New England, upstate New York bracing for winter storm

Parts of the Northeast were bracing for a powerful winter storm that could dump heavy, wet snow and unleash strong winds, knocking out power to hundreds of thousands of people.

The National Weather Service says the storm is expected to begin late Monday and last into Wednesday. The storm could hit parts of New England, upstate New York, northeastern Pennsylvania, and northern New Jersey, with snowfall totals expected to range from a few inches to a few feet, depending on the area.

“This could be deadly,” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul warned at a storm briefing in Albany. “Let me repeat: This will be a dangerous storm. Please stay off the roads for your own safety.”

1/2 Watching the first nor'easter of the season develop. Heavy snow is expected, especially for Interior Northeast, but many coastal spots in New England will also see significant snow. pic.twitter.com/VPiBlcivCn

— Mike Bettes (@mikebettes) March 13, 2023

Higher elevations in New York’s mid-Hudson region and the Albany area could receive 3 feet of snow.

Hochul, who will issue a state of emergency starting at 8 p.m. Monday, said snow plow crews from Long Island and utility crews as far away as Canada were being sent to the region. She also said 100 National Guard members were brought in to assist with emergency response.

Snow in the western part of Massachusetts could exceed 18 inches, but along the coast, the totals could be 3 or 4 inches, Bill Simpson, a spokesman for the National Weather Service in Norton, Mass., said.

A powerful Nor'easter is going to bring extreme impacts to New England for the next several days.

We talked to Glenn Field, the Warning Coordination Meteorologist with @NWSBoston, about what his biggest concern is with this system. #MAwx pic.twitter.com/sR1JByI0iv

— WeatherNation (@WeatherNation) March 13, 2023

“I’m not quite sure of the exact track,” Simpson said. “That makes all the difference in the world.”

A winter storm warning was due to take effect Monday evening and last through Wednesday morning for parts of upstate New York, northeastern Pennsylvania, northern New Jersey, southern sections of Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont as well western Massachusetts and parts of Connecticut and Rhode Island.

The storm will strengthen rapidly on Monday night and close in on the southeastern New England coast on Tuesday: https://t.co/LOLwX9P8ph

— Breaking Weather by AccuWeather (@breakingweather) March 13, 2023

Connecticut’s largest electricity provider, Eversource, was bringing in extra crews from other states as it prepared for up to 130,000 power outages.

“That combination of heavy wet snow, long duration of sustained winds, long duration of gusts will almost certainly bring down tree limbs and entire trees,” said Steve Sullivan, president of Connecticut electric operations for Eversource. “Those will damage the electric system.”

Snow could return to the New York and New Jersey area once again Monday as another storm blows in.

Tuesday will be cloudy with rain and snow showers continuing throughout the day as the storm lingers over the tri-state area. pic.twitter.com/2eBCmSBghm

— PIX11 News (@PIX11News) March 13, 2023

In New Hampshire, the storm will hit on Election Day for town officeholders. Dozens of communities postponed voting, while others reminded voters that they could vote by absentee ballot on Monday instead.

Similar back-to-back Election Day storms in 2017 and 2018 sparked widespread confusion about who could reschedule elections.

Lawmakers have since changed the law to allow town moderators to postpone elections if the National Weather Service issues a storm warning. For Tuesday, such warnings have been issued for at least parts of seven of the state’s 10 counties.