Snow piles up; power goes out

Connecticut saw the most accumulation, with 40 inches in Hamden. At its height, the storm heaped snow on the state at a frenzied rate of 4 to 5 inches an hour.

iReporter Scott Green posted a photo of his deck in Cromwell -- covered waist-high with snow.

In Massachusetts, Worcester and Boston received 27 and 21 inches, respectively, with winds howling up to a hurricane-strength 75 mph.

Snowfall in Manhattan reached just under a foot, with heavier accumulations in Long Island, where 27 inches fell in Stony Brook.

"This state had consequences, but nothing like our neighboring states," said New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. He announced Saturday plans to send utility workers and snow plows to New England to help with recovery.

Snowfall blanketed an area from eastern Pennsylvania to Maine, with overnight lows under 20 degrees as governors in six states declared states of emergency.

The states hardest hit in terms of power outages were Massachusetts and Rhode Island. By Saturday evening, close to 308,000 customers were without power in Massachusetts, while more than 115,000 customers remained without electricity in Rhode Island.

Electricity dropped out at a nuclear power plant in Plymouth, Massachusetts, said fire spokesman Ed Bradley, but backup generators sprang into action.

Stranded at the Walmart

More than two dozen people were forced to spend the night at a Walmart in Long Island.

"The roads were just completely impassable," said Jean Miller, who spent at least seven hours on the road before throwing in the towel.

"We were just happy to be indoors and not out there," she said. Miller, whose home is just two miles from the store, says she plans to stay so long as road conditions are dangerous and Walmart allows it.

"They equaled the Red Cross," she said of the big-box retailer.

Hoops snowed out

The nor'easter has swatted down travel arrangements for pro basketball teams headed to New York City, leaving the New York Knicks, San Antonio Spurs and Brooklyn Nets grounded.

The Knicks are stuck in Minneapolis, where they played the Timberwolves on Friday, a spokesman said. They have a home game at Madison Square Garden on Sunday against the L.A. Clippers.

Canceled flights forced the Nets to attempt to get home by train from Washington after a game there against the Wizards.

The San Antonio Spurs, who were originally flying to New York to play the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday night, are stuck in Detroit.