Winter Storm Hercules State-By-State Impacts: 2014's First Big Storm Bears Down on Northeast

January 2, 2014

Winter Storm Hercules unleashed heavy snow, ferocious winds and brutal cold from the Great Lakes into the Northeast and New England Thursday, and the storm was expected to gain strength overnight along the highly-populated I-95 corridor.
"We're really starting to see this system get energized," said Greg Postel, winter weather expert for The Weather Channel. "We're going to see the coverage pick up and the intensity pick up."
(MORE: Live Winter Weather Updates)
Even though the heart of Hercules is forecast to plow into New England overnight, impressive snowfall reports were already coming out of Massachusetts. The National Weather Service said 16 inches had already fallen in Boxford, Mass., while Rowley and Georgetown had seen at least 15 inches.
The storm is expected to impact more than 100 million people in the Midwest and Northeast combined. New York and New Jersey were both under a state of emergency, while the governor of Massachusetts has closed state government Friday.
Below is a breakdown of the impacts from Winter Storm Hercules, as told state-by-state.

New York

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo declared a statewide state of emergency Thursday, urging people to "seriously consider staying in their homes." Interstate 84 in the Hudson Valley closed to commercial traffic starting at 5 p.m. Thursday. I-84 will be closed to all traffic starting at midnight. Gov. Cuomo said the Long Island Expressway will also be closed at midnight in Nassau and Suffolk counties and the Thruway will be closed from Albany south. Cuomo says plans are for the highways to reopen at 5 a.m. Friday, but a decision will be made by 4 a.m.
The Long Island Rail Road will operate on a weekend schedule Friday, while the Metro-North Railroad will operate on a Saturday schedule. Amtrak plans to run trains on all of its Northeast lines on Friday but will operate on a modified schedule.

AP Photo/Mike Groll

A pedestrian walks through morning snow, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2014, in Albany, N.Y.

New York City officials have issued snow and travel alerts ahead Winter Storm Hercules. The Office of Emergency Management says the strongest winds and heaviest snow will fall between midnight and 7 a.m. Friday. Sanitation officials say 364 salt spreaders have been loaded and attached plows and tire chains in anticipation of slick roads Thursday. Transportation officials have suspended alternate side parking rules for Thursday.
The National Weather Service issued a blizzard warning for Long Island, where 8 to 10 inches of snow could fall and winds could gust to 45 mph.

Massachusetts

Gov. Deval Patrick closed state government Friday; Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) will remain open. Patrick says 1,600 pieces of equipment are on state highways and he has authorized the National Guard to help out as needed. Boston Mayor Thomas 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.
Staff members at the Pine Street Inn in Boston were keeping the shelter open 24-hours and said they would turn no one away, even if it meant setting up extra cots in lobbies and other common areas.
The National Weather Service issued a blizzard warning for Cape Cod.

Connecticut

Connecticut's governor called for the early release of state workers and schools Thursday. He urged people to call 211 if they needed a shelter.
(MORE: Check the Complete Forecast for Winter Storm Hercules)

New Jersey

Gov. Chris Christie declared a state of emergency ahead of the storm. The governor also authorized the closing of state offices on Friday for all non-essential workers. State courthouses are also closed Friday. New Jersey Transit has announced that it will cross-honor all tickets through Friday.

Rhode Island

Some schools closed or had no afternoon activities Thursday, and many planned to be closed Friday, including in Providence, Warwick, Cranston and Pawtucket. Many communities declared parking bans. Block Island ferry service was cancelled Thursday, and Peter Pan Bus Lines canceled several buses in and out of Providence. Gov. Lincoln Chafee said state government would continue to operate Friday, although employees unable to make it in could get approval to stay home and use vacation time.

New Hampshire

Snow-covered roads have led to many accidents in parts of New Hampshire, as a number of school districts are staying closed for another vacation day and some flights were delayed or canceled at Manchester-Boston Regional Airport. State police closed a busy section of Interstate 93 northbound just south of the Interstate 89 junction in Bow because of multiple accidents late Thursday morning.

Maine

Snowfall began Thursday morning, sending some vehicles sliding off roads during the morning commute. Conditions continued to deteriorate to the point Gov. Paul LePage sent workers home early in nine counties.
Outside Portland, the Smiling Hill cross-country ski center closed for the day, saying bitter cold and wind gusts made conditions too dangerous even for winter sports enthusiasts.
A freezing spray advisory was in effect for commercial fishing boats operating in the North Atlantic, where temperatures were so cold that fishing boats could accumulate nearly an inch of ice per hour.

Vermont

A winter storm watch is in effect for Vermont's two southernmost counties with 6 to 12 inches of snow possible.  The winter storm watch remains in effect until 10 a.m. Friday.

Ohio

Hercules complicated the first morning commute of 2014.  Snow reduced visibility and made roads slippery as people returned to work after the holidays. Some schools that were scheduled to be back in session after the holiday break were delayed or closed. Temperatures are also expected to drop into the teens over the next few days in the state.
(WATCH: See the Best Meteorological Images of 2013)

Pennsylvania

More than a dozen flight cancelations were reported at Pittsburgh International Airport on Thursday night, while the icy conditions were being blamed for multiple car accidents on major highways and local roads in the western part of the state. The state Transportation Department announced reduced speed limits to 45 mph on several major roadways in eastern and central Pennsylvania Thursday evening.
PennDOT said it was putting salt-spreading trucks on standby and has sprayed salt brine on major expressways and highways. But Transportation Secretary Barry Schoch warned that roads would not be free of ice and snow, even with crews working around the clock.
Hours before the storm reached the southeastern part of the state Thursday, a worker died in a road salt collapse at a suburban Philadelphia storage facility. Falls Township police said a 100-foot-tall pile of salt toppled over and trapped the man, who was working a backhoe. Rescue crews were dispatched but couldn't save him.
The weather service posted a winter storm warning for eastern Pennsylvania, where it said snowfall would be heaviest Thursday night before tapering off Friday morning.

Michigan

Winter Storm Hercules dumped as much as 10 inches of snow on Michigan snarling traffic, and causing numerous crashes. A tanker carrying crude oil crashed Thursday morning on snowy Interstate 69 in Genesee County's Davison Township, forcing the temporary evacuation of nearby homes and businesses. AAA Michigan spokeswoman Nancy Cain says the auto club received 3,100 Thursday through 4 p.m. after assisting 3,000 people on New Year's Day.

Illinois

Winter Storm Hercules brought double-digit snow totals to the suburbs of Chicago. Gurnee had 18 inches and Highwood had 15 inches. In central Illinois snow totals were between 3 and 5 inches. The Illinois Department of Transportation had nearly 1,300 trucks responding to the storm as of Thursday evening.
The snow was blamed for at least two deaths Thursday. One unidentified person died in a traffic accident on Interstate 72 in Macon County, while authorities say 66-year-old Carl W. Walker of Alton suffered a fatal heart attack after using a snow blower.
About 370 flights combined were canceled at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport and Midway International Airport.

Indiana

Driving is treacherous around Indiana from several inches of snowfall, with more than two dozen counties issuing travel advisories and at least two crash deaths.
Most of Indiana was under a winter weather advisory Thursday from the National Weather Service, with 5.5 inches of snow reported in Indianapolis and 6 inches in Rushville.
The crash in central Indiana's Tipton County happened when a 19-year-old from Florida lost control of an SUV late Wednesday and it overturned into a field. Police say William Lamoreaux of Plant City, Fla., died at the scene and a 14-year-old cousin suffered a broken wrist.
LaPorte County police say 36-year-old John Kallok of Griffith died Wednesday when his pickup truck slid into the path of a charter bus on U.S. 20 in northern Indiana.

North Carolina

The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning for Thursday afternoon until Friday morning for the mountains about 3,500 feet north and west of Asheville. Lower elevations and areas around Boone are under a winter weather advisory.

Kentucky

Authorities say slick roads caused dozens of wrecks, including one in which a woman died, and closed roads across the state as temperatures plummeted below freezing.
Knox County Sheriff's Deputy Claude Hudson was quoted by the Lexington Herald-Leader as saying that Ruby Miles was hit and killed by a vehicle unable to stop on icy Kentucky 11 south of Barbourville as she walked up the road after her vehicle slid into a guardrail Thursday. Hudson says five cars eventually piled up there, and three other people were taken to the hospital for treatment.
Kentucky State Police troopers in Pikeville and Hazard said they received more than 100 reports of wrecks early Thursday in the 10 counties their posts cover.
Officials shut down a portion of the Hal Rodgers Parkway between London and Manchester.

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Ethan Hays, 8, sleds face down a hill in Indianapolis, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2014. Over 5 inches of snow fell in Central Indiana. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)