A winter storm packing snow and freezing rain on Friday forced businesses and government offices to close across northern New England. Some parts of northern Vermont were expecting up to 2 feet of snow.
A winter storm warning remained in effect through late Friday for upstate New York and northern Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.
The first round of snow was followed by freezing rain that created treacherous driving conditions on Friday. In Maine, Gov. Janet Mills took the unusual step of closing all offices from Kittery to Fort Kent for the day. In Vermont, some state and local government offices closed early and some Friday night event were also postponed.
More than 20,000 homes and businesses were in the dark Friday in New England, with roughly 10,000 of those power outages in Maine. Vermont utilities reported about 3,500 customers without power, most in Rutland and Windsor counties.
Slippery roads contributed to scores of accidents. In Maine a tractor-trailer overturned on Route 9 in Chelsea, sending two people to the hospital.
By Friday afternoon, the precipitation was turning to snow as the second round of the storm moved through the region.
Up to 8 inches of snow was expected in parts of northern New Hampshire, with lesser amounts in the central part of the state. In Maine, about a foot of snow was possible in northern and western Maine.