9:57 p.m. EST January 2, 2014 At least 100 million Americans were under some level of winter storm warning, watch, or advisory on Thursday. A massive winter storm pounded the Northeast late Thursday with a heavy winds and driving snow, shutting down Boston's airport, cancelling thousands of flights and prompting state emergency declarations in New York and New Jersey.
The onslaught was forecast to continue Friday with more heavy snow, howling winds and bitterly cold temperatures.
Up to 14 inches of snow was forecast for Boston, where Logan airport was shut down for the evening and more than 400 flights cancelled. Schools were ordered closed Friday.
Nationiwide, at least 2,980 commercial flights were cancelled due to the weather and nearly 10,000 flights were delayed, according to FlightStats.com. At Chicago's O'Hare airport, 822 flights were cancelled.
The worst weather is expected along coastal New England and on Long Island, where blizzard warnings are in effect until late Friday.
"What a New Year's gift, to receive one last snowstorm as mayor," said Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, who on Monday is leaving the office he has held for 20 years.
In New York, newly sworn in Mayor Bill de Blasio, who as public advocate in 2010 criticized his predecessor Mayor Michael Bloomberg for his handling of a post-Christmas storm, said hundreds of plows and salt spreaders would be on the streets.
"We have to get it right, no question about it," de Blasio said. "We are focused like a laser on protecting this city and getting everyone ready. We have all hands on deck."
The storm is expected to move off the coast by late Friday.
As of late Thursday, the Weather Channel was reporting that at least 100 million Americans were under some level of winter storm warning, watch or advisory; the area stretched from southern Indiana to eastern Maine, a distance of almost 1,200 miles.
Snow fell throughout the day Thursday across the Great Lakes, Northeast and New England. The heaviest snow fell in northern Illinois, where more than a foot of snow was reported late Thursday, according to the National Weather Service.
Winter storm warnings were in effect Friday in most of New York State, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine and eastern Pennsylvania.
This included the entire New York City area, where 4 to 8 inches of snow was predicted. Gov. Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency across all of New York State on Thursday. Three downstate highways were slated to close at midnight. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie issued a similar order and urged residents to stay off the streets.
"This is nothing to be trifled with," Cuomo said. "We have learned too well over the past few years the power of Mother Nature. We've seen the damage that can be done."
Some schools in New England and New York closed pre-emptively Thursday, while cities issued parking bans and homeless shelters were expected to fill beyond capacity.
Authorities said the weather may have been a factor in a fatal crash Wednesday evening involving a pickup and a bus carrying casino patrons in Indiana. Police said the truck's driver was killed and 15 bus passengers were injured in the collision on a snow-covered and slushy highway in Rolling Prairie.
The storm was expected to dip as far south as Washington, which could get up to 2 inches of snow.
In Toms River, N.J., Jonas Caldwell said he was prepared for whatever the storm might bring
"Santa brought me a snow blower, and I've got rock salt for the ice, so now I'm just waiting for the storm," he said while grabbing a coffee at a convenience store.
Much colder air will reach the East on Friday, the weather service reported, with many areas seeing temperatures 20-30 degrees below normal. Some record lows are possible.
"This is likely to be the coldest weather for much of the Northeast since January 2009," according to AccuWeather meteorologist Bernie Rayno.
Lows in cities such as Philadelphia, New York and Baltimore will drop into the single digits Friday night while temperatures will drop below zero in Hartford, Conn.; Albany, N.Y.; Providence, R.I.; Portland, Maine; and Boston.
Freeze watches and warnings have been posted all the way to northern Florida.
Wind chills could dip as low as 19 degrees, prompting the weather service in Jacksonville to warn Floridians that "if you must venture outdoors, make sure you wear a hat and gloves."
In Green Bay, Wis., fans were preparing for a brutally cold NFL playoff game Sunday afternoon between the Packers and the San Francisco 49ers, when temperatures are forecast to be below zero, with wind chills far below that. Temperatures could rival the famed "Ice Bowl" game of 1967, when the game time temperature was -15 degrees.
