Despite a slow start, where the blizzard arrived a few hours later than predicted, it is rolling across the region in full force Thursday morning. At 10:30 a.m., accumulations were already at six inches in the East Bay — and climbing fast.

With all schools and most businesses closed, roads are mostly empty, aside from snow plows and a few brave (or foolish) motorists. On a trip through Barrington and Warren, this reporter saw a handful of people trying to keep their driveways clear, one cross country skier in the Nayatt area of Barrington, two mail trucks and a few delivery trucks.

Downtown Warren was totally empty and all stores were closed, while in downtown Barrington, CVS and Ace Hardware were both open. The heaviest winds are not expected until later in the day. National Grid is reporting no outages yet.