A nor’easter could unleash more than a foot of dense snow on at least seven states, from Pennsylvania to Maine, officials said. New York City may be spared the worst.
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By Michael Levenson
A major late-winter storm was on its way into the Northeast on Monday, packing a mix of heavy, wet snow, rain and strong winds that could cause widespread power failures, disrupt travel and flood coastal communities, forecasters said.
The storm, which was expected to strengthen into a nor’easter, could unload more than a foot of snow in the Catskills and southern Adirondacks in New York, the Berkshires and Worcester hills in Massachusetts, the Monadnocks and White Mountains in New Hampshire, and the southern Green Mountains in Vermont, the National Weather Service said.
One to two feet of snow could also fall in parts of Maine, northwestern Connecticut and northeastern Pennsylvania as well as Sussex County in New Jersey, forecasters said. New York City was expecting far less — about an inch of snow, although there was a slight chance it could receive more if the forecast was off.
Elsewhere, the wet, heavy snow, combined with wind gusts of up to 60 miles per hour, could bring down tree branches and power lines, knocking out power to hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses before the storm ends on Wednesday, the authorities said.
Widespread minor coastal flooding and beach erosion were also possible, the Weather Service said. The storm will grow stronger around 10 p.m. on Monday night and last into Tuesday.
Communities in higher elevations were expected to get the most snow, with heavy rain and light snow in the New York-New Jersey metro area, Long Island and southeastern Connecticut.
In New Hampshire, where heavy, wet snow was expected to fall over the southern half of the state, more than 50 towns postponed municipal elections that had been scheduled for Tuesday, according to the secretary of state’s office.
In Worcester, Mass., which was bracing for up to 18 inches of snow, officials announced that schools would be closed on Tuesday, one of many such cancellations expected across the Northeast. In Maine, officials said that state offices would be closed on Tuesday, as the authorities urged residents to stay off the roads.
Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York said at a news conference on Monday that she would declare a state of emergency beginning at 8 p.m., which would allow the state to deploy additional resources and would send a clear message to residents that the storm could pose a threat to public safety.
Ms. Hochul warned that the wet snow was going to “come down like a brick” — by as much as three inches an hour in some areas — making travel treacherous, if not impossible.
“This will be a dangerous storm,” Ms. Hochul said. “Please stay off the roads for your own safety. Stay in your homes.”
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