Weather

The storm dumped up to 8 inches of snow in parts of northern Connecticut, according to weather service reports. About 9 inches of snow fell in parts of northwest Massachusetts.

By KATHY McCORMACK, Associated Press

December 5, 2024

Snow squalls — sudden heavy snowfalls and gusty winds — created whiteout conditions in parts of the Northeast during a storm that brought more snow to the Great Lakes region on Thursday. Two people died of heart attacks after shoveling snow in upstate New York, officials said.

The deaths were recorded Wednesday in Erie County in western New York, where snow has been falling steadily since the end of Thanksgiving weekend, well before winter officially begins on Dec. 21. Numerous schools in Buffalo and surrounding cities were closed on Thursday after several centimeters of snow fell overnight and into the morning, causing traffic accidents on the highways.

In Ohio, travel bans were in effect Thursday in the northeast corner of the state along Lake Erie, where there was up to 5 feet (1.5 meters) of snow on the ground due to storms earlier in the week and more was expected. A blizzard warning was in effect for a portion of Pennsylvania along the lake until early Saturday, and speed reductions were in effect on highways. Snow warnings due to lake effects were in effect for surrounding counties in the region.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine declared a state of emergency in four counties ahead of the next wave of lake snow, which could bring another foot of snow by Friday, according to the National Weather Service.

Crews in Ashtabula, Ohio, on Lake Erie were busy brushing snow from roofs before the next round piles piled on top. The city’s fire chief said the department responded to more than 100 snow emergencies, including collapsed roofs, downed power lines and trees, and people needing medical attention.

The power outages began to increase on Thursday. Pennsylvania recorded more than 14,000 power outages as of Thursday morning, according to Poweroutage.com, which tracks outages across the country. As the storm moved into New England, nearly 11,000 customers were without power in Connecticut. Further south, strong winds caused a power outage for more than 12,000 customers in Virginia.

“All the outages we see are storm-related, mostly trees falling on lines. “Our teams are working to make repairs and restore power as quickly and safely as possible at numerous locations across the state,” said Eversource spokeswoman Sarah Paduano in Connecticut.

The storm dumped up to 8 inches of snow in parts of northern Connecticut, according to weather service reports. About 23 centimeters of snow fell in parts of northwest Massachusetts.

Skiers at Stowe Mountain Resort in Stowe, Vermont took advantage of the wintry weather.

“It’s great to see some snow in the mountains right now,” said Cyrus Schenck of Burlington, Vermont. “I know it’s the beginning of December and normally everything is hit and miss, but everything is covered, including the trees. It’s not just the spot where they blew snow.”

Matt Wells, who lives near Columbus, Ohio, said it was his first time at the resort and he hopes more trails open soon.

“You don’t see something like this in Ohio, but it’s coming our way, so we’re grateful for it,” he said. “We’re hoping we can open a few more of them, but the few they have open are pretty good.”

Other winter-weary residents were already fed up, even though the official start of the season is still two weeks away. An Ohio man could face charges after he threw a shovelful of snow through his open window at a plow driver after the truck pushed a pile of snow into his driveway, police in Lake County said.

Slick roads due to snowfall overnight into Thursday morning led to dozens of accidents on roads in Massachusetts and New Hampshire.

Many schools in New England delayed opening or closed for a day.

The Maine state government in Augusta didn’t open until mid-morning to ensure a safe commute, said Gov. Janet Mills.

“Drive carefully and remember to always give road crews and emergency responders enough space,” Mills said in a statement.

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Associated Press writers Carolyn Thompson in New York, John Seewer in Ohio, David Collins in Connecticut, Patrick Whittle in Maine, Steve LeBlanc in Massachusetts and Lisa Rathke in Vermont contributed to this story.