New England gets no let-up from the snow
BOSTON — Snow and dangerously high winds roared into New England for the fourth time in less than a month Saturday, the latest blow to a region that has already seen more than 6 feet of snow in some areas.
A blizzard warning was in effect for coastal areas from Connecticut to Maine through Monday morning, promising 8 to 14 inches in southern New England and up to 2 feet in Maine. A bone-chilling blast of cold will follow, with lows of minus-10 degrees forecast in some areas Sunday night.
National Weather Service meteorologist William Babcock said road conditions will be dangerous as steady, widespread winds whip the relatively dry snow around.
“On Sunday, the best thing people can do is stay home, stay indoors,” he said.
Babcock said gusts could max out at 75 mph — hurricane territory — on Cape Cod. Officials warned of possible power outages, and north-facing or vulnerable coastal areas could suffer flooding and beach erosion, the National Weather Service said.
The bad weather spanned several states — winter storm warnings extended west into Michigan and Ohio, where whiteout conditions led to a pileup on the Ohio Turnpike that killed at least two people. Another crash involving several tractor-trailers was reported on Interstate 70 near Columbus, and a crash on the New York Thruway south of Buffalo killed one person.
In New England, transporta- tion officials took many precautions. Nearly 400 Sunday flights were already canceled at Boston’s Logan International Airport, and none was scheduled Sunday morning. And the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority canceled all rail, bus and ferry service in the Boston area on Sunday.
Gov. Charlie Baker urged motorists to stay off roads during the storm, but stopped short of an outright travel ban.
Crews have worked urgently to remove the massive amount of snow that has clogged streets and caused numerous roof collapses.
“They’ve been doing a great job as far as sort of removing the snow and relocating the snow to make it look like it’s less, but it’s piled up everywhere,” said John Barry, general manager of Kelly’s Roast Beef in Revere, on Boston’s North Shore. He said the recent tough weather has hurt business, but the restaurant has been serving snow plow drivers, emergency personnel and “people sort of venturing out to check out the weather.”
At the University of Connecticut, where up to 8 inches of new snow was expected, Gavin Paquette, 25, was part of a 12man contract crew shoveling snow off roofs Saturday. “There was about an 8-foot snow bank up on the roof,” he said of the school’s football training center. “It’s all wet, heavy snow.”
Paquette says he hasn’t had to shovel roofs for several winters, but this year the job is keeping him in shape. “I’ve lost 9 pounds since Wednesday,” he said.
Massachusetts called up hundreds of National Guard troops to assist with snow removal.