Media Confidential: NE Blizzard To Impact Millions Of Radio Listeners

UPDATE 1PM FRIDAY: The governor has declared a state of emergency in the Bay State and has ordered all cars off the roads by 4 p.m. as a mammoth storm marches across the border from Connecticut, on target to hit metro Boston area within the next couple of hours, reports The Boston Herald.

Between lunchtime and the evening commute is when the snow intensity will get “really bad,” particularly along the I-95 corridor, said National Weather Service meteorologist Benjamin Sipprell, with whiteout conditions and wind gusts of around 40 mph to 50 mph expected.

These conditions will continue from 5 p.m. to about 8 a.m. tomorrow. At times, snow will most likely fall at a rate of two to three inches an hour, with total accumulation in the range of 24 to 30 inches for the Hub, Sipprell said.

Track the blizzard live on radar: ow.ly/hyhvy
— AccuWeather.com (@breakingweather) February 8, 2013

In Connecticut, state officials are warning residents to stay home. For those who must report to work, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy urged people to try to leave as early as possible – before it’s too late. The governor, speaking in a news briefing on Friday, said that the roads could be closed at any time after noon. If drivers were not already on their way home, he said, “You should be.”

Earlier Posting...

"We're talking about some fierce forces coming together," The Weather Channel's Jim Cantore reported from Boston Thursday night, as Winter Storm Nemo prepared to take aim at the Northeast and New England.

The worst of the storm is forecast to begin mid-day Friday. Meteorologists are warning everyone to get home by lunch, because heavy, blinding snowfall is likely to make travel impossible once the storm begins.

Blizzard Warnings are posted for a massive swath of cities including both New York and Boston.