BOSTON (AP) – Whiteout conditions forced the Massachusetts Port Authority to close Logan International Airport in Boston shortly after 8 p.m., said spokesman Phil Orlandella.

He said the airport was expected to reopen early this morning and urged passengers to call their airline before coming to the airport. He said a number of flights were canceled before the airport was closed.

Scattered outages left about 21,000 customers without electricity at mid-evening because of the gusty winds.

The storm extended a snowy winter for Massachusetts, where Boston’s snow tally had already topped 78 inches, nearly doubling the annual average of 42 inches. And some coastal towns to the north and south have seen significantly more.