As Thanksgiving travelers depart, a powerful early-season snowstorm across the Northeast caused travel delays and disruptions.
More than a foot of snow fell in parts of upstate New York and northeastern Pennsylvania, according to the FOX Prediction Center.
20 inches of snow was reported in High Point, New Jersey, 19 inches in Cortez, Pennsylvania, and 17.1 inches in Franklin, New York.
Traffic was halted along Interstate 84 near Scranton, Pennsylvania, Friday morning as heavy snow blanketed the roads and reduced visibility.
Air travel has been suspended at Greater Binghamton Airport in Johnson City, New York, due to winter weather. Delays and cancellations were also reported at other major airport hubs in New York, Boston and Washington.
Both Wilkes-Barre and Binghamton weather stations reported record snowfall in November, causing widespread power outages.
More than 125,000 power outages were reported in New York and Pennsylvania due to fallen trees.
Local power companies have promised to restore most of the power outages by the end of the week.
Winter weather warnings remain in effect for parts of West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, Tennessee and North Carolina, and blizzard warnings have been issued for some areas along the Appalachian Mountains.
Snow levels remain high enough that only the highest terrain is expected to receive significant amounts of snow. Cities like Boston and Portland, Maine, are expected to continue experiencing rain.
The Federal Aviation Administration reported one to two-hour delays for planes in many Northeastern cities, including Boston's Edward Lawrence Logan International Airport, New Jersey's Teterboro Airport and nearby Newark International Airport. did.
Delays were expected to improve on Saturday. However, strong winds and residual precipitation may cause some travel delays.
The rainfall is expected to provide some relief from record-breaking drought conditions and reduce the threat of wildfires plaguing the region.
More than 7 inches of snow has been reported in areas surrounding the deadly Jennings Creek Fire, which is smoldering along the New Jersey-New York state border, according to the FOX Prediction Center.
Behind this storm system, the coldest air of the season will flow south from Canada from the day after Thanksgiving until early December.
Temperatures are expected to fall below normal in many parts of the country as travelers return home, according to the FOX Prediction Center.
