Story highlights
- Latest nor'easter hit New England particularly hard
- About 218,000 power outages reported in Massachusetts Tuesday
(CNN)New England's third nor'easter in less than two weeks slammed parts of the region Tuesday in a barrage that dropped as much as 2 feet of snow in some places and brought dangerous whiteout conditions on the roads.
The National Weather Service of Boston officially declared the storm a blizzard at noon Tuesday after three straight hours of blizzard conditions. Wind gusts reached 69 mph in places as much of coastal Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire and Maine bore the brunt of the storm. Parts of New Hampshire got socked with 27 inches of snow, according to the weather agency.
The storm was slowly tapering off overnight into Wednesday, but it left about 218,000 power outages in Massachusetts as of Tuesday evening, according to the state's Emergency Management Agency.
Blizzard warnings had been issued for much of the region and more than 45 million people had been under some kind of a weather warning or advisory in the Northeast Tuesday. Winter weather advisories remain in effect for several coastal Maine counties until 8 a.m. Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service.
More snow could be expected Wednesday in interior parts of New England, such as Burlington, Vermont, and north of Bangor, Maine.
Photos: Nor'easter brings more snow to hard-hit region
A jogger passes through the Boston University campus on Tuesday, March 13. A winter storm -- the third nor'easter in two weeks -- is threatening the region once again.
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Photos: Nor'easter brings more snow to hard-hit region
People run through heavy snow in Portland, Maine, on March 13.
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Photos: Nor'easter brings more snow to hard-hit region
Workers remove a fallen tree from a road in Norwell, Massachusetts, on March 13.
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Photos: Nor'easter brings more snow to hard-hit region
Commuters are sheltered from snowfall while they wait on a subway platform in New York City on March 13.
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Photos: Nor'easter brings more snow to hard-hit region
A seagull sits on lobster pots as the snow piles up in Portland, Maine, on March 13.
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Photos: Nor'easter brings more snow to hard-hit region
A snow plow clears a taxiway at Logan International Airport in Boston.
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Photos: Nor'easter brings more snow to hard-hit region
Heavy snow falls on two pedestrians in New Bedford, Massachusetts, on March 13.
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Photos: Nor'easter brings more snow to hard-hit region
Cole Stiles clears a sidewalk in Scituate, Massachusetts, on March 13.
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Photos: Nor'easter brings more snow to hard-hit region
Snow-covered donkeys stand outside in Chester, New Hampshire, on March 13.
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Photos: Nor'easter brings more snow to hard-hit region
Wind-blown snow covers a stop sign in Derry, New Hampshire, on March 13.
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Photos: Nor'easter brings more snow to hard-hit region
Snow accumulates on Paul Knight's eyebrows as he walks in Portland, Maine, on March 13. "We're not out of winter yet, that's for sure," he said.
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Snowfall at Boston Logan International Airport measured at 14.5 inches, as the city had braced for totals of 12 to 20 inches. The accumulating snow in Boston was captured in a time-lapse video Tuesday.
Virginia Riley, also in Boston, posted this video on Instagram of the whipping winds and snow.
"It hasn't stopped snowing or blowing and I'd guess we have around 10 inches so far. I love this weather and it hasn't affected me at all," Riley wrote. "But I know it is wreaking havoc with so many others. A storm like this on the tail end of the other two we have had isn't great for some people. I just hope everyone is safe and in a warm place."
Martha's Vineyard Shipyard shared a video of the powerful winds just before noon on Tuesday. While the wind isn't as bad as when last week's nor'easter broke four boats free, "the snow and flooding have really made things interesting," Martha's Vineyard Shipyard wrote on Instagram.
Which places are affected?
Boston received an estimated foot of snowfall Monday and Tuesday. The city's schools closed for the second consecutive day Wednesday, and a snow emergency in Boston went into effect Monday.
Because of the wind, snow and whiteout conditions, officials had advised people to stay indoors on Tuesday. The Massachusetts State Police posted a handful of photos of tractor-trailers that jackknifed on snowy roadways, blocking traffic.
Public schools in Hartford, Connecticut; Providence, Rhode Island; and Portland, Maine, closed Tuesday.
New York City and Philadelphia were spared from the snow, as NWS reported 0 inch for those cities.
How is travel affected?
About 1,550 flights were canceled Tuesday, most of them scheduled to come to or from Boston Logan International Airport, according to FlightAware.
Amtrak temporarily suspended its Northeast Corridor service between Boston and New York until at least 11 a.m. Tuesday.
In Massachusetts, all ferry services have been suspended Tuesday in expectation of blizzard conditions. The Boston mayor had asked residents to stay off the roads and, if needed, to take public transportation.
What happened in earlier nor'easters?
On March 2, a nor'easter that morphed into a "bomb cyclone" slammed much of the Northeast with heavy snow and rain, hurricane-force wind gusts, and significant coastal flooding. The storm left six people dead from falling trees, and about 900,000 people lost power.
As residents were still digging out from that snow, a second storm hit the Northeast late last week. The storm dropped heavy, wet snow in areas west of Interstate 95 and left one person dead in New York state.
