Northeast braces for mammoth
winter storm

The first snowstorm of the new year packing stiff winds and punishing cold pushed into the Northeast on Thursday, extending Christmas break for some students while posing the first test for New York's new mayor and perhaps the last challenge for Boston's outgoing one.

Some schools in New England and New York closed well ahead of the snow, while cities mobilized plows and salt spreaders, and state offices sent workers home early.

Some major highways were ordered shut down overnight. U.S. airlines canceled more than 2,300 flights nationwide on Thursday in advance of the storm.

The heavy weather began rolling in 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 Friday in Boston, where up to 14 inches of snow was expected. Boston's airport said it would not handle any flights after 8:30 p.m. Thursday.

"What a New Year's gift, to receive one last snowstorm as mayor," said Menino, whose successor takes office on Monday.

De Blasio, who as public advocate in 2010 criticized his predecessor Mayor Michael Bloomberg for his handling of a post-Christmas storm, said hundreds of plows and salt spreaders would be on the streets as soon as the snow started falling Thursday night.

"We have to get it right, no question about it," de Blasio said. "We are focused like a laser on protecting this city and getting everyone ready. We have all hands on deck."

Snow began falling overnight Wednesday in parts of New England and New York state, but the brunt of the storm wasn't expected until late Thursday.

Fourteen to 18 inches of snow were forecast, with up to 2 feet in some areas along the Massachusetts coast.

The storm system has already walloped Michigan and Illinois. Chicago was blanketed with at least 9 inches of snow on Wednesday. And more is expected Thursday, prompting hundreds of flight cancellations Wednesday into and out of Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, according to the aviation-tracking website FlightAware.com. 

Forecasters said temperatures would plummet, with some areas seeing highs just above zero and wind-chill readings of minus-10 and colder.

The National Weather Service issued a blizzard warning for Cape Cod, coastal areas north and south of Boston and part of Maine as well as New York's Long Island, where 8 to 10 inches of snow could fall and winds could gust to 45 mph. 

However, the real brunt of the storm won't come until later in the night, with a foot of snow or more forecast for some areas. 

Cities between Washington, D.C., and Maine braced for the weather. In White Plains, N.Y., half of the city's 4,000-ton salt supply was ready for the roads.

"We're playing cat-and-mouse with Mother Nature," said Bud Nicoletti Jr., White Plains' commissioner of public works. 

Some New England school systems closed pre-emptively, cities issued on-street parking bans and homeless shelters were expected to fill beyond capacity. 

Sections of interior southern New England and New York could get up to a foot of snow by the time the storm moves out, with forecasts generally calling for 6 to 12 inches. New York City, likely to see 3 to 7 inches, issued a snow alert. 

The storm posed an early challenge for freshly inaugurated New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, who was sworn in on New Year's Day. 

"This will be his first test, and he's got to pull it off as close to flawlessly as he can," Douglas Muzzio, a professor at Baruch College at the City University of New York, told Reuters. "He's got to send the message 'I can run this joint.'"

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo urged the city's commuters to leave their cars at home in case major highways were closed for Thursday's evening rush hour.

"We are looking at a serious storm situation," Cuomo said.

Although lesser amounts were forecast to the south, Philadelphia and parts of southern New Jersey were expected to see 3 to 7 inches of blowing, drifting snow.

In Toms River, N.J., Jonas Caldwell said he was prepared for whatever the storm might bring.

"Santa brought me a snow blower, and I've got rock salt for the ice, so now I'm just waiting for the storm," he told The Associated Press while grabbing a coffee at a convenience store.

Al Jazeera and wire services