At least four deaths leave the strong northeastern snowstorm that has caused hundreds of accidents

By Phil Hela – NBC News

Much of the eastern United States began a major winter storm with more than three feet of snow Thursday, with heavy snowfall in parts of New York and Pennsylvania and hundreds of car accidents that caused the death of at least four people.

By morning, more than 40 centimeters had fallen in the towns of Binghamton and Endicott, New York, and Litchfield, Pennsylvania.

In New York City, Central park is covered with more than 6 inches of snow and sleet since midnight, above the 4.8 inches that fell all winter, according to the National Weather Service.

The lanes of the Henry Hudson Bridge in the city then had to be closed a collision between 19 vehicles amidst the storm, according to the NYPD, urging New Yorkers to stay home.

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In New York, New Jersey and Connecticut nearly 10,000 homes were without electricity Thursday morning.

In Pennsylvaniaparts of the center have collected more than a foot of snow this Wednesday. In Clinton County, a crash took off on Interstate 80, involving dozens of vehicles two died. State police said bad weather contributed to the accident. In Snyder County, police say a driver was killed in a crash after losing control due to snow.

When the storm swept through the north of the country on Wednesday, Virginia State Police received calls for approx 200 accidents and 125 vehicles damaged or stalled. One such accident, which took place in Pulaski County, killed a 19-year-old North Carolina man, a police spokeswoman said.

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“We ask people to stay off the road,” says the governor of Massachusetts, Charlie Barker, whose condition was predicted to be there a foot or more of snow.

Boston is expected to log 8 to 12 inches. The greatest amount of snow fell between midnight and 7 a.m. on Thursday, said National Weather Service meteorologist Torry Gaucher. The ongoing blizzard should move Thursday night, he added.

The strong storm hits as the country faces a new record of infections and deaths amid the proliferation of vaccines.

In New York, Pennsylvania and New Jerseythe governors have declared a state of emergency.

A man shovels snow on the Villanova University campus during a winter storm, Wednesday, December 16, 2020, in Villanova, Pennsylvania. AP

“Our topic for today should probably be, if it’s not the one, it’s another,” New Jersey’s Phil Murphy said Wednesday morning.

Heavy snow fell in parts of central Pennsylvania. State College’s National Weather Service logged 12.5 inches outside their office at 11 p.m. and noted that the site logged 13.5 inches during the 2019-2020 winter season.

The city of Lock Haven reported 12 inches of snow and 12 inches in parts of Central County at 9 p.m., according to the weather service.

A video posted to Facebook by emergency services in Collier Township, west of Pittsburgh, showed a truck directly hit by a team vehicle in a car accident.

This is a reminder to please slow down and be careful not only in this weather, but all the time, “can read the post.” Two of our members were nearly hit in this accident, please be careful, ”he adds.

The winter storm is also expected to cause significant snowfall in the United States on Maine and New Hampshire, with forecasts of a foot or more in the region, according to the National Meteorological Service.

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