patient. 

“It’s human nature … the sun’s going to be out tomorrow, it’s going to be cold but you want to think everything can go back to normal like a light switch,” he said. “It’ll take us a few days to dig out of this one and that’s probably what’s the realistic scenario.”

Murphy recommended similarly cautioned patience to all those trying to fly or take trains. 

“I just think folks have to realize this is one of these days where you kind of have to go with the flow,” he said.

Areas of New Jersey, New York, Maryland, Delaware and Connecticut have seen over a foot of snowfall so far from the winter storm.

The town of Tuckerton on the New Jersey coast recorded 16 inches of snow, while Islip on New York’s Long Island has seen 15 inches as of 11 a.m. ET Saturday, according to the National Weather Service.

Towns in Delaware, Maryland and Connecticut have gotten 12-14 inches, and Mount Le Conte in Tennessee measured a foot of snow.

Long Island’s Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone warned that the peak of the snowstorm has been pushed back, forecasting that parts of the New York county could see up to 2 feet of snow.

“That is not only a significant storm — it’s one of the most significant storms that we have seen in my time here,” Bellone said. “And we have seen many, many significant storms.”

Bellone said Suffolk County’s west end can expect 12-18 inches of snow, while the east can expect up to 2 feet of snow. 

Though the height of the storm was initially projected for 12 p.m. ET, the county executive says this has now pushed back to 2 p.m. — at which point there will still be heavy snowfall of about 1 inch to 2 inches per hour. The storm will linger through the evening, and plows will work through the night, Bellone said. Saturday night could see wind chills of below 0 degrees. 

“As we work to get the snow off the roadways, as the snow continues to fall through the evening, those temperatures will help with locking ice and snow that is on the ground,” he said. “That will create hazardous conditions through the night and tomorrow as well.” 

Bellone also said Suffolk County is doing well in regard to power outages. The executive said that the Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG) has done a “great job” getting customers’ power restored. He said that over 100 customers were previously experiencing power outages, this number is currently down to 10 now. 

Crashes, too, have been minimal, according to Suffolk County Police Department Chief Robert Waring. 

“So far, we only have three active crashes,” the police chief said. “We’ve had 57 crashes since the start of the storm; between 9 [p.m.] and 12 [a.m.] last night was the majority, we had 33. We have one road closure right now; there was one car into a pole.”

Waring said that additional officers assigned to the Long Island Expressway and Sunrise Highway. The Suffolk County Police Department also help comprise the Emergency Operation Center, which Bellone said opened up Friday night at 7 p.m. Bellone said that all partners — including the sheriff’s office, the police department, partner agencies, New York State Department of Homeland Security, Emergency Services, PSEG and National Grid — are present and that they’ll continue working together throughout the storm’s duration.

According to the National Weather Service, in Islip, N.Y. — which is on Long Island — more than 10 inches of snow has fallen already.