Forecast: Up to 9 inches of snow expected today
The National Weather Service has issued an “urgent” winter weather advisory, warning of another 6 to 9 inches of snow in the second wave of the region’s two-day storm, saying it will likely create hazardous conditions for Tuesday’s morning commute.
The snow accumulations and wind gusts as high as 40 mph are expected to make for slippery roads, particularly in Suffolk, Southeast Middlesex, Eastern Essex and Norfolk counties, including the cities of Boston, Quincy, Norwood, Foxborogh and Gloucester, the weather service said. As a precaution, all Boston Public Schools will be closed Tuesday, and after-school activities also will be canceled.
“This is a storm that’s packing a one-two punch,” Massachusetts Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver said yesterday.
As of Monday morning, snowfall totals ranged from 2.8 inches in East Milton to 13.7 inches in Plainfield, according to the Nation Weather Service. Add to that the 6 to 9 inches expected today.
“We’re really expecting tomorrow (Tuesday) morning’s commute to be very difficult,” Gulliver said.
Gov. Charlie Baker asked businesses to consider letting employees work from home if possible and urged people to take the T if they do have to venture out.
Snow-removal equipment will be staged at strategic locations around the subway and commuter rail lines to expedite snow-clearing operations, according to the MBTA. Observation trains equipped with plows were due to operate throughout Monday night to prevent snow from building up on tracks and switches. And mobile generators were deployed to locations prone to commercial power outages, according to the T.
Because the 75-year-old trolley cars on the Mattapan Line are highly susceptible to the impacts of heavy snowfall, the T may have to replace trolley service with buses Tuesday morning. If such a suspension of service is necessary, the T will make an announcement well in advance, it said..
But today will not necessarily be the snow’s finale. Snow showers are possible Wednesday evening but more likely to hit the Berkshires, according to the National Weather Service.
It will also be cold, with daytime highs near 38 for the rest of the week, with the exception of Saturday, when cold air from Canada could cause the mercury to drop to as low as 32, NWS meteorologist Eleanor Vallier-Talbot said. Nighttime temperatures will range from a high of 30 on Wednesday to a low of 20 on Saturday.
from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/37TACUV
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