Nor’easter pummels Massachusetts, dumps heavy snow across region
A nasty nor’easter pounded Massachusetts with heavy bands of snow and strong gusty winds into the night, dumping dense snow across the region as driving conditions quickly turned treacherous.
The heaviest steady drops of snow Monday evening were 2 to 3 inches of snow per hour. The snow-covered roads combined with limited visibility made driving hazardous.
“It’s coming down pretty heavy with a band in the last hour dropping several inches,” National Weather Service meteorologist Bryce Williams said at NWS Boston’s Norton office Monday evening.
Many parts of the state were expected to get more than 12 inches of heavy, wet snow by the time the storm left the region — totals that Gov. Charlie Baker called a “pretty big dump.”
“This is one people should take seriously, prepare for and pay attention to,” Baker said at a Monday press conference ahead of the storm, later adding, “If you don’t need to travel later today or tomorrow morning, we would urge you to stay home.”
Many accidents were reported Monday afternoon into the evening, including a vehicle rolling over in Wellesley and another vehicle rolling over on Route 3 in Hingham.
Officials warned about the potential for scattered power outages because of high winds, including 35 mph for much of the region and 55 mph along the coast. They urged people to fully charge electronics such as phones, and to have flashlights and other supplies handy.
As of 6 p.m., about 500 households across the state were without power, according to the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency.
Moderate coastal flooding was also expected. Along the coast, some waves splashed over on the roads. Flooding was reported around high tide at Long Wharf in Boston.
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation deployed 3,900 pieces of equipment across the state for the storm.
Crews in Boston pretreated roads and had 42,000 tons of salt on hand and 700 pieces of equipment ready for snow cleanup, according to Mayor Marty Walsh.
A snow emergency and parking ban was in effect, and all school school buildings were closed.
“We’re disappointed that the weather is not cooperating with our plans. We were planning today to return more than 4,000 students to in-person learning,” Walsh said on Monday.
Students will have online class on Tuesday, and in-person learning will restart on Thursday.
Walsh asked residents and property owners to clean snow from sidewalks and storm drains, and check on elderly neighbors.
The storm hammered parts of New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York before making its way into New England. Some of the jackpot zones as of Monday evening were Chester, N.J., with 25 inches; Springtown, Pa., with 20 inches; and Monsey, N.Y., with 20 inches.
from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/2YBQLuA
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