The Latest:

By The Associated Press

The Latest on a fast-moving snowstorm sweeping through the Northeast (all times local):

4:40 p.m.

Flight activity is expected to pick up at New York City area airports as a powerful snowstorm winds down.

A spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey says more than 2,300 flights have been canceled at the region's three major airports - Kennedy, LaGuardia and Newark Liberty in New Jersey.

The Federal Aviation Administration held planes headed for Kennedy for more than three hours Thursday because of weather-related issues. The order has since been lifted.

Meanwhile, New York City police have identified a Manhattan doorman who died after falling while shoveling snow as 59-year-old Miguel Angel Gonzalez, of Bridgeport, Connecticut. He fell down stairs leading from the street level and hit a glassed-in vestibule.

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4 p.m.

Thousands of people were without power, and dozens of cars were stuck on a snowy highway as a storm threatening up to 18 inches of snow swept into Rhode Island.

National Grid reports around 18,000 Rhode Island customers were without power Thursday afternoon.

State police said Interstate 95 South was impassable a few miles from the Connecticut border after several tractor-trailer trucks got stuck. WPRI-TV reported dozens of cars were stopped.

Police said the road was closed until crews could clear the mess.

Police say another section of 95 South approaching Exit 7 is now closed because tractor-trailer trucks became stuck. They say there are delays from Exit 2 through Exit 7.

The National Weather Service says Providence, New Bedford, Massachusetts and Block Island, Rhode Island have met blizzard criteria.

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3:45 p.m.

A powerful storm sweeping the northeast is bringing more snow than originally expected to Maine.

The National Weather Service says the town of Berwick had recorded 12 inches of snow Thursday afternoon, with hours to go before the snow moves on.

The windblown-snow was bad enough that Gov. Paul LePage ordered state offices closed at noon.

Justin Arnott from the National Weather Service says the storm tracked farther north, meaning the snow is moving farther inland while the coast bears the brunt of the storm.

He said there will likely be 8 to 12 inches from Auburn to Augusta before the storm ends. He said there will be lesser amounts to the north.

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3 p.m.

The snow is piling up in New Hampshire.

The National Weather Service said Merrimack had 14 inches of snow Thursday afternoon. Manchester had 11 inches, and Concord had 7 inches with more snow on the way.

Hundreds of schools were closed for the day, and most flights at the Manchester-Boston Regional Airport were canceled as the storm made its way through New Hampshire.

Gov. Chris Sununu took a ride in a plow truck before delivering his budget address to the Legislature. He said more than 500 plow trucks were working.

He said the greatest concerns for those who must drive are whiteout conditions, wind gusts and deep snow.

A storm warning was in effect through 10 p.m. for all counties except Coos.

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2 p.m.

Boston Mayor Marty Walsh says public schools in New England's largest city will close for a second consecutive day.

The mayor says classes will be canceled Friday as the region continues to get battered by a fast-moving snowstorm blanketing much of the northeast.

Earlier Thursday, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker said state police were reporting some crashes and spin-outs, but no serious problems.

Baker also said there were reports of minor coastal flooding and several thousand power outages.

A blizzard warning remains in effect for south coastal Rhode Island and Massachusetts.

The National Weather Service says most areas in the region should expect 12 to 15 inches of snow, but some parts could see as much as 20 inches.

The storm is expected to last into the evening and possibly overnight.

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1:30 p.m.

A Manhattan doorman has died after he fell through a window while shoveling snow.

The accident occurred around 9:30 a.m. Thursday on the Upper East Side.

The man was shoveling when he fell down stairs leading from the street level and hit a glassed-in vestibule.

Authorities say he suffered neck and face cuts and died at a hospital.

Police Chief of Patrol Terence Monahan called it a "very sad situation."

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1 p.m.

The snowstorm sweeping across the Northeast is causing significant power outages in Rhode Island.

The utility National Grid reported that around 12,000 customers were without power in Rhode Island on Thursday afternoon.

Neighboring Massachusetts reported a few thousand outages, and Connecticut a few hundred around noon.

Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo said National Grid crews were working to restore power.

The National Weather Service extended a blizzard warning to the entire south coasts of Rhode Island and Massachusetts on Thursday afternoon. It says strong winds of 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 55 mph were expected.

The storm is expected to last until 8 p.m. in parts of New England.

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11:20 a.m.

A fast moving storm blanketing the Northeast has largely spared eastern Pennsylvania.

The storm moving from the western part of the state east to the Atlantic Coast was expected to deliver up to 8 inches in the Philadelphia area.

By mid-morning, though, it had largely wound down, leaving about 3 inches downtown. Some outlying areas like Bucks and Chester counties saw 4 to 5 inches.

The National Weather Service canceled its winter storm warning for the area.

AccuWeather senior meteorologist Paul Walker said that while the snow is over for much of Pennsylvania, windy cold weather will persist, with blowing snow.

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10 a.m.

Governors in Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts are urging people to stay off the roads to keep them clear for plows and emergency vehicles as a powerful snowstorm is making its presence felt in southern New England.

The first flakes started falling in Boston just before 8 a.m., and fewer people were on the roads than on a normal weekday.

Rhode Island state police reported little traffic on the roadways and no major accidents. Connecticut state police say they have responded to about 30 accidents; no serious injuries have been reported.

Hundreds of departures from Logan International Airport in Boston have been canceled, as were dozens more at Rhode Island's T.F. Green. Most flights at Connecticut's Bradley International have been cancelled.

The Boston-area transit system that was crippled by a series of powerful storms two winters ago is urging commuters to be patient and check online for service alerts.

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9:15 a.m.

It's slow-going on New Jersey's highways as rain has turned to snow across the state, leading to a reduction in speed limits and more than 100 accidents reported.

The speed has been reduced to 35 mph Thursday along the 122-mile length of the New Jersey Turnpike.

The New Jersey State Police says troopers have responded to 145 crashes and 148 calls to assist motorists since midnight.

The state Transportation Department says it has more than 2,300 plows and salt spreaders on the highways. But it's tough for them to gain ground as the heavy, wet snow continues to fall.

Accumulations range from 10 inches in Montague Township, 5 ½ in Belvidere and 2½ inches in Bridgewater.

A winter storm warning remains in effect. Forecasters say the snow should end by the middle of the day.

Air travelers have been told to check with their airlines for delays.

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7:15 a.m.

Authorities say nearly 1,700 flights have been canceled at New York City's three major airports because of the powerful winter storm hitting the region.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey says Newark International has the most cancellations with 607 as of 6:30 a.m. Thursday, followed by 572 at LaGuardia and 508 at JFK for a total of 1,687 flights. The agency says that's roughly 50 percent of the daily flights at the three airports.

Flight cancellations in the New York metro area and other northeastern states began Wednesday as the storm approached the region. The storm is expected to dump more than a foot of snow on some parts of the New York City area by the end of the day.

The majority of flights have also been canceled at Philadelphia International Airport.

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6:25 a.m.

Hundreds of schools are closed from the Albany area to the eastern tip of Long Island because of the major Northeast storm that's expected to dump more than a foot of snow in some areas.

The National Weather Service has issued a blizzard warning for all of Long Island until 6 p.m. Thursday. Meteorologists say high winds and blowing snow will reduce visibility in Nassau and Suffolk counties.

Snow is slowing the morning commute around New York City and upstate, where highways and secondary roads in the Albany area are covered in snow.

Snowfall forecasts range from a few inches in central New York to a foot or more in the Hudson Valley, New York City and Long Island. Wind gusts in some metro New York areas are expected to be as high as 45 mph.

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5 a.m.

The northeastern U.S. is bracing for a fast-moving storm that's expected to bring more than a foot of snow in some places.

Forecasters say the Thursday snowstorm likely will snarl workday commutes, starting in the early morning and continuing into the evening.

It could become the region's most powerful storm so far this winter.

The National Weather Service predicts that some parts of New England could get 12 to 18 inches of snow, New York City could see 8 to 12 inches and the Philadelphia area 4 to 8 inches.

The snow is expected to fall at a clip of 2 to 4 inches per hour at times, so near whiteout conditions are possible.

Officials also are warning of high winds, coastal flooding and power outages.