Powerful blizzard descends on Northeast

A parking meter pokes out of a snow bank during a blizzard, Saturday, Feb. 9, 2013, in Portland, Maine. The storm dumped more than 30 inches of snow as of Saturday afternoon, breaking the record for the biggest storm on record.

Snow begins to melt on cars parked at a dealership after a winter storm in Hartford, Conn., Sunday, Feb. 10, 2013. A howling storm across the Northeast left much of the New York-to-Boston corridor covered with more than three feet of snow on Friday into Saturday morning.

A man shovels snow off his car in front of his home on East Third street in the South Boston neighborhood in Boston, Saturday, Feb. 9, 2013. A howling storm across the Northeast left the New York-to-Boston corridor shrouded in 1 to 3 feet of snow Saturday, stranding motorists on highways overnight and piling up drifts so high that some homeowners couldn't get their doors open. More than 650,000 homes and businesses were left without electricity.

A couple walks past a large snow drift in the Old Port section of Portland, Maine, Saturday, Feb. 9, 2013. Officials are cautioning residents to stay off the roads in Maine, where Portland set an all-time snowfall record.

School buses are covered in snow after a winter storm in Hartford, Conn., Sunday, Feb. 10, 2013. A howling storm across the Northeast left much of the New York-to-Boston corridor covered with more than three feet of snow on Friday into Saturday morning.

Abandoned cars on the Long Island Expressway after a snow storm on Saturday, Feb. 9, 31, 2013 in Islandia, N.Y.

Bride Kathryn Jussaume with her sister and maid of honor Adrianne Richard, left, pose in snowshoes as Adrianne's husband takes a photo in front of her parents' house before going to her wedding, Saturday, Feb. 9, 2013 in Lowell, Mass.

A pickup truck with a snow plow drives a snow-covered Bayville Road after a snow storm on Saturday, Feb. 9, 2013 in Lattingtown, N.Y.

blizzard, snow, portland, maine — AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty

A woman digs out her car after it was blocked in by drifting snow during a blizzard, Saturday, Feb. 9, 2013, in Portland, Maine. The storm dumped more than 30 inches of snow as of Saturday afternoon, breaking the record for the biggest storm on record.

Getting travel back to normal after blizzard — CBS News

Following the blizzard, travel bans have been lifted in Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts, but moving around the Northeast was still treacherous.

Tow truck operator Shawn Juhre sets up road safety reflectors before towing a car out of a ditch during a winter snow storm in Buffalo, N.Y., Friday, Feb. 8, 2013. Snow began falling across the Northeast on Friday, ushering in what was predicted to be a huge, possibly historic blizzard and sending residents scurrying to stock up on food and gas up their cars. The storm dumped as much as two feet or more of snow in the Northeastern States.

Steve Hull digs out his car after it was covered by drifting snow in Portland, Maine on Saturday, Feb. 9, 2013. A behemoth storm packing hurricane-force wind gusts and blizzard conditions swept through the Northeast overnight.

Cars are buried under snow after a winter storm hit in Montague, Massachusetts, February 9, 2013. More than two feet of snow fell on parts of the Northeast as high winds left hundreds of thousands of people in the region without power, closed highways and forced the cancellation of some 4,700 flights.

A large tree limb damaged the front of a house on River Street in Providence, R.I., after strong winds brought it down Saturday, Feb. 9, 2013. A behemoth storm packing hurricane-force wind gusts and blizzard conditions swept through the Northeast on Saturday, dumping more than 2 feet of snow on New England and knocking out power to 650,000 homes and businesses.

Residents clear snow after a winter storm hit in Montague, Massachusetts, February 9, 2013. More than two feet of snow fell on parts of the Northeast as high winds left hundreds of thousands of people in the region without power, closed highways and forced the cancellation of some 4,700 flights.

Brian Rosler uses his snowblower to help a neighbor dig out of the snow Saturday, Feb. 9, 2013 in Danbury, Conn. A howling storm across the Northeast left the New York-to-Boston corridor shrouded in 1 to 3 feet of snow Saturday, stranding motorists on highways overnight and piling up drifts so high that some homeowners couldn't get their doors open.

Snow-covered bicycles rest in a rack Saturday, Feb. 9, 2013, in Piscataway, N.J. A behemoth storm packing hurricane-force wind gusts and blizzard conditions swept through the Northeast on Saturday, dumping more than 2 feet of snow on New England and knocking out power to 650,000 homes and businesses.

A worker carries a snow shovel across the Ground Zero construction site following a major winter storm on February 9, 2013 in New York City.

People shield themselves from the blowing snow as a blizzard arrives in the Back Bay neighborhood on February 8, 2013 in Boston. Massachusetts and other states from New York to Maine are hunkered down for the major blizzard with possible record amounts of snowfall in some areas.

A cyclist rides a bike through the snow in the Back Bay neighborhood of Boston during a lingering blizzard on February 9, 2013. The powerful storm has knocked out power to 650,000 and dumped more than two feet of snow in parts of New England.

People use an umbrella to shield themselves from the wind and snow in New York's Chinatown, Friday, Feb. 8, 2013. Snow began to fall as a massive blizzard headed for the American Northeast on Friday, sending residents scurrying to stock up on food and supplies ahead of a storm poised to dump up to 3 feet of snow from New York City to Boston and beyond.

Eguin Belasquez steers a snowblower through mounds of snow as he helps his friend dig out of his driveway after a snow storm Feb. 9, 2013, in Sea Cliff, N.Y.

A man shovels snow along Winthrop Shore Drive in Winthrop, Mass., February 9, 2013. The powerful storm has knocked out power to 650,000 and dumped more than two feet of snow in parts of New England.

A man shovels snow on Cutler Street in Winthrop, Mass., February 9, 2013. The powerful storm has knocked out power to 650,000 and dumped more than two feet of snow in parts of New England.

A man walks amid accumulating snow Friday, Feb. 8, 2013 in Springfield, Mass. Snow began falling across the Northeast on Friday, ushering in what was predicted to be a huge, possibly historic blizzard and sending residents scurrying to stock up on food and gas up their cars.

People in the Back Bay neighborhood of Boston walk through a blizzard on February 8, 2013. Massachusetts as well as other states from New York to Maine are hunkered down for a major winter storm, with possible record amounts of snowfall in some areas.

Louie Rodriguez of the New Bedford Forestry Department cuts a fallen tree in New Bedford, Mass., Feb. 8, 2013, after heavy snow and winds from a storm.

Snow is cleared from a parking garage (top right) in the Back Bay neighborhood of Boston, February 8, 2013.

A deliveryman rides a bike down a snowy New York City street on February 8, 2013. New York City and much of the Northeast is expected to get up to two feet or more of snow through Saturday afternoon, with possible record-setting blizzard conditions expected in Boston, Massachusetts.

A pedestrian makes his way through driving snow with a broken umbrella in the Back Bay neighborhood of Boston, Mass., February 8, 2013.

The Chrysler building is shrouded in fog, snow and sleet as a major winter storm descended upon Manhattan on February 8, 2013.

A woman crosses Congress Street during a snow storm, Friday, Feb. 8, 2013, in Portland, Maine.

People walk through Times Square as a major winter storm moves in on February 8, 2013 in New York City. Snow and freezing rain fell over Midtown Manhattan as the city braced for the major storm.

Russell Hardison walks to the bus stop after shopping during a winter storm in Buffalo, N.Y., Friday, Feb. 8, 2013.

Morning rush hour pedestrians make their way to work on Delancey St., Feb. 8, 2013 in New York City. A storm poised to dump up to 3-feet of snow from New York City to Boston and beyond beginning on Friday could be one for the record books, forecasters warned, as residents scurried to stock up on food and water and road crews readied salt and sand.

A worker walks up toward a plow smoothing a large salt pile at Eastern Salt Company in Chelsea, Mass., Feb. 7, 2013, in preparation for a major winter storm headed toward the Northeast. — Jim Cole

Cars are stuck in traffic as a winter storm arrives on Friday, Feb. 8, 2013 in Newington, N.H. Snow began to fall around the Northeast on Friday at the start of what's predicted to be a massive, possibly historic blizzard.

Two travelers walk to catch the last train into Boston from the Andover, Mass. train station as snow falls on Friday, Feb. 8, 2013. A major winter storm is barreling into the U.S. Northeast with up to 2 feet of snow expected for a Boston-area region that has seen mostly bare ground this winter. The MBTA will suspend all transit service in the late afternoon due to the storm.

A man walks his dog past the snow covered "Boy and Bird" fountain in the Boston Public Garden in Boston, Friday, Feb. 8, 2013. Mass. Gov. Deval Patrick declared a state of emergency Friday and banned travel on roads as of 4 p.m. as a blizzard that could bring nearly 3 feet of snow to the region began to intensify. As the storm gains strength, it will bring "extremely dangerous conditions" with bands of snow dropping up to 2 to 3 inches per hour at the height of the blizzard, Patrick said.

This image made available by NOAA shows storm systems over the eastern half of the United States on Thursday, Feb. 7, 2013.

Hurricane-force winds and as much as three feet of snow is expected in the Northeast, with blizzard warnings posted for parts of New Jersey and New York's Long Island, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut, with storm warnings extended into New Hampshire and Maine.

A patron checks to see if his flight is cancelled at LaGuardia Airport Friday, Feb. 8, 2013, in New York.

Airlines cancelled more than 4,000 flights Thursday, Friday and Saturday in preparation for the blizzard in the Northeast. Most domestic carriers at all three New York City-area airports, as well as Boston's Logan and other other New England airports, announced they would cease operations Friday afternoon.

The Staten Island Ferry moves across New York Harbor as the Statue of Liberty stands in a cloud of snow and sleet in the early hours of a major winter storm, February 8, 2013, as seen from Brooklyn, N.Y. Heavy snow warnings are in effect from New Jersey through southern Maine.

A truck tries to get past a trailer that was left by the side of the road during a snowstorm in Toronto on Friday, Feb. 8, 2013.

A snow plow clears the paths in the Boston Commons, Friday, Feb. 8, 2013 in Boston.Snow began falling across the Northeast on Friday, ushering in what was predicted to be a huge, possibly historic blizzard and sending residents scurrying to stock up on food and gas up their cars. The storm could dump 1 to 3 feet of snow from New York City to Boston and beyond.

Got milk? Jack Percoco of Cambridge, Mass., reaches into a depleted dairy case at a supermarket in Somerville, Mass., Friday, Feb. 8, 2013.

Vehicles wait in line as gas is delivered to a station in Ellington, Conn., Friday, Feb. 8, 2013. Many stations in the area are out due to a pending storm poised to dump up to 3 feet of snow from New York City to Boston and beyond beginning Friday.

A worker walks up toward a plow smoothing a large salt pile at Eastern Salt Company in Chelsea, Mass., Feb. 7, 2013, in preparation for a major winter storm headed toward the Northeast.

Chris Oppenberg of Andover Small Engine Service assembles a home generator for a customer in Andover, Mass., Thursday, Feb. 7, 2013, in preparation for a major winter storm headed toward the U.S. Northeast. The National Weather Service calls for up to 2 feet of snow expected for a Boston-area region that has seen mostly bare ground this winter.

Snowplows parked at a New York Department of Sanitation depot are seen as snow begins to swirl, in Brooklyn, N.Y., Friday, Feb. 8, 2013. A storm poised to dump up to more than two feet of snow from New York City to Boston and beyond.

A pedestrian walks through the snow in Washington Park on Friday, Feb. 8, 2013, in Albany, N.Y. Parts of the New York region still cleaning up from Superstorm Sandy are bracing for a winter storm that's expected to blanket the Northeast with heavy snow Friday and Saturday.

A sweeper clears snow on the plaza in front of the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week tents on February 8, 2013 at Lincoln Center in New York. The first flurries fell Friday over New England in what was forecasted to be an intense snow storm with white-out conditions, fierce winds and significant travel snarl-ups over the next 24 hours.

A woman walks across the Brooklyn Bridge in the snow and sleet in the early hours of a major winter storm on February 8, 2013 in New York City.

People battle wind, rain and sleet in the early hours of a major winter storm on February 8, 2013 in New York City.

Andre Tranchemantague, left, and Will Guerette ski on a snow-covered road as they make there way to a bar during the early stages of a snow storm, Friday, Feb. 8, 2013, in Portland, Maine.

Boats put up for the winter are seen against a snowy Boston skyline on the Charles River February 8, 2013 in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Melissa Anderson shovels the sidewalk in front of her laundromat while trying to keep up with a snow storm that is expected to dump up to two feet of snow, Friday, Feb. 8, 2013, in Portland, Maine. Anderson's business received only one customer by noon time, prompting her to close early and wait for the storm to pass.

A group of men help push a sports car up a snow-covered street in the Old Port section of Portland, Mane, during a snow storm, Friday, Feb. 8, 2013.

Grounds crews prepare a plane for flight at LaGuardia Airport Friday, Feb. 8, 2013, in New York. Most airlines were giving up on flying in and out of New York, Boston and other airports in the American Northeast on Friday as a massive storm threatened to dump up to a meter of snow in some parts.

Firefighters in West Springfield, Mass. fight a blaze at the Emmanuel Baptist Church on Friday, Feb. 8, 2013.

Passengers rush to board a train in New York's Penn Station, Friday, Feb. 8, 2013. Amtrak rail said its trains in the Northeast Corridor between New York and Boston would stop running Friday afternoon as a blizzard bore down on the region.

Cars drive across the nearly-empty Zakim Bridge in Boston prior to a mandatory statewide driving ban, Friday, Feb. 8, 2013. Mass. Gov. Deval Patrick declared a state of emergency Friday and banned non-essential motor vehicles from all roads statewide as of 4 p.m. as a blizzard that could bring nearly 3 feet of snow to the region began to intensify. As the storm gains strength, it will bring "extremely dangerous conditions" with bands of snow dropping up to 2 to 3 inches per hour at the height of the blizzard, Patrick said.

With snow accumulating on Route 93 in Andover, Mass., cars head toward the New Hampshire border prior to a mandatory Massachusetts statewide driving ban, Friday, Feb. 8, 2013. Mass. Gov. Deval Patrick declared a state of emergency Friday and banned travel on roads as of 4 p.m., as a blizzard that could bring nearly 3 feet of snow to the region began to intensify. As the storm gains strength, it will bring "extremely dangerous conditions" with bands of snow dropping up to 2 to 3 inches per hour at the height of the blizzard, Patrick said.