TRENTON, N.J. – A developing nor’easter headed up the East Coast on Saturday with a threat of heavy snow, canceling flights and putting road crews on overtime, but cheering up skiers in a region spared harsh weather for most of the winter.
Blizzard warnings were posted from the New York City area into eastern New England, where up to 15 inches of snow was possible, and a winter storm warning was issued for most of New Jersey, the National Weather Service said.
Heavy snow warnings were in effect from eastern Kentucky to New England.
More than 100 flights were canceled at New Jersey’s Newark Liberty International Airport, one of the New York area’s three major airports. There were scattered cancellations at New York’s LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy International airports.
Delta said it canceled its arrivals today and departures at several other airports in the storm’s path, including those in Philadelphia; Boston; Baltimore; Newark; Providence, R.I.; Washington, D.C.; and Hartford, Conn.
Snow began falling Saturday afternoon in eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey, slowing traffic.
The New Jersey Department of Transportation had 600 trucks ready to plow roads, plus 1,100 contractor trucks, the department said. The department also had its regular maintenance staff of 735 employees, plus more than 400 other state employees, available to operate plows.
The Port Authority had more than 160 pieces of heavy snow equipment at the New York region’s three big airports.
In Connecticut, forecasters predicted up to 12 inches of snow, with the highest totals along the Atlantic coast. Snow was expected to start Saturday evening and become heavy after midnight before tapering off this afternoon.
In Maryland, transportation officials expected the storm’s timing to make road crews’ jobs relatively easy.
The heaviest snowfall was expected between 9 p.m. Saturday and 3 a.m. today, the lightest traffic hours of the week, said State Highway Administration worker David Buck.
Despite the likelihood that drivers would have to dig their cars out this morning, the storm was great news for northern New Jersey’s Hidden Valley Resort and its 12 ski slopes, said Roni Mattiello, director of snow sports.
“It means great, fresh powder to ski in,” Mattiello said. “It will help us open terrain on the mountain that hasn’t been opened yet because of the mild winter.”
Not all sports fans were so elated. New York’s Aqueduct racetrack canceled today’s horse racing schedule.
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