Portland, Maine - An April Fools' Day storm brought heavy snowfall to parts of New England on Friday, giving thousands of kids a reprieve from school but also causing power outages and slippery driving conditions.

The storm was expected to last through the day Friday, dropping as much as a foot of snow around parts of northern New England.

Across coastal Maine and New Hampshire, snow covered road signs, blanketed the pavement and clung to trees, which drooped under the weight.

By late morning, falling tree limbs knocked out electricity for 30,000 homes and businesses in southern Maine and New Hampshire, officials said. Scores of cars and trucks slid off roads, but there were no reports of serious injuries.

National Weather Service meteorologist Brian Montgomery said the storm tracked farther east than some models predicted, sparing the region's most heavily populated areas of heavy snow.

In Boston, forecasts called for between 2 and 4 inches, with the precipitation tapering off in the afternoon. Coastal parts of Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut were expected to get mostly rain or wet snow that won't accumulate.

A few inches of wet snow was forecast for sections of upstate New York, while the Catskills were likely to get as many as 6 inches of snow. New York City and Long Island dealt with morning rain.

Inland, 3 to 8 inches were expected in northeastern Massachusetts and northern areas of Rhode Island and Connecticut. Western Massachusetts could get 10 inches or a foot.

Source: Associated Press