CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — More snow and frigid temperatures trudged into the Northeast on Tuesday even as crews continued to clean up from a weekend storm.
The latest storm made its way into southwestern New England late Tuesday morning and was gradually tracking northeastward. Parts of Maine could see upward of 9 inches by the time it pushed off the coast Wednesday afternoon, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Tom Hawley in Gray, Maine.
Most of the region will see 3 to 6 inches of snow.
"My feeling is it's wonderful," Tony Hartigan said as he walked quickly across Main Street in Concord, N.H. He wore no hat or gloves despite the bank thermometer over his shoulder that blinked 3 degrees. "It packs the ski resorts, it's pretty for Christmas and I spent last week in Florida so I didn't see it!"
Temperatures were below zero for many parts of the region Tuesday morning — including minus-27 in Berlin, N.H., and Saranac Lake, N.Y., — and 10 to 15 degrees below normal for this time of year. Temperatures will start to rise as the weekend approaches and could hit 60 in Boston by Sunday, Hawley said.
In Lewiston and Auburn, Maine, the extreme cold temporarily shut down the bus system after sub-zero temperatures froze air lines that run hydraulic and steering systems.
It was so cold in Maine that power cables snapped in at least two locations, leaving about 950 homes and businesses without electricity and heat for a couple of hours in subzero temperatures.
Some school districts in Connecticut, including Waterbury, Danbury and Torrington, were closed Tuesday, while some districts in Massachusetts, including Worcester, North Andover and Framingham, said they would dismiss students early. There were parking bans in some communities.
All nonessential state workers in Massachusetts were sent home early and State Secretary William Galvin asked private employers in the greater Boston area, which could get 4 to 8 inches of snow, to consider releasing employees early.
Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said he would partially activate the state's emergency operations center on Tuesday to monitor conditions ahead of the afternoon rush hour.
Snow should still be falling through the evening commute and blustery winds could cut down visibility, according to the weather service.
The weather forced officials to lower the speed limit to 45 mph on the New Jersey Turnpike, and on a section of the Garden State Parkway. United Airlines canceled flights arriving from and departing for Newark, N.J., Tuesday morning and early afternoon.
In western New York, a car crashed on a snowy road, killing the 23-year-old driver and injuring four students and the bus driver.
The tracking website Flightaware.com estimated more than 300 flights were canceled nationwide Tuesday and more than 1,100 were delayed.