BOSTON — A nor'easter that could bring blizzard conditions and nearly 2 feet of snow to some areas of New England quickly intensified Tuesday morning, covering highways with snow and knocking out power to tens of thousands.
The National Weather Service issued a blizzard warning for the entire coast of Maine, New Hampshire and most of Massachusetts. The rest of New England was under a winter storm warning, and a winter weather advisory blanketed most of New York and portions of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and North Carolina.
Wind gusts of nearly 70 mph were reported on Cape Cod in the early stages of the storm.
Although the latest storm was not expected to bring as many power outages as a nor'easter last week because the snow is lighter and fluffier, more than 30,000 customers in Massachusetts lost power Tuesday morning.
The storm was expected to last through most of Tuesday, disrupting road and air travel. Amtrak suspended service from Boston to New York's Penn Station for most of the morning.
The blizzard warning means sustained winds of greater than 35 mph, along with visibility of less than a quarter mile for prolonged periods, according to the weather service.
Boston and eastern Massachusetts, as well as Rhode Island, could get a foot and a half of snow, with less to the west of the city.
In Rhode Island, the storm closed schools and businesses across the state, knocked out power and made driving treacherous. Gov. Gina Raimondo urged residents to stay off the roads and let the plows and work crews do their jobs.
"I know we're all ready for winter to be over. This is the third storm in a row. I know folks are weary with power outages but hang in there with us," the governor said.
Maine was bracing for 12 to 18 inches of snow, according to James Brown, of the National Weather Service.
In New Hampshire, as much as 14 inches of snow is forecast, and the storm is wreaking havoc with the age-old town meeting tradition.
More than a foot of snow was expected in parts of Connecticut.