A storm hits the northeastern United States

Pittsfield, Massachusetts (AP) — A winter storm dumped heavy, wet snow in parts of the Northeast on Tuesday, causing tens of thousands of power outages, widespread school closures, dangerous driving conditions and a plane skidding out of a taxi lane. .

The storm’s path included parts of New England, northern New York, northeastern Pennsylvania, and northern New Jersey. Snow totals at the end of Wednesday were expected to range from a few inches to a few feet, depending on the region.

About 2 feet of snow fell in parts of upstate New York and the Catskill Mountains, and Indian Lake in New York’s Adirondack Mountains recorded 31 inches (79 cm) of snow. Gov. Cathy Hochul said some areas could gain an extra leg by Wednesday morning.

“Heavy snowfall affected large parts of the state today – and it’s not over yet,” Hochul wrote on Twitter on Tuesday evening. He said more than 74,700 homes were without electricity and it was expected to be a stormy night.

More than two feet of snow fell in parts of New Hampshire on Tuesday, including the town of Bennington, which recorded 30 inches (76 centimeters), according to the National Weather Service.

In Derry, New Hampshire, firefighters and police used chainsaws, shovels and their bare hands to rescue a girl trapped under a fallen tree. Authorities said the girl was playing outside near her father, who was shoveling snow, when the tree fell on her. The girl was taken to hospital with minor injuries.

All northbound lanes of Interstate 95 over the Piscatoa River Bridge between Maine and New Hampshire were closed for about an hour after tractor trucks became stuck on the bridge due to icy conditions. New Hampshire police said troopers across the state responded to more than 200 skid and vehicle accidents on Tuesday.

In the Berkshires of western Massachusetts, heavy, wet snow made driving difficult, weighing down tree branches and causing pop-ups. Further east in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, where up to 45 cm of snow is reported, Jan Guerer said conditions were too dangerous for him to drive to work as a taxi driver in Boston.

The storm came in the Northeast as California faced warnings of additional flooding, potentially damaging winds and difficult travel conditions on mountain highways with a cold river flowing through the atmosphere inundating early Tuesday. So far this winter, California has been battered by 10 ancient atmospheric rivers, high plumes of moisture from the Pacific Ocean, as well as powerful Arctic air-fed storms that have spawned blizzards.

A Delta Airlines plane slid on a paved surface as it took off from Syracuse Airport in New York on Tuesday morning. Airport officials said Flight 1718, bound for LaGuardia Airport in New York, skidded through a grassy area, forcing passengers to disembark the plane and onto buses to return to the terminal. No one was injured and the airport remained open.

About 2,100 flights were canceled on Tuesday to, from or within the United States, with airports in Boston and New York reporting the most, according to flight-tracking website FlightAware.

The storm closed state and local offices in Maine, where snow arrived later in the day, and power outages increased Tuesday with more than 80,000 customers affected Tuesday night. About 70,000 customers were without power in New Hampshire.

In Massachusetts, more than 57,000 customers lost power on Tuesday night. More than 30,000 electric consumers in Vermont have been affected.

The National Weather Service said snow fell 2 inches (5 centimeters) per hour or more in New York at higher elevations in the eastern Catskills through the central Hudson Valley and the central Taconex and Berkshires.

He stocked up on groceries and prepared an emergency fund with extra candles, lamps and batteries, said Dustin Reddy, a county deputy who lives in Albany.

“I don’t think the storm was bad for my neck in the woods, but I give the snowboarders a lot of credit,” said Reddy, who works from home.

Snowfall totals will be among the highest of the season, said meteorologist Andrew Orison of the Office of Weather Services in College Park, Maryland.

“We’ve seen below-average snowfall in the Northeast this year, so for the planet it’s going to have a big impact,” he said.

With snow falling in the highlands, authorities have warned coastal residents of the possibility of flooding due to heavy rains. New York’s National Weather Service said gusts could reach 50 mph (80 kph) across Long Island and lower Connecticut.

It was Election Day in New Hampshire for borough incumbents, but more than 70 communities postponed voting because of the storm.

In Kingston, New Hampshire, police offered voters to go to the polls. In Ware, the polling station had no power, forcing officials to install battery-powered lights until a generator arrived. Highway 93, the main north-south route in the state, was closed in Londonderry in both directions after power lines were cut.

In Connecticut, state offices and courthouses were closed on Tuesday. State offices in New York have also been closed.

The weather service said forecast snow totals from the storm, which is expected to end Wednesday, ranged by more than 2 feet (1 meter) in the highest elevations in New York, New Hampshire and western New York. Massachusetts, 4 to 6 inches tall. (from 10 to 10 to 1 meter). . 15 cm) in Boston.

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McCormack reports from Concord, New Hampshire. and Associated Press writers Holly Ramer in Concord, New Hampshire; Mason Khan in Albany, New York; Caroline Thompson in Buffalo, New York; Bobby Kaina Calvan in New York; Lisa Bowman in Bellingham, Washington, contributed to this report.