Nearly two feet of snow has already fallen north of Boston in Boxford by Thursday night, with other areas of Massachusetts getting up to 18 inches, according to the National Weather Service, the Associated Press reported.
Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick announced any state offices will be closed Friday and said though no mandatory evacuation had been set in place, the National Guard members and state police would remain on standby in case of high tide flooding around coastal areas, the AP reported.
Upstate New York was dealt 18 inches while New York City was expected to get 8 inches, extending Christmas break for some, the AP reported.
The snowstorm will be newly elected New York Mayor Bill de Blasio first test as mayor after he criticized previous Mayor Michael Bloomberg for the way he dealt with the pre-Christmas storm which hit the city, according to the AP.
Cities across the northeast closed down schools before the snowstorm hit and snow plows and salt spreaders were ready to go when the storm hit land, according to the AP. Most major highway have been shut down throughout the night and homeless people were brought into shelters due to extreme temperatures.
"We have to get it right, no question about it," de Blasio said, according to the AP. "We are focused like a laser on protecting this city and getting everyone ready. We have all hands on deck."
The storm has canceled about 2,300 flights and weather forecasts shows temperatures would get lower with some areas seeing highs just above zero and wind chill readings of minus-10 and colder, the AP reported
"It's been a tough road," Heather Krochuk, of Toronto, Canada, said after her back home out of Logan International Airport was cancelled and has prolonged her trip home from Seattle by 36 hours, according to the AP.
