State of emergency declared in NYS

NEW YORK (AP) - New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is declaring a state of emergency as a big winter storm hits the region.

Cuomo said Friday afternoon that the storm won't be nearly as bad as Sandy. The declaration will be made to give the government more flexibility in dealing with the snow and ice expected in the area. Cuomo says the weather will be bad, but the state has been through much worse.

He says so far, 2,300 flights have been canceled and the state's airports are expected to close early. Regional transportation is still running and is expected to continue throughout the night.

The worst of the storm will hit overnight. New York City could see a foot of snow, and up to 2 feet in other parts of the state.