MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) - 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 (.6 meters) 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 100,000 homes and businesses were without electricity Friday evening in New England, with the bulk of the power outages in southern New England, officials said.
Slippery roads contributed to scores of accidents.
In Maine, police believe a motorist who died Thursday evening in the town of Lincoln was driving too fast for poor road conditions. A tractor-trailer overturned Friday 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 (10 centimeters) 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 (30 centimeters) of snow was possible in northern and western Maine.
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