Frigid Northeast cold gives way to monster storm

BOSTON — The bitter cold that has gripped the Northeast for the past week is giving way —briefly at least — to a monster snowstorm with screaming winds that could drop more than a foot of snow in some areas.
The National Weather Service has issued a blizzard warning for Thursday that extends from Block Island, Rhode Island, north to coastal Maine. Most of the rest of southern New England is under a winter storm watch.
The storm is expected to bring deep snow, damaging winds, power outages, coastal flooding and hazardous travel conditions.
David Ethier, of Glocester, Rhode Island, bought what he was told was the last portable generator at the Home Depot in Johnston. He expects to lose power Thursday and said past storms have knocked out electricity for two to three days.