Snow Hits Northeast

One of the first big storms of the season moved across the eastern half of the country Thursday, causing at least seven deadly traffic crashes and closing schools as it dropped snow as far south as central Alabama.

As much as eight inches of snow blanketed the St. Louis area, and forecasters predicted up to six inches in parts of southern New England as the storm made its way east. They also predicted northern New Jersey could see four to eight inches of snow before the system exits the region by early Friday, while two to five inches is expected in the central region of the state.

Roads in Ohio were clogged by midday Thursday, where officials reported at least one traffic death that was likely weather-related. Indiana State Police also reported a death early Thursday, which they said was caused by the 60-year-old woman driving too fast on a slick road.

In North Carolina, the National Park Service closed the Blue Ridge Parkway to traffic because of dangerous road conditions stemming from snow, sleet and freezing rain. The park service said the closure Thursday includes the so-called “Asheville commuter zone” between mileposts 389 and 375, Asheville Citizen Times reported .

School districts closed or sent students home early across the lower Great Lakes and the Northeast. The University of Connecticut canceled classes starting at 3:30 p.m. or later at its main campus, satellite campuses and law school.

The South, where weather officials said the overnight trace in Alabama missed setting a record for earliest snow by about two weeks, began to clean up.

In Mississippi, a tour bus bound for a casino overturned, killing two people and injuring 44 others. And in the Little Rock, Arkansas, area, three people were killed in separate crashes on icy roads Wednesday night, while Interstate 40 was shut down overnight in the eastern part of the state because of several crashes. The interstate reopened shortly before daybreak Thursday, but officials said traffic was slow-going because some drivers had fallen asleep.

In Virginia, the planned launch early Thursday of an unmanned cargo rocket to the International Space Station had to be rescheduled by one day because of the weather, NASA said. The unmanned Cygnus cargo craft is now scheduled to lift off early Friday from Wallops Island on the Eastern Shore, carrying supplies and research materials for the astronauts at the space station.