Large parts of the eastern United States will wake up to snow from a major winter storm that dumped more than a foot in parts of Pennsylvania, led to hundreds of car crashes and is suspected in the deaths of at least three people.
More than 6 inches of snow and sleet covered New York’s Central Park as of midnight, surpassing the 4.8 inches that fell all last winter, the National Weather Service said. Lanes on the Henry Hudson Bridge had been closed after a 19-car collision amid the storm, according to the NYPD, which urged people to stay home.
Parts of Central Pennsylvania saw more than a foot Wednesday. A crash on Interstate 80 in Clinton County involving dozens of vehicles killed two people, and weather was a factor, state police said.
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As the storm swept north Wednesday, Virginia State Police responded to approximately 200 crashes and 125 disabled or stuck vehicles. One of those crashes in Pulaski County killed a 19-year-old North Carolina man, a police spokeswoman said.
“We’re obviously asking people to stay off the roads,” said Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Barker, whose state was forecast to get a foot or more of snow, at a Wednesday briefing.
Boston is expected to get 8 to 12 inches, with the heaviest snow likely between midnight and 7 a.m. Thursday, said Torry Gaucher, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. Lingering snow showers should move out of the area by Thursday evening or night, he said.
The major storm is hitting as the nation deals with growing Covid-19 numbers and vaccine distribution.
“Our theme today probably ought to be: If it’s not one thing, it’s another,” New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said Wednesday morning. He declared a state of emergency ahead of the storm and closed state offices Wednesday afternoon.
Parts of central Pennsylvania got heavy snow. The National Weather Service in State College measured 12.5 inches at its office at 11 p.m. and noted that the site recorded 13.5 inches for the entire 2019-2020 winter season.
A foot of snow had been recorded in Lock Haven as of 9 p.m. Wednesday, and spotters reported 13 inches in parts of Centre County, the national weather service said.
Video posted by the emergency services of Collier Township, just west of Pittsburgh, showed a truck running directly into a response vehicle as a crew was attending to a car accident.
“This is a reminder to please SLOW DOWN and use CAUTION not only in this weather, but ALL the time,” the post said. “Two of our members were almost struck during this incident, please be careful.”
The winter storm was also expected to produce significant snowfall in southern Maine and New Hampshire, with forecasts of a foot or more in the region, the national weather service said.
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