
A wintry mix of snow and rain is falling along the East Coast as another nor'easter takes aim at the region.

Winter Storm Quinn is expected to drop more than a foot of snow in parts of New England on Wednesday. Pennsylvania's Poconos Mountains and parts of Massachusetts could see up to 18 inches, while parts of Maine and New Hampshire could get two feet by Thursday.

The snowfall is expected to hit its peak around midday and continue into the night, falling at one to three inches an hour in some places. As of Wednesday afternoon, the storm had already dumped as much of 14 inches in some parts of New Jersey.

The system is even causing rare instances of thundersnow in some areas - including New York City and Philadelphia. Experts say the unusual phenomenon is caused by shallow layers of rising, unstable air.

Hundreds of flights across the region had been cancelled even before the snow started falling Wednesday due to the dire weather forecasts. By 10pm, more than 2,700 coming into, or out of the US had been cancelled and more than 2,300 were delayed.

In New Jersey, public buses were suspended from 4:30pm onward. Power outages affected roughly 320,000 homes and businesses in New Jersey, NJ.com reported early Wednesday evening.

The treacherous conditions come less than a week after another storm knocked out power to more than two million in the region, some of whom are still waiting to have their service restored.

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Residents on Mills Street dig out their car after a snowstorm dumped over a foot of snow around the area Wednesday, March 7, 2018, in Morristown, N.J.

A pedestrian walks through Central Park in the late afternoon during the second nor'easter in days in New York, March 7, 2018

Vehicles navigate the road conditions on Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn during the Wednesday snowstorm in New York City

Waves crash against a seawall and houses in Scituate, Massachusetts during the storm on Wednesday

Vehicles ride northbound over a snow-covered Interstate 287 during a snowstorm on Wednesday in Morristown, New Jersey

A postal worker walks on a sidewalk covered by snow as the winter storm Quinn hits on March 7, 2018 in Union City, New Jersey

Pennsylvania State Troopers handle a car accident caused by winter weather on Wednesday along the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Philadelphia

A man looks at a branch that fell from heavy snow and landed on his friend's truck on Wednesday in downtown Philadelphia

A woman puts a scarf over her head to try and keep the snow off in Hoboken, N.J., Wednesday, March 7, 2018. New Jersey and the New York metro area is bracing for another winter storm just days after a nor'easter hammered the region with high winds

A pedestrian keeps covered in her coat and holds coffee as she walks through Central Park during a snow storm in New York Wednesday

Another pedestrian holds an umbrella to block the heavy mix of rain and snow while standing in Central Park Wednesday afternoon

People walk in Times Square during the second nor'easter in days on Wednesday in New York City

A man walks through Central Park during the brunt of the rain, snow and wind storm on Wednesday afternoon

A PennDOT plow truck clears snow and slush from West 12th Street just east of the Erie International Airport in Millcreek Township on Wednesday

A NY Waterway ferry sails on the Hudson River as the winter storm Quinn approaches New York City on Wednesday

Pedestrians walk through snow on March 7, 2018 in Quakertown, Pennsylvania. This is the second nor'easter to hit the Northeast within a week and is expected to bring heavy snowfall and winds, raising fears of another round of electrical outages

A nor'easter swirled ashore on Wednesday, threatening to dump up to two feet of snow in some areas of New England. Above, the weather radar for 9pm

Snow will continue to fall throughout Wednesday evening. Hundreds of thousands of businesses and houses were left without power

An estimated 60million people are currently under winter storm warnings in the Northeast, with the storm expected to last into Thursday

Some areas of New England - including parts of Maine and New Hampshire - could see up to two feet of snow by Thursday

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'The big problem is that the storm this week is coming so soon after the destructive storm from last Friday,' AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski said.

'It will disrupt cleanup and restoration operations and is likely to cause a new but less extreme round of travel delays, power outages and damage from falling trees.'

An elderly woman in Suffern, New York was killed after a tree fell on her in the driveway of her home, local police confirmed late Wednesday.

Around 2:30pm, a teacher at Manchester Middle School was injured after being struck by lightning while on bus duty outside the school.

Police have not yet named the teacher, but said she was holding an umbrella at the time. The woman felt a tingling sensation in her hand and arm after she was struck. She was taken to the emergency room with non-life threatening injuries and is now in stable condition.

A slight consolation, is that the storm is not expected to bring the coastal flooding like the one last week. Some coastal New England and New Jersey communities are still feeling the effects of that storm.

The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning that stretched from eastern Pennsylvania to most of New England, which was due to be in effect through Thursday morning. An estimated 60million people are in the path of the storm.

A New Jersey Transit train pulls out of the Morristown train station in New Jersey during a snowstorm on Wednesday

A person walks near the platform at the Morristown, New Jersey train station during a snowstorm on Wednesday

Noemi Napoles helps to shovel snow in front of her house in West New York, New Jersey on Wednesday

A charter bus pulls away from officials who helped it make a turn after it became stuck during the early part of a snowstorm on Wednesday in Morristown, New Jersey

A person uses an umbrella while walking during a snow storm on Wednesday in Morristown, New Jersey

Wet snow continues to fall on Wednesday in Perkasie, Pennsylvania

Corrina Kratz, 10, left, and Melanie Gold, right, sled down a hill on March 7, 2018 in Perkasie, Pennsylvania

A pedestrian shields herself from the snow with an umbrella as she walks through the campus grounds at Swarthmore College in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania on Wednesday

Utility workers with PotomacEdison out of West Virginia work on a downed power pole as the crew works on restoring power along Molly Stark Drive ahead of a winter storm on Wednesday in Morristown, New Jersey

Trucks and school buses struggle to drive through snow Wednesday morning in Erie County, Pennsylvania

A large tree lies across a road in front of the home of singer Patti LaBelle in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania on Wednesday

People drag and carry sleds through winter weather on March 7, 2018 in Perkasie, Pennsylvania. Most of the schools in the area were cancelled

A man stands on a street as snow falls during winter storm Quinn on Wednesday in Hoboken, New Jersey

A person walks through the snow during a storm in the Brooklyn borough of New York City on Wednesday

'I'm not looking forward to another round of this, but it is what it is,' Chris Martin said as he prepared to leave his Toms River, New Jersey home and head to work at an information technology firm in Philadelphia.

'All in all, it hasn't been a terrible winter, and it seems that March is always our worst month for major storms. We're a hearty bunch, so some snow and rain isn't going to stop us.'

Martin had already arranged to stay in Philadelphia overnight, preferring not to take a chance with the expected treacherous road conditions.

'I keep telling myself spring is right around the corner,' Martin said. 'If Mother Nature wants to give us one last blast of winter, that's up to her.'

The city is expected to get four to six inches of snow and schools have been cancelled for the day.

Heavy, wet snow and gusting winds could take down trees already weakened from last week's storm and snap power lines, adding to stress for customers who've gone days without power.

Utility workers took advantage of milder temperatures and sunshine Tuesday in their scramble to restore electricity to thousands of customers around the Northeast.

The NOAA released this satellite image Wednesday morning around 9am, showing the storm's progress up the East Coast of the United States

Bridget Mitchell, back, sleds down the Water Tower hill in Chestnut Hill with her daughter, Olivia Mitchell, 9, in Philadelphia on Wednesday

Trucks are parked at the Pilot Truck Stop, in Dupont, Pennsylvania during the snowstorm on Wednesday

A worker with the West Hazleton Streets Department plows snow along North 3rd Street on Wednesday

Two-year-old Kalogero Drum, left, tries to carry a shovel full of snow as he and his sister Karizma, 4, have fun playing in the snow near their West 4th Street home in Hazleton, Pennsylvania on Wednesday

Truckers and motorists drive at a reduced speed as they travel on both the north and south lanes of Interstate 81 near the West Hazleton, Pennsylvania on Wednesday

Snow is seen in Erie County, Pennsylvania (left) and Hazelton, Pennsylvania (right) on Wednesday morning

A woman walks through the snow in the financial district of New York City during a winter nor'easter on Wednesday

A woman walks her dog through heavy snow in Hoboken, New Jersey on Wednesday

A young girl plays in the snow during a winter storm on Wednesday in Marple Township, Pennsylvania

A woman shovels snow during a winter storm on Wednesday in Springfield, Pennsylvania

Pedestrians cross an intersection in Times Square during a snowstorm on Wednesday in New York City

A man rides a bicycle near the New York Stock Exchange during a snowstorm on Wednesday

'I love the snow!' says Diane Guth-Easley, of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania on Wednesday as walks down Broad Street

A man walks back from his mail box during a winter storm on Wednesday in Springfield, Pennsylvania

The outages turned to outrage for a New Jersey man whose home had been without electricity since Friday. Robert Winter, 63, threatened to kidnap a utility company employee and blow up a substation, according to police in Vernon. He was charged with making terroristic threats.

More than a foot of snow is expected for some interior areas, the weather service said. Pennsylvania's Poconos Mountains and parts of western Massachusetts could see up to 18 inches.

The I-95 corridor will serve as a dividing line, with most to the east seeing a wintery mix, and those to the west getting several inches of snowfall accumulation.

For example, Boston is only expected to see one to three inches of snow, but some inland suburbs could get 10 inches or more.

Damaging winds are forecast with gusts of up to 60 mph on Cape Cod, 45 mph at the Jersey shore and 30 mph around suburban Philadelphia. The winds won't be as strong as the last storm though, which brought winds of 90mph.

Depending on the storm's track, communities along the Interstate 95 corridor could see heavy rain, heavy snow or a mix of both.

The weather is expected to hover just above freezing in much of the Northeast cities on Wednesday

The snow will move out of New York on Thursday, pushing up into upstate New York and northern New England

The above map shows which counties in the Northeast are under winter storm alerts on Wednesday. The warnings are concentrated along the I-95 corridor, starting in Baltimore, and most of New England

Strong winds are also expected to in much of coastal New England throughout the storm, with gusts of between 50 and 60 miles per hour in some areas of New Jersey, Long Island, Rhode Island and Massachusetts

Many in New England had just gotten their power back from another nor'easter that crippled the region last week. But even more power outages are expected after Wednesday's storm

A worker clears snow in the Financial District on Wednesday in New York City

Pedestrians cross an intersection in Times Square during a snowstorm on Wednesday in New York City

An art installation by French artist JR features refugees on the facade of Pier 94 during a snowstorm on Wednesday

A woman holds an umbrella while standing next to two baby strollers outside of a deli in the snow on Wednesday in New York

PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES: TRANSPORT AND ROADS AFFECTED BY QUINN AIRPORTS More than 2,700 flights have been canceled within, into, or out of the US on Wednesday, according to FlightAware, with another 2,300 delayed. Most of the cancellations were made preemptively. As of 8pm Wednesday, the figure stood at more than 2,700. More than 1,900 of the flights canceled were either flying into or out of the three major New York/New Jersey airports, with more than 700 at Newark, LaGuardia at 680 and JFK more than 500. The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, which oversees JFK, LaGuardia and Newark urged travelers to contact their airlines before heading to the airport. Further north, Boston Logan International was dealing with more than 300 while Philadelphia was past 200. Several airlines are waiving change fees for the storm. Major airports included in the waivers included the three New York airports, Boston, Philadelphia, Hartford and Providence. TRAINS & BUSES Amtrak announced a modified Northeast Corridor service on Tuesday afternoon, affecting their Northeast Regional and Acela Express services; Amtrak Keystone (New York - Philadelphia - Harrisburg) and Amtrak Empire (New York to Albancy - Rensselaer) will also be modified. NJ Transit announced that it was operating on a modified rail schedule on Wednesday. Bus and light rail services were scheduled to operate on a regular schedule as long as weather conditions permit. NJ Transit is suspending all bus services from 4.30pm on and do not yet know when service will resume. They will use the time to properly clear roads New York City Transit, DeCamp Bus Lines and The Be Line system have warned to expect delays. Metro-North is operating on a reduced weekday schedule - and said ridership was down 60 per cent and it was running at 75 per cent capacity. It will run an hourly train service after 8pm - they also warned delays should be expected. LIRR said ridership was down 20 per cent, and it was planning to operate four additional eastbound trains from Penn Station between 1.49pm and 3.25pm for those leaving early. Philadelphia's Regional Rail is operating on a 'severe storm schedule' or a Saturday schedule with 'some adjustments'. Most of SEPTA's bus services in Philadelphia have been suspended. 24-hour weekend train service will be in operation Wednesday night on SEPTA's two busiest routes - the Market-Frankford and Broad Street Lines. ROADS New York's Governor Cuomo announced that all tractor trailers, tandem trailers, buses and box trucks would be restrict from several road beginning at 8am, including the New York State Thruway from Exit 36 (Syracuse) to the New York City line. The New York Thruway Authority has advised all motorists to avoid travel if possible. Drivers in the tri-state area have been told to avoid being on the roads from 11am to 5pm in particular, when plows will struggle to keep roads cleared, while the evening commute could be treacherous, thanks to a combination of snowy roads and wind gusts of up to 40mph. New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy has advised drivers to stay off the roads. He declared a state of emergency on Tuesday afternoon. New Jersey State Police said they had responded to more than 50 crashes by Wednesday morning. Pennsylvania has reduced speed limits to 45mph along many roads, including several Interstates. Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker said at a press conference Wednesday morning: 'Everyone should expect a long and challenging commute home this evening due to the rapid snowfall that will start this afternoon.' FERRIES NYC Ferry is suspended on all routes; while the Staten Island Ferry is on a modified schedule. Advertisement

CURRENT SNOWFALL TOTALS Snowfall accumulation Time recorded NEW YORK Central Park 2.5 inches 10pm Sloatsburg 26 inches 10pm LaGuardia Airport 0.7 inch 15:50pm Stony Point 1.8 inches 1:08pm Islip Airport 0.4 inch 12:50pm

CONNECTICUT Pine Hill 3.4 inches 1:10pm DELAWARE Newark 4.2 inches 3:53pm MARYLAND Millington 3.0 inches 8pm PENNSYLVANIA Huffs Church 10.5 inches 4:36pm Richboro 16.0 inches 6:43pm Berwyn 9.0 inches 4:15pm Warwick 6.3 inches 4pm Clifton Heights 10.0 inches 9:20pm Neffs 7.3 inches 5:37pm Pocono Summit 9.5 inches 5:30pm Gilbertsville 6.1 inches 4:30pm Bushkill Twp 7.3 inches 7:16pm Philadelphia 3.9 inches 6:30pm NEW JERSEY Princeton Twp 17.8 inches 6:53pm Edison 7.0 inches 7:50pm Roxbury Township 16.8 inches 7pm Mount Holly 7.5 inches 7:12pm Bellmawr 6.3 inches 6:46pm Sewell 6.5 inches 4:33pm Readington 8.0 inches 6:27pm Basking Ridge 13.8 inches 8:05pm Marksboro 9.6 inches 7:19pm Franklin Twp 11.0 inches 7:11pm Cedar Grove 5.3 inches 2pm West Milford 14.5 inches 5pm Newark 4.2 inches 3:53pm

MASSACHUSETTS Savoy 8 inches 10pm NEW HAMPSHIRE Spofford 3.8 inches

10pm VERMONT Stamford 18 inches 10pm MAINE Saco and Sanford 2 inches 10pm

Officials in at least two states are banning big rigs from major highways and warning other drivers to stay off the roads as a late-winter storm bears down on the Northeast.

Tractor-trailers have been banned on the New York State Thruway from the Syracuse area to New York City. Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo says state troopers will ticket any violators.

In Pennsylvania, all commercial vehicles are banned from interstates 380 and 84, while empty straight trucks, double trailers and other types of commercial carriers have been ordered off several other major interstates including 78, 81 and 80. Officials have also reduced speeds to 45 mph.

Transportation departments in Philadelphia and Boston loaded up salt trucks and treated roads Tuesday, and some airlines waived ticket change fees for airports in the storm's projected path, such as Newark, Philadelphia, Boston and New York's JFK.

As of 5pm, more than 2,700 flights had been cancelled for the day and more than 1,500 delayed, mostly out of New York City-area airports - JFK, LaGuardia and Newark Liberty.

The fast rate of accumulation at some points in the day will make it hard to keep the runways clear.

Amtrak canceled some train service Wednesday, and regional rail trains in Philadelphia will be operating on a weekend schedule.

State highway officials in Massachusetts are warning of treacherous driving conditions in through the afternoon and evening hours, with snow falling at a rate of 2-to-3 inches an hour in some areas and causing whiteout conditions.

Meanwhile, Connecticut state employees have been sent home from work early.

At least 550 schools have been cancelled for Wednesday in five states in the region - including in Pennsylvania and Connecticut.

New York City schools will remain open, though the city could get four to eight inches of snow. The snowfall in the city is expected to taper off by the evening.

The city's Emergency Management Department issued a hazardous travel advisor, telling residents to 'take mass transit if possible and allow for extra travel time'.

Ferry service in the city has also been shot down completely.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf declared states of emergency.

In New Jersey, police say they have responded so far to more than 50 crashes.

The National Weather Service urged people to stay off the roads to allow emergency and road crews to do their jobs. Some areas will get as much as two to three inches of snow an hour.

Officials advised homeowners to be careful while shoveling, saying the weight of it has been known cause heart attacks.

Two back to back storms have many in the region wondering just how far away spring is. But Wednesday's storm is not likely to be the last storm of the season.

'Mother Nature may have one more potent, coastal storm for the Northeast into the middle of the month before the pattern shifts somewhat,' AccuWeather's Sosnowski said.

'After the storm this Wednesday and Thursday, a new storm may gather intensity along the Atlantic coast from Sunday, March 11, to Monday, March 12.'

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