'A good day to stay home': Heavy snow slams Northeast, brings more travel woes to region

• Some of the highest snow amounts in the Northeast are being reported in Connecticut.
• The storm forced the cancellation of hundreds of flights in and out of the three airports in the New York metro area.
• The storm hit parts of the South on Thursday, mainly in Kentucky and Tennessee.

A winter storm that passed portions of the South on Thursday moved into the Northeast early Friday, bringing heavy snow and travel troubles to cities such as Philadelphia, New York and Boston.

The system will strengthen Friday and impact areas farther north that were missed by the last winter storm – with some areas predicted to pick up a foot of snow, AccuWeather said.

The storm forced the cancellation of hundreds of flights in and out of the three airports in the New York metro area, according to FlightAware.com. Travelers were advised to check with their airlines.

With snow falling at the rate of up to 3 inches per hour in the New York area, the National Weather Service there warned "travel has become very treacherous with snow cover on all untreated roads."

Schools and government offices were closed across the Northeast on Friday, though New York City schools remained open. 

Some of the highest snow amounts in the Northeast are being reported in Rhode Island and Connecticut , AccuWeather said. Burrillville, Rhode Island, had reported 13 inches as of 9 a.m.

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A snow total of 12 inches was reported in Hebron, Connecticut, a town in the south-central portion of the state.

Early Friday morning, Connecticut’s Department of Transportation said it would be "a good day to stay home.”

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker urged people to stay off the roads and take public transportation if possible.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy declared a state of emergency for the entire state and delayed opening state offices for nonessential employees until 11 a.m.

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The storm hit parts of the South on Thursday, where Kentucky reported over half a foot of snow in many areas, with some locations topping out at or above 8 inches. Lexington received nearly 10 inches, the city's seventh-snowiest day on record. City police reported over 100 accidents, 18 of which resulted in injuries, AccuWeather said.

Due to the storm, Gov. Andy Beshear issued a state of emergency in Kentucky.

Heavy snow also coated much of Tennessee, where Nashville saw 6.3 inches on Thursday, shattering the city’s previous daily record of 4 inches that had stood since 1977, the National Weather Service said. 

Contributing: The Associated Press