Driving banned, flights canceled in US blizzard
Purchase this article for republication
Buy SPH photos
NEW YORK (AFP) - Two north-eastern United States states banned cars from roads and thousands of flights were cancelled Friday as the leading edge of a blizzard hit with winds forecasted to gust at hurricane-strength.
The storm was forecast to bring the heaviest snow to the densely-populated north-east corridor so far this winter, threatening power and transport links for tens of millions of people and the major cities of Boston and New York.
Governor Deval Patrick temporarily ordered all normal traffic off Massachusetts roads, with the threat of up to a year in jail for violators.
"There are a number of exemptions for... emergency workers and the like. Please exercise caution and use common sense," Mr Patrick said at his emergency centre in Framingham.
