North-east U.S. hit by huge snowstorm

PanARMENIAN.Net - Snow has begun to fall as a massive blizzard approaches the north-east of the U.S., sending residents hurrying to stock up on supplies ahead of a storm poised to dump up to 3ft of snow from New York to Boston and beyond, Belfast Telegraph said.

Airlines cancelled more than 4,200 flights through to Saturday, February 9 and Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick banned all traffic from roads after 4pm (9pm GMT), believed to be the state's first such ban since the blizzard of 1978.

Boston could get nearly a metre of snow, while New York City was expecting up to 12 inches. Mayor Michael Bloomberg said ploughs and 250,000 tons of salt were being put on standby. Snow was being blamed for a 19-car pile-up in Maine. In Brick Township, New Jersey, which was hit hard by Superstorm Sandy, officials issued a voluntary evacuation order for areas that are still recovering from that storm.

Airlines have cancelled more than 4,200 flights in preparation for the storm, according to airline tracking website FlightAware. New York City's three main airports and Boston's Logan started shutting down on Friday afternoon.

Blizzard warnings were posted for parts of New Jersey and New York's Long Island, as well as portions of Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut, including Hartford, New Haven, Connecticut, and Providence. The warnings extended into New Hampshire and Maine.