Snowstorm socks Northeast
Up to 3 feet of snow forecast in some areas
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|  VIDEO |
 Denise Belgrave looks at areas hit by blizzard conditions.
 Heavy snowstorms sock the Northeast.
 A Massachusetts unfazed by snowstorm.
 Couple who got lost driving in Nebraska froze to death.
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NEW YORK (CNN) -- Howling winds and blinding snow blasted the Northeast on Sunday, closing Boston's airport and forcing airlines to evaluate whether to cancel flights in other cities slammed for a second day by blizzard conditions.
Up to 3 feet of snow was forecast in some areas, and a National Weather Service meteorologist said the storm likely would earn a designation of one of the worst 10 snowstorms in the past century.
As of 3:30 a.m. Sunday, between 12 and 20 inches of snow had fallen in the Interstate 95 corridor, said Walter Drag, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service's office in Taunton, Massachusetts. All day, "it's going to be snowing off and on, hard."
Boston's Logan Airport closed indefinitely at 3:01 a.m. because of whiteout conditions.
"If you can't see, you can't plow," airport spokesman Phil Orlandella said.
As of 5:30 a.m., the airport had received 13 inches of snow and was expecting another 10 to 12 inches, he said. Most of the airlines had canceled their flights Saturday because of adverse weather conditions.
No travelers were stranded, Orlandella said. "I walked around last night and there wasn't 20 people here."
Philadelphia International Airport was open Sunday, but individual airlines were deciding whether to fly on a case-by-case basis, said airport spokesman Mark Pesce. About 3,000 flights were canceled Saturday, stranding 800 passengers in Philadelphia overnight. The airport was closed briefly, but reopened a few hours later.
"Flights are getting in and out now," Pesce said Sunday. Thirty percent of flights were canceled on departure and 10 percent on arrival, he said, so "people are moving." In addition, he said, the snow appeared to be tapering off.
The airport has no emergency cots, but staff were distributing coffee, snacks and other items, Pesce said.
"All the hotels in the area are completely booked," he added.
Rally Caparas, CNN air traffic specialist, predicted flight cancellations to persist Sunday, even if the snow stops. "It's going to be a very rough day."
Hundreds of stadium workers shoveled several inches of snow from Lincoln Financial Field before Sunday's NFC championship game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Atlanta Falcons. Across the state in Pittsburgh, just a few inches of snow fell one day before the Steelers host the New England Patriots in the AFC title game at Heinz Field. (Full story)
14 inches at Boston Commons
At 6:30 a.m. ET, Centerville and Forestdale -- both in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, at the base of Cape Cod -- had reported 23 inches of snow, while Rockland, closer to Boston in Plymouth County, reported 25 inches.
In Boston, the Commons held more than 14 inches of snow -- and temperatures hovered at 10 degrees Fahrenheit with a wind chill factor of minus 13.
The National Weather Service also warned of coastal flooding in eastern Massachusetts Sunday morning "at least until noon."
Some cities south of Boston reported flooding -- Hull, on the outer edge of Hingham Bay reported one street under three to four feet deep at 9 a.m. while Marshfield had streets under two feet of water.
The weather service also reported waves of 25 to 35 feet just offshore, cautioning that they would "bring dangerously large breakers to the shoreline."
Forecasters warned that parts of eastern Massachusetts could receive 30 inches of snow by late Sunday, and up to 4 inches an hour could fall in some places. A blizzard warning was in effect for eastern New York and much of New England through 6 p.m. Sunday.
All of southern New England was expected to receive 1 to 2 feet of snow, the weather service said, and some locations may receive up to 3 feet. Northeast Connecticut, northern Rhode Island and eastern and central Massachusetts were at risk for the highest amounts.
Winds in Boston were gusting to 55 mph, with whiteout conditions -- heavy blowing snow and visibility of only a quarter-mile, Drag said. "It's a rough night." Winds off the coast of Cape Cod were clocked at 65 mph, Drag said. "We're pretty darn certain we're going to have some serious problems in Cape Cod."
The "pummel zone" was expected to be eastern and northern Massachusetts, along with eastern Rhode Island and southern New Hampshire, he said. Conditions were judged too dangerous for anyone to venture out -- "there shouldn't be anything moving but emergency vehicles."
A storm becomes a blizzard when visibility is down to one-quarter mile and there are sustained winds of 35 mph for at least three hours.
'It can be life-threatening'
"Any travel is strongly discouraged," said the blizzard warning issued by the National Weather Service. "If you leave the safety of being indoors you are putting your life at risk."
The Massachusetts National Guard said it had activated about 115 personnel to support state efforts during the storm, with more available if necessary. The activated units will be assisting with transportation, traffic control and snow removal, according to a written statement.
In addition, Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney had declared a state of emergency, the National Weather Service in Boston said.
Early Sunday, the National Weather Service said spotters had reported 15 inches of snow in Lowell, Massachusetts; 12 inches in Amherst, New Hampshire; 14 inches in Milford, Connecticut; and 15.5 inches in West Milford, Connecticut. As of 8 p.m. Saturday, New York had received 7 inches of snow. Other predictions: Detroit, 12 inches; Chicago and Philadelphia, 11 inches; and Milwaukee, 13 inches.
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg activated his Emergency Operations Center on Saturday, canceled days off and vacations for sanitation workers and issued a strong warning to residents to stay off the streets.
"This really is a dangerous storm that is coming in," Bloomberg told reporters before the snow began falling at noon. "One of the forecasters compared it to the blizzard of '96 and it can be life threatening."
New Yorkers lined up at grocery and hardware stores for supplies to ride out the storm, although snowfall amounts were less than first predicted.
More than 1,000 of Saturday's canceled flights were in New York and Boston, Caparas said.
A Polar Air cargo plane with three people aboard slid off a runway at John F. Kennedy International Airport late Saturday afternoon, but there were no injuries, Port Authority spokesman Alan Hicks said.
By Saturday evening, the storms were starting to die down a little in the Midwest. In Chicago, temperatures were in the 20s, and with gusty winds, it felt like 4 degrees. Winds were to reach 40 mph Saturday night.
In Washington, many tourists were undeterred as they made the rounds of museums.
Several young people from Florida made snow angels on the National Mall. "We can't do this in Florida," one said.
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Associated Press contributed to this report.
