BOSTON — A major winter storm bringing heavy snow and freezing rain to some communities spread across New England on Sunday, sending residents scurrying for their shovels and snowblowers to clear sidewalks and driveways.
Winter storm warnings and watches were in effect throughout the Northeast, and icy roads made for hazardous travel as far south as North Carolina.
The Northeast snow came as a Sierra Nevada storm packing heavy snow shut down a stretch of interstate Saturday and briefly knocked out power to tens of thousands in Reno, Nevada.
More than 11,000 electric customers in California were without power Sunday afternoon.
Cars and trucks make their way on a U.S. route in Saugus, Mass., on Sunday. Joseph Prezioso / AFP via Getty Images
Some communities in Massachusetts had recorded more than a foot of snow by Sunday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service. Nearly 13,000 electric customers in the state were without power Sunday afternoon.
Hundreds of flights at Logan International Airport were delayed or canceled Sunday according to tracking website FlightAware.
Snow totals were lower for coastal communities, with Boston reporting just a few inches. Snow was expected to continue throughout the day.
In Cambridge, where snowfall was lighter, residents quickly ventured out.
“I think it’s funny because everyone’s been freaking out about it,” said Alison Conley, 26, a consultant. “We’ve been betting as to how much snow we’re actually going to have and it’s looking like not that much is going to stick.”
Conley, who was out walking her dog Sunny, said the possibility that climate change is contributing to relatively warmer winter days in the region — the temperature in Boston is expected to be in the 50s on Wednesday, melting much of the snow — is a concern.
“I think it’s super alarming,” she said. “It is very weird, but, I don’t know, from a selfish side it’s like kind of nice to not have snow.”
The storm reached into Maine with snow totals of up to 12 inches in some places — with locally higher amounts over southern New Hampshire and southwestern Maine. Wind gusts up 35 mph could add to blowing and drifting snow. Moderate to heavy snow was expected to continue in Vermont, with total snow accumulations of 6 to 12 inches.
Major winter storm conditions were expected into Sunday evening, including snow in parts of New England and rain and freezing rain around the central Appalachian mountains.
New York City mainly saw rain, but counties to the north and west recorded double-digit snow totals by Sunday morning. Millbrook in Dutchess County, about 75 miles north of New York, recorded a foot of snow. Port Jervis in Orange County reported 13 inches.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said Saturday that she expected two-thirds of her state to get 8 inches (20 centimeters) of snow or more, “fortunately missing some of our more populated areas downstate, the Long Island and New York City.”
Residents sled down a hill during a storm Sunday in Hudson, N.Y.Angus Mordant / Bloomberg via Getty Images
In the West, a winter storm warning was in effect through Saturday night in the Sierra Nevada from south of Yosemite National Park to north of Reno, where the weather service said as much as 20 inches of snow could fall in the mountains around Lake Tahoe with winds gusting up to 100 mph.
The California Highway Patrol said numerous spinouts and collisions forced an hourslong closure of Interstate 80 from west of Truckee, California to the state line west of Reno.
The weather service said that system would continue unleash heavy mountain snow and coastal rain overnight before moving into central and Southern California, then off to the Southwest and the southern Rockies.
The East Coast system was expected to track along the Northeast coast throughout the weekend.
A foot of snow was reported in parts of Monroe County, Pennsylvania, and 11 inches in New Jersey’s Sussex County.
While warnings were being canceled and highway reduced-speed limits and other restrictions were lifted Sunday, motorists were being cautioned about the hazards of spotty freezing rain and black ice in southeast Pennsylvania and northern New Jersey.
In Massachusetts and portions of Rhode Island, the National Weather Service declared a winter storm warning from 4 p.m. Saturday through 1 a.m. Monday, with snow accumulations of between 6 and 12 inches and winds gusting to 35 mph.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said the city was preparing for the storm but wasn’t expecting it to be a major event, and the timing of the snow over the weekend meant it would likely have less of an impact on city life.
A resident cleans snow off a vehicle during a storm Sunday in Hudson, N.Y.Angus Mordant / Bloomberg via Getty Images
Ice arrived early Saturday to some western North Carolina and southern Virginia areas, ranging from a fine coating to around a quarter-inch .
Forecasters also warned of another Northeast storm Tuesday into Wednesday that is expected to drop heavy rain on already saturated ground. They warned of possible flooding and coastal flooding and a threat of damaging winds that could topple trees and power lines.
The Associated Press
The Associated Press