A state-by-state look at the Northeast blizzard

(AP) A state-by-state look at the Northeast blizzard
By The Associated Press
Snow began to fall throughout the Northeast on Friday in what’s predicted to be a massive, possibly historic blizzard. A look at each state in the storm’s path:

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CONNECTICUT

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy declared a state of emergency and deployed National Guard troops around the state Friday for rescues or other emergencies. The National Weather Service issued a blizzard warning for the entire state; the worst was expected to hit Friday evening into Saturday morning.

Nonessential state workers were ordered to stay home Friday. Schools, colleges and state courthouses were also closed. All flights after 1:30 p.m. at Bradley Airport near Hartford were canceled; Malloy said highways could be closed anytime. Train and bus services were set to shut down later Friday.

Some gas stations ran out of fuel Thursday night during the rush to prepare for the storm. Ten to 30 percent of utility customers were expected to lose power, and utilities called in line crews from out of state, Malloy said.

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MAINE

More than 6 inches of snow fell in Portland by midday Friday. The snow was blamed in a pileup involving up to 19 cars on an interstate in Falmouth, and several people had minor injuries, state police said.

Registration and practice runs for the National Toboggan Championships were held Friday as scheduled, but Saturday’s races were postponed for a day.

Up to 2 feet of snow was forecast along the southern coast, with lesser amounts across the rest of the state.

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MASSACHUSETTS

Forecasters said the storm could top Boston’s record of 27.6 inches, set in 2003.

Gov. Deval Patrick told nonessential state workers to stay home Friday and ordered all non-emergency vehicles off the road by 4 p.m. The heavy, drifting snow was predicted to leave little or no visibility, making traffic extremely difficult and in many cases, impossible.

Power failures were also expected, and a flood warning was to take effect at 8 p.m. Friday until noon Saturday for the state’s eastern coastline.

Most airlines planned to cease operations between noon and 4 p.m. Friday at Logan Airport in Boston. Flights were expected to restart Saturday afternoon.

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NEW HAMPSHIRE

Heavy snow, blowing snow and strong winds were forecast. Hundreds of schools were closed Friday, airlines canceled flights and sporting and civic events were postponed. A blizzard warning was to begin at 6 p.m. Friday through 4 p.m. Saturday for portions of southeast New Hampshire.

Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont post offices were closing early, at 3 p.m., on Friday.

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NEW JERSEY

The light rain that fell Friday was expected to turn to snow in time for the evening rush. A blizzard warning for northeast New Jersey called for as much as 14 inches of snow. Up to 10 inches were possible for most of the state, with 2 to 5 inches in south Jersey.

Parts of the coast were expected to see waves up to 12 feet and minor to moderate flooding during high tide. Brick Township, which was hit by Superstorm Sandy, issued a voluntary evacuation order for areas recovering from that storm.

The blizzard zone included the state’s largest city, Newark, with a population of more than 275,000. Mayor Cory Booker urged residents to prepare for widespread power failures.

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NEW YORK

In some upstate areas, snow fell early Friday morning and was expected to increase throughout the day, with the heaviest accumulations expected in eastern New York on Friday night. Ten to 12 inches were expected in New York City, where Mayor Michael Bloomberg said plows and 250,000 tons of salt were on standby.

More than 1,700 flights were canceled at the three major airports serving New York City. Most domestic carriers were expected to suspend operations between 2 and 5 p.m. Friday. They were expected to resume Saturday afternoon.

The state Emergency Operations Center in Albany was activated at noon Friday to monitor the storm’s impact on New York and coordinate response efforts from Long Island to Niagara Falls, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said.

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PENNSYLVANIA

In the Pocono Mountains, where more than a foot of snow could fall, schools were closed or delayed and flights were canceled at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Airport.

Farther south in Philadelphia, a light rain fell and the city was forecast to get 2 to 5 inches of snow.

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RHODE ISLAND

The National Weather Service issued a blizzard warning for Rhode Island through early Saturday afternoon and predicted up to 2 feet of snow and wind gusts of up to 60 mph.

Gov. Lincoln Chafee declared a state of emergency, and transit service was suspended at noon Friday.

Hospitals and health facilities began testing their generators to make sure they would work if power was lost.

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VERMONT

The storm blanketed the state with snow, though not as heavily as other states, and hundreds of schools were closed. Northern Vermont was expected to get 4 to 8 inches of snow by Saturday morning while southern parts of the state could get 8 to 16 inches.

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Sources: State and local authorities; AP reporting