Snow Storm Hits New England

Thick, rapidly falling snow tested travelers and plow trucks as another major winter storm moved into northern New England Monday, causing school cancelations, parking bans and travel disruptions as the region prepared to dig out from yet another storm following a weeklong January thaw.

Officials have lowered speed limits and several thousand trucks are salting and sanding, trying to keep these roads clear, reports The Early Show weatherman Dave Price.

A heavy snow warning was in effect Monday across most of Maine and New Hampshire and much of Vermont. The National Weather Service forecast 5 to 10 inches of snow along coastal, from 7 to 13 inches in eastern and Maine and lesser amounts in the mountains and northern areas.

In New Hampshire, the southern and central parts of the state took the brunt of a storm that outpaced the state's fleet of plow trucks. In Maine, some towns had received more than 10 inches before noon.

"The story is it's a fast moving storm," said Bill Boynton, spokesman for the New Hampshire Department of Transportation. "Not only is it limiting visibility, but it's also coming down at a pace that we can't keep up with in terms of getting bare roads."

While the North Country received just a trace of snow, Canterbury, in central New Hampshire, got 8 inches and Salem, near the Massachusetts border, got 6.5 inches. In Maine, the heaviest amounts at midday were 11 inches in South Casco, 10 inches in Bridgton and 10 inches in Lebanon, according to the National Weather Service.

"The trucks have been out since 4 a.m., pretty much from the Lakes Region south," said Boynton.

No major accidents were reported in either state, though several cars went sliding during the morning commute.

Boynton expected plow trucks to catch up by mid-afternoon, when the storm was expected to taper off.

Meanwhile the New Hampshire Legislature canceled all scheduled events, including a meeting of a special commission looking at the state's school funding problems. The National Guard postponed a morning ribbon cutting ceremony for a new command center that Gov. John Lynch and members of New Hampshire's congressional delegation had been scheduled to attend.

Nearly 600 schools, day care and seniors' centers canceled or delayed programs for the day.

Over 100 flights have already been cancelled at Boston's Logan International Airport, reports Price.

At Manchester-Boston Regional Airport, the state's largest commercial airport, more than a dozen flights were canceled.

In Maine, the Portland International Jetport reported numerous flight cancelations, while hundreds of schools called off classes and some businesses shut their doors and told workers not to come in. Speed limits on the Maine Turnpike were reduced to 45 miles per hour.

Some legislative hearings were canceled, and federal courts closed early.

The threat of snow forced the cancellation of a field hearing by the U.S. Senate oceans, atmosphere and fisheries subcommittee in Ellsworth on the impact on fishermen of rules aimed at saving North American right whales.

The wintry weather follows a springlike weather pattern in which much of the snow from December melted away.

The storm is the latest of many that have dropped significant amounts of snow in the region.

Concord, N.H., has gotten 54 inches of snow for the winter season, while nearly 44 inches has fallen on Portland and 49 inches on Bangor.

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