Winter Storm Austin caused snow to fall furiously Friday afternoon, blanketing the state in a thick layer of white.

The storm brought nearly a foot of snow to parts of the state amid the National Weather Service's winter storm warning.

Channel 3 Early Warning Weather Meteorologist Mark Dixon said snow was falling at a rate of 1 to 2 inches an hour at its worst, creating poor visibility and hazardous travel conditions.

State police said over 185 crashes had been reported in the state and that minor injuries were reported in several of them. Read Full Story
Gov. Jodi Rell cautioned driveways to use caution while driving as the storm intensified.

"Take it slow, I know you're in a hurry to get home, but right now pay attention to the highway, pay attention to the road … Common sense is the word of the day," she said.

The roads become so bad at one time that a Coca Cola truck driving up Broad Street in Meriden could barely make it up the incline, Eyewitness News Reporter Jill Konopka said.

Bart Holl, of West Hartford, said he’s commuting home from New York City. He said he decided to pull over at a Middletown restaurant because visibility was so poor.

“It’s been a half an hour, and I’m still trying to make it up the incline,” Holl said.

Delays Reported At Bradley

Bradley International Airport spokesman John Wallace said that as of midmorning 30 flights had been canceled by airlines in anticipation of Austin. Wallace said that the airport remained open at noon.

"The airlines in advance made the decision not to run certain flights today," Wallace said. "This storm reaches across half the country. It's one of those domino effects.

"We're still open and plan to stay open, and suggest people check with their airline to find out the status of their flights," he said.

State, Other Workers Released Early

The early release of non-critical state workers was ordered by Rell Friday morning. She said the release of workers began at 10:30 a.m. and others were staggered throughout the morning.

State officials said commissioners of state agencies had been directed to release employees in three stages: 10:30 a.m., 11 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.

The state's Emergency Operations Center was also activated Friday morning.

"My goal is to make sure people get off the roads and get safely home before the storm reaches its peak later today," Rell said. "We have been closely monitoring the storm and sharing the latest forecast information with Connecticut businesses."

Hartford officials announced that city workers would be released from work beginning at noon Friday. They said a parking ban was also being issued for later in the day.

“It was great,” The Hartford employee Joe Smith said. “I think the governor got it right this time, and I appreciate it. I’m going to be home safe and sound before the weather comes."

The state Judicial Branch also announced that all courts would close at about noon because of the incoming storm.

Rell said the state had also coordinated the early release of workers at some of the larger private companies. She said The Hartford planned on staggering the release of its 3,500 workers beginning at noon. Aetna planned to let employees leave beginning at noon as well. She said Travelers began releasing workers at 10:45 a.m., and the UConn Health Center at 11:30 a.m.

"Take it slow. I know you're in a hurry to get home, but right now pay attention to the highway, pay attention to the road … Common sense is the word of the day." - Gov. Jodi Rell

Employees at Katz Ace Hardware in Glastonbury began salting sidewalks Thursday night in preparation for the storm. Inside the store, customers were collecting last-minute items.

"It's very busy around this time," said Jason Rezendes, who works at the store. "The ice melt, the products, the snow scrapers and ice picks -- we're almost sold out."

Keith Napolitano said he plows in the snow storms and is eager to hit the roads.

"It's money from the sky," he said.

Bruce Ramsey, of Oakdale, said he was going with a snow blower to make the cleanup a little quicker.

“Basically, I go with the little bit larger one with more horsepower to handle any kind of snow that we get,” he said.

Tire Business Reports Jump In Sales Before Austin

Modern Tire, of Farmington reported a jump in sales before Winter Storm Austin hit. They said it’s a race against the clock to make sure even the smallest of cars have traction.

“As we speak we have nine people waiting to get the snow tires on,” manager Jesus Ruiz said. “It’s been very busy.”

Ruiz said Modern Tire has doubled its business in the past two days.

“As you can see, we're just changing snow tires right now,” Ruiz said. “Everyone's just very, very frantic.”

Austin Wreaks Havoc On West

Austin moved into the Northeast after setting records in the West and the Great Lakes region. (Read full story)

The storm left thick ice in central Illinois and 38,000 customers were without power. Heavy snow started falling before daybreak in Michigan.

The 19.4 inches of snow that had fallen at Spokane International Airport Thursday morning was the most in a 24-hour period since record keeping began in 1881. Another 4 inches had fallen by Thursday afternoon.