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Flakes sprinkle Northeast winter wonderland
The storm that whipped the Northeast over the weekend with six to 16 inches of snow has blown off to Canada, but more snow is on its way - maybe just enough to bring out some of that holiday spirit.
The flakes sweeping across the Midwest and Northeast on Monday and Tuesday aren't expected have the heft of the fast-moving storm that preceded them but are predicted to add a couple of inches to the wintry landscape.
Ship carrying oil strikes bridge
A disabled tanker ship struck a bridge linking Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and Kittery, Maine, on Monday, closing the heavily used span to traffic.
The 470-foot Harbour Feature was carrying tallow oil when it hit the aging Sarah Long Bridge stretching over the Piscatagua River.
The crew of the Portuguese-flagged ship reported a rupture of up to 12 inches above the waterline, the Coast Guard said. But there was no indication of any leaking cargo.
No injuries were reported.
FULL STORYRapist caught after 35 years on run
Convicted serial rapist Gary Irving was offered a weekend of freedom by a judge in Massachusetts before reporting to jail. He took nearly 35 years.
One of Massachusetts' most wanted fugitives was living a quiet life in Gorham, Maine, until he was arrested Wednesday night at his home. Irving, 52, was found living under the name Gregg Irving, Massachusetts State Police spokesman Dave Procopio said Friday in a statement.
Irving was convicted in 1978 of raping three young women in Norfolk County, Massachusetts. According to Massachusetts State Police, Judge Robert Prince released the 18-year-old defendant on bail to his parents in order to make final arrangements before sentencing. Irving, facing the possibility of life in prison, never returned.
FULL STORY
Gun in every house? Maine town votes 'no'
Voters in Byron, Maine, have unanimously rejected a proposed law that would have required each household in the 140-person town to own a firearm and ammunition.
Even the official who proposed the requirement - Selectwoman Anne Simmons-Edmunds - voted against the article, saying she did so to have it reworked and reintroduced.
FULL STORYSnowstorm lingers in Maine, New Hampshire
It was a winter weather tale as old as, well, modern time: car vs. the snow plow.
"There's our friend and our nemesis, the plow. Ugh," said David Bradley, whose car was buried Wednesday by a plow clearing streets in Toronto, Canada.
Forty-five minutes later, he was still trying to dig out his car from a fierce snowstorm that paralyzed parts of the United States and Canada, leaving hundreds of thousands with out power and stranding thousands more.
Similar scenes were playing from Wisconsin to Michigan, from Kansas to Texas, as thousands began digging out from a storm that began last Sunday as a blizzard in the Great Plains.
FULL STORYLive blog: Reports of five deaths in Connecticut, governor says
- Weather service: Up to 40 inches of snow fell in Hamden, Connecticut
- Power out for more than 592,000 customers
- Driving bans lifted in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island
- Check back here for updates; full story here; map and timeline; live radar; are you there?
[Updated at 8:42 p.m. ET] Authorities are now saying at least nine people were killed in accidents related to the storm - five in Connecticut, according to the governor, two in Canada, one in New York and one in Massachusetts.
[Updated at 7:05 p.m. ET] The storm has apparently resulted in more deaths. Connecticut Gov. Dan Malloy said in a news conference that "we believe there are now five fatalities" tied to the storm. At least six deaths had been reported earlier: two in Canada, two in Connecticut, one in Massachusetts, and one in New York. It isn't clear whether the two deaths reported earlier in Connecticut were among the five Malloy mentioned.
Blizzard warnings issued for Boston, New York City
- Two significant storm systems expected to converge overnight across the Northeast, create what could be a historic blizzard
- Boston could get up to 3 feet of snow from Friday to Saturday; New York City could get up to 3 feet
- Read below for updates as we get them; full story here
[Updated at 8:04 p.m. ET] Nearly 3,000 flights have now been canceled in anticipation of the inclement weather, most of which is expected late Friday into Saturday.
Amtrak also has canceled many trips in the Northeast corridor. The rail transit company said on its website that northbound service from New York's Penn Station would be suspended after 1 p.m Friday.
[Updated at 6:51 p.m. ET] Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy says utility companies there are bringing additional crews from out of state to deal with potential power outages. Metro-North rail lines could also be closed at any time should winds exceed 40 mph.
FULL STORYEarthquake recorded in Maine
[Update 8:55 p.m. ET] The U.S. Geological Survey revised its report of Tuesday's earthquake to magnitude 4.0, down from a preliminary magnitude of 4.6. The epicenter was pinpointed 4 miles west-southwest of Hollis Center, Maine, at a shallow depth of 4.2 miles.
Despite the downgrade, the quake was felt as far away as Boston, Massachusetts; Albany, New York, and even Waterbury, Connecticut, according to the USGS.
You can report your earthquake experience to the USGS at the above link, as well as adding your comment to the many at the end of this post.
"My entire house shook for 3 to 4 seconds. It felt like it was about to collapse," a viewer from Everett, Massachusetts, wrote to CNN affiliate WCVB in Boston.
[Original post] An earthquake of preliminary magnitude 4.6 hit Maine at 7:12 p.m. ET Tuesday, according to the USGS website. The earthquake happened 3 miles (5 kilometers) west of Hollis Center, Maine.
Gotta Watch: Rednecks at play
Self-proclaimed "rednecks" gather across the country to enjoy some fun in the mud and we've captured them on video. Watch as some swim in a mud pit, hurl hubcaps and compete in beer-related contests. One woman states "what makes it so fun is that it's a bunch of rednecks getting along."
'Redneck Resort' offers fun in the mud
The "Redneck Resort Mud Park" in Tennessee promises a good time for those who don't mind getting dirty. WVLT reports.
Beer + cigarettes + mud = Redneck Games
Annual Redneck Games are held in East Dublin, Georgia. Mud pit bellyflops and hubcap hurls are among the games played.
Maine town hosts 'Redneck Olympics'
Hundreds came out for toilet seat horseshoes and pigs feet bobbing in one town's alternative Olympics. WCSH reports.
Stranded dolphins tracked to Maine coast, suggesting success in rescue op
It's too early to call the rescue near Cape Cod a success, but it looks like there's good news for a fifth of the dolphins that began washing ashore on the Massachusetts coast earlier this month.
The majority of the dolphins rescued during the "mass strandings" have survived and appear to be tooling about off the coast of Maine, according to a news release from the International Fund for Animal Welfare.
Rescuers put satellite tracking tags on six of the 24 animals that they have rescued and released since January 12, when rescuers began finding dozens of common and Atlantic white-sided dolphins along a 25-mile stretch of shoreline.
As many as 100 dolphins may have been stranded during the episode, 50 of which were dead when they were discovered, wrote IFAW senior program coordinator A.J. Cady earlier this week. Three of the dolphins with tracking tags died after being released.
"We're all exhausted, muddy and unsure what tomorrow will bring," Cady wrote Tuesday, "but rest assured, if more dolphins strand, we'll do everything in our power to rescue and release them into open ocean."
Father of missing Maine girl takes polygraph, police say
Justin DiPietro, the father of missing Maine toddler Ayla Reynolds, has taken a polygraph, the spokesman for the Maine State Police said.
"He was told the results," Stephen McCausland added.
McCausland would not say when the test was given, nor did he say whether Ayla's father passed, failed, or if the results were inconclusive. He also would not elaborate on what questions DiPietro was asked.
It's been four weeks since Ayla disappeared. Alya, now 21 months old, was reported missing by her father the morning of December 17.
FULL STORYDivers to search for missing girl in Maine
Dive teams in Maine will scour the Waterville area Wednesday as the search for a missing 21-month-old girl continues, authorities said.
"The bodies of water to be searched have been selected by the warden service, and the divers will enter the water during the morning and continue through the afternoon," according to a statement by the Maine Department of Safety.
The search for Ayla Reynolds is in its fourth week. Police have said they suspect foul play in the case.
FULL STORYLive blog: Hurricane death toll at 9; New York closes bridge entrance, port
Hurricane Irene continues to crawl north after making landfall Saturday morning in North Carolina. The storm is expected to head up the East Coast from Virginia to Maine, bringing hurricane-force winds, heavy rain, flooding and widespread power outages.
Follow the latest developments here, or read the full CNN Wire story:
[Midnight] Authorities shut down the Port of New York and the Port for Long Island Sound late Saturday as Hurricane Irene closed in on the New York City area. Also, the Palisades Interstate Parkway entrance to the George Washington Bridge in New York City has been closed due to weather conditions, according to a statement from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
[Update 11:40 p.m.] U.S. President Barack Obama has signed a disaster declaration for Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene. The declaration frees federal funds to help in the recovery effort, according to the White House.
[Update 11:20 p.m.] The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transit Authority closed down late Saturday because of a tornado warning in Philadelphia, according to SEPTA representative Jerri Williams.
[Update 11:05 p.m.] Irene remains a category 1 hurricane with sustained winds of 80 mph and gusts to 100 mph, the National Hurricane Center said in its 11 p.m. ET advisory.
[Update 11 p.m.] Storms in Delaware damaged 30-40 homes Saturday night in the town of Lewes, according to Ed Schaeffer, a fire department spokesman. Five of them were damaged severely. There were no injuries, he said.
A tornado watch remains in effect until 5 a.m. Sunday.
[Update 10:47 p.m.] The National Weather Service has issued a tornado warning until 11 p.m. ET for the city of Philadelphia, including east-central Chester County, northeastern Delaware County, central Philadelphia County and southeastern Montgomery County.
[Update 10:37 p.m.] New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, addressing reporters Saturday night, said residents should prepare to hunker down as Hurricane Irene approached. "The storm is finally hitting New York City," he said.
“The time for evacuation is over. Everyone should go inside and stay inside," Bloomberg said. "The city has taken exhaustive steps to prepare for whatever comes our way.”
[Update 10:26 p.m.] The National Weather Service has issued tornado watches - extending through 5 a.m. Sunday - for parts of southern Delaware, eastern New Jersey, southeastern New York and Long Island and southwestern Connecticut.
[Update 9:52 p.m.] A tornado touched down in Lewes, Delaware, damaging at least 17 homes, the governor said Saturday night.
There were no immediate reports of injuries, Governor Jack Markell told CNN affiliate KYW. He wouldn't have official damage figures until Sunday morning, he said.
[Update 9:42 p.m.] Amtrak said Saturday night it is suspending all service north of Jacksonville, Florida, and east of Toledo, Ohio, and Indianapolis through Sunday because of Hurricane Irene.
[Update 9:27 p.m.] As of 9 p.m. ET Saturday, the storm was centered about 155 miles south of Dover, Delaware, moving northward at 16 mph, according to the National Weather Service.
The storm’s intensity was 80 mph “with the center of the hurricane passing very close to the coasts of Delaware and New Jersey from late tonight into Sunday morning,” according to the weather service.
“The storm will bring damaging winds … torrential rain with dangerous flooding … and coastal flooding,” the weather service said.
[Update 9:17 p.m.] Philadelphia International Airport will close Saturday at 10:30 p.m. ET and won’t re-open until 4 p.m. Sunday at the earliest, said spokeswoman Victoria Lupica.
The airport had already cancelled all departures because of Hurricane Irene.
[Update 9:03 p.m.] Newark, New Jersey, Mayor Corey Booker said he’s been going door to door warning residents to flee the storm.
“We're strongly encouraging residents to leave,” Booker told CNN Saturday night. “I benefited a lot from the surprise factor as the mayor showing up [at their doors],” he said. "I think they got the point, and hopefully they’ll behave appropriately. Booker said ultimately the city would do what it could to save people in distress due to the storm.
Northeast snowstorm leaves tens of thousands without power
An April Fools' Day winter storm roared into the Northeast on Friday, coating highways, closing schools and leaving tens of thousands without power.
The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning for areas of Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and New York. Some areas could get more than a foot of snow, forecasters said. Much of the snow was expected to be wet and heavy, the kind that can bring down power lines, the weather service said.
It didn't take long for that prediction to come true. More than 20,000 customers were without power in Massachusetts by midmorning Friday, according to The Boston Globe. A similar number were without power in New Hampshire, according to CNN affiliate WMUR-TV in Manchester.
WMUR reported that 560 schools were closed in New Hampshire because of the weather.
As the storm approached Thursday, Central Maine Power Co. warned that it could be the worst in a series of storms that have battered the area this winter, CNN affiliate WGME-TV in Portland reported, because the spring thaw has loosened the ground, making it easier for trees to fall. The utility had 400 workers on standby to deal with weather emergencies, WGME reported.
More than 2 feet of snow drop in parts of Northeast
A powerful storm Sunday and Monday dropped more than 2 feet of snow in parts of upstate New York and northern New England - and heavy rain and freezing rain in other parts of the U.S. Northeast - cutting power to thousands and challenging motorists.
Thirty inches of snow was recorded in Jericho, Vermont, and New York’s Saranac Lake received 29 inches, according to CNN affiliate WPTZ. The roughly 24 inches of snow that fell in South Burlington, Vermont, is the fifth-largest amount from one storm recorded there, according to WPTZ and CNN affiliate WCAX.
Nearly all flights to and from Burlington’s airport were grounded on Monday, more than 10,000 Vermont utility customers were without power and many roads across the state were impassable, WCAX reported.
Skiers fall from chairlift at Maine resort
[Update 11:58 a.m.] Rescuers were swiftly bringing stranded skiers down from a broken-down chairlift at western Maine's Sugarloaf Mountain resort, CNN Newsource employee Robb Atkinson said.
"It's incredibly organized. They know what they're doing," Atkinson said while still suspended 30 to 40 feet above the ground. "They're moving incredibly fast."
The accident occurred on the resort's Spillway East slope, which runs all the way to the top of the mountain, Maureen Atkinson said.
[Update 11:40 a.m.] Five stranded skiers have been evacuated from the chairlift that broke down Tuesday at Sugarloaf Mountain, Maine, CNN Newsource employee Robb Atkinson said.
Officials with the ski resort said it would take 60 to 90 minutes to rescue all the trapped skiers.
Are you there? Send your pictures and videos to iReport.
[Original post] A gust of wind derailed a chairlift cable Tuesday morning, according to a resort spokesman, sending skiers tumbling.
At least three people were injured, said CNN Newsource employee Robb Akinson, who was among about 100 skiers stranded on the chairlift 30 to 40 feet off the ground after the accident.
"We heard screams from skiers down below that skiers were off the lift, and we've been trapped ever since," he told CNN's Tony Harris.
Skiers would have to climb down one at a time using harnesses and ropes, Atkinson said.
"We've got a whole lot of people throwing ropes over the lift right now," Atkinson's wife, Maureen, said.
Robb Atkinson said the temperature was about 8 degrees with a 20 mph to 30 mph wind. The resort received 20-22 inches of fresh snow with the weekend blizzard, he said.
A spokesman for the ski resort said the lift cable derailed between 10:30 and 10:45 a.m., and all the chairs on that cable fell to the ground.
See CNN's full coverage of the accident
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