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March 14 (UPI) -- The first nor'easter of the season is pummeling the northeast United States with heavy snow, rain, and wind, as blizzard conditions are forecast to peak Tuesday night before easing early Wednesday. The coastal storm has already dumped 2 feet of snow in parts of Massachusetts, Vermont, and New York. And it has downed power lines in New Hampshire, shut-down roads and schools throughout New England, and canceled hundreds of flights throughout the Northeast.
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The nor'easter, which is a storm that brings winds from the northeast along the Eastern Seaboard, is the first to hit the East Coast this winter. According to the National Weather Service, the storm is "churning just northeast of Cape Cod and is anticipated to continue producing gusty winds and periods of heavy snow throughout New England into Wednesday."
The National Weather Service says heavy snow is forecast to fall through Tuesday night at about 2 to 3 inches per hour along the I-95 corridor from southern New England to Portland, Maine, with temperatures ranging from the mid-20s to mid-30s.
The National Weather Service in New York tweeted a view of the snow from Kent, which had already received 13" of wet, heavy snow as of Tuesday morning.
In addition to the snow, strong winds are forecast with gusts between 40 and 60 miles per hour, which could bring down more power lines and cause coastal flooding, according to the National Weather Service. Boston, Baltimore, and Philadelphia were under high wind alerts Tuesday.
The heaviest snowfall is forecast for the northern Hudson Valley of New York, as well as Hartford, Conn., and Springfield, Mass., which could lead to more travel difficulties, as police warned drivers to stay off the roads.
Already, the storm has closed roads in New Hampshire, including Interstate 93, which is one of the main highways through the state.
"I-93 closure due to fallen power line," New Hampshire State Police tweeted Tuesday.
Airports up and down the East Coast have canceled hundreds of flights and are urging passengers to "check with their airline on the status of their flight before coming to the airport," Boston Logan International Airport tweeted Tuesday. The weather cancelations are also affecting flights across the country.
Hundreds of thousands of power outages have been reported throughout the Northeast, due to heavy winds and downed trees, with more than 218,000 homes and businesses without power in New York, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Maine as of Tuesday evening, according to poweroutage.us.
In New Hampshire, a child suffered minor injuries Tuesday after the young girl was trapped by a fallen tree in the town of Derry. The Derry Fire Department said it spent 20 minutes using "chainsaws, shovels and their bare hands" to free the child.
Elections in more than 70 towns throughout New Hampshire had to be canceled Tuesday because of the storm, with many of them now rescheduled for March 28, according to the New Hampshire Department of State.
In New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul urged everyone to stay inside and off of the roads through Wednesday.
"Heavy snow has impacted much of the state today -- and it's not over yet. We are anticipating a very windy night with gusts of up to 45-55 mph," the governor tweeted.
"Please continue to avoid unnecessary travel so plows and emergency personnel can do their jobs."
