The first wintry storm of the season snarled parts of New York and New Jersey Tuesday as snow and high winds disrupted schools, roads and power lines throughout the region and up to a foot of snow was forecast in northern New York.
The weather resulted in delays close to three hours at La Guardia and Newark airports and just under an hour at John F. Kennedy International Airport.
The weather closed some schools New York and Pennsylvania and caused numerous accidents on Interstate 84, which was closed for a time near where the two state borders meet New Jersey.
The National Weather Service said snowfall totals by Wednesday morning could range from a few inches in areas south of Buffalo and around Albany to 8 to 12 inches in the Adirondacks and the Tug Hill Plateau north of Syracuse.
A light snow also hit central New Jersey Tuesday morning, forcing transportation officials to send out salt trucks along the Garden State Parkway and on the New Jersey Turnpike from exits 8 to 11.
Schools were closed or dismissed early in the mid-Hudson Valley's Sullivan County while wind snapped tree branches and caused scattered power outages across the region by early afternoon. Some 700 customers in the Ulster County town of Highland were without power at noon, according to New York State Electric & Gas.
Wind advisories were also issued Tuesday morning for two Hudson Valley bridges. Light box loads were prohibited on the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge and trucks were required to reduce speed on the Bear Mountain bridge. Caution was advised on other bridges in the region.
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Forecasters said winds of 20 to 25 mph would accompany the snow in some areas, with gusts of up to 40 mph.
In New Jersey, the wintry blast continued across the state during the afternoon, with high, chilly winds and some pockets of snow contributing to power outages across the state.
Some higher elevations saw as much as nine inches of snow.
Arrival delays into Newark Liberty International Airport were averaging 2 hours and 41 minutes in the middle of the afternoon because of the wind.
Jersey Central Power & Light reported 60,000 customers without power, most in northern New Jersey. New Jersey's largest utility company, PSE&G, said nearly 7,000 of its customers lost power in scattered outages across the state.
Neither utility was sure when power will be restored.
National Weather Service meteorologist Dean Iovino said Tuesday's temperatures, averaging in the 30's across New Jersey, were well off normal late October highs, which range in the lower 50's and 60's.
"It's something that doesn't happen every year," he said. "It's unusual, but not extremely unusual."
Iovino expected the precipitation to start winding down by Tuesday evening.
A winter weather advisory remained in effect for Sussex County until 4 a.m.
Iovino said the winter blast is coming from a potent storm system working its way through northern Connecticut.
