Snow blankets Boston as north-east US faces storm crisis

A winter storm hit the US north-east with numbing winds, punishing cold and up to two feet (0.6 metres) of snow early on Friday, presenting a first test for New York's new mayor and perhaps a last one for Boston's outgoing one.

Some schools in New England and New York closed well ahead of the snow, while cities mobilised ploughs and salt spreaders, and state offices sent workers home early. Some major highways were ordered to be shut down overnight. US airlines cancelled more than 2,300 flights nationwide on Thursday in advance of the storm.

The heavy weather began rolling in on Thursday, just a day after New York mayor Bill de Blasio was sworn in to lead the nation's largest city and a few days before Boston mayor Thomas Menino ends 20 years in office.

Menino announced a parking ban and said schools would be closed on Friday in Boston. Boston's airport said it would not handle any flights after 8.30pm on Thursday.

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By late Thursday night, the National Weather Service reported that Boxford, just north of Boston, had received nearly 2 feet of snow and parts of upstate New York had already received 18 inches.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jan/03/snow-blankets-boston-us-storm