SNOW, BITTER COLD
The Bay State’s nor’easter has left bitterly cold temps behind.
The storm that dumped nearly 2 feet of snow in different pockets of the state dropped more than 12 inches in Boston, setting a new record.
The afternoon measurement of 12.9 inches at Logan International Airport shattered the previous Dec. 17 record of 6.4 inches for the city, which happened in 2013.
The state’s jackpot was in the Berkshires, where Lanesboro recorded 23 inches, according to the National Weather Service Eastern Region. The next highest snow totals recorded in Massachusetts were 18.5 inches in Ashfield and 17.7 inches in Rowe, both in the western part of the state.
Other high snow totals were reported in Grafton (16.1), Waltham (16), Fitchburg (15.5), Sharon (15.4), Milton (15.2) and Lunenburg (15.1). West Newton, Salem and Hudson each had recordings of 15 inches.
The nor’easter’s parting gift was a sudden drop in temperatures, making it even more dangerous to be out driving, National Weather Service meteorologist Rob Megnia said.
“We won’t get above freezing until early next week,” he added. “So with wet roads and you add the freeze factor, it can be a dangerous situation out there. People need to be careful.”
Today’s lows will be in the teens, and it could feel like it’s below zero when factoring in the wind chill.
“Surfaces not taken care of will freeze, so it’s really important you put salt down on driveways and sidewalks,” said Shawn Kelley of Lowell’s Mill City Weather.
Massachusetts State Police responded to multiple spinouts across the state. In one Mass Pike incident, a state police cruiser was struck by an SUV. The trooper was responding to an earlier single-car crash when the SUV lost control and hit the cruiser. No injuries were reported.
Along the Massachusetts coast, there were reports of flooding with massive waves splashing along shore roads during the afternoon high tide. Wind gusts approached 50 mph, the National Weather Service reported, and some cars were reportedly stranded in floodwaters.
Outside of Massachusetts, the storm’s snowfall jackpot was in New York and Pennsylvania, with up to 44 inches of snow recorded.