Will Old Man Winter drop a cold-hearted dumping on the day earlier than Valentine’s Day?
A nor’easter was anticipated to hit the Bay State on Tuesday, with as much as a foot of snow in spots together with doable blizzard circumstances, energy outages and coastal flooding.
While the forecast fashions confirmed a drastic shift to the south on the eleventh hour, the Boston-area was still projected to see between 6 and 8 inches of snow.
The jackpot zone was wanting like southeastern Massachusetts in Plymouth County, the place 12 inches of heavy snow was doable.
“Travel is going to be quite difficult,” Kyle Pederson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Boston workplace advised the Herald. “It will certainly be a nasty day to be out touring.
“If you can, stay in and watch the snow from home,” Pederson added. “Stay off the roads and stay safe.”
There might be widespread 1 to 2 inches per hour snowfall charges throughout the day. Even 3 inches of snow per hour can be doable.
The winter storm must be fairly fast hitting. A mixture of rain and snow was anticipated to start out late Monday night time earlier than a changeover to all snow.
The worst of the snow must be within the 9 a.m. to three p.m. window.
“If you’re out driving tomorrow, be prepared for slow travel,” stated AccuWeather senior meteorologist Tom Kines.
Snow ought to come to an finish by 4 to eight p.m., from west to east throughout the area.
Blizzard circumstances can be doable, particularly on the Outer Cape the place the strongest winds are anticipated, with gusts as excessive as 55 mph.
Elsewhere, winds can be gusty, blowing 30 to 40 mph over southeastern Massachusetts and alongside the instant coasts of the Bay State and Rhode Island.
[Significant Winter Storm] A major winter storm impacts the area Tuesday morning and afternoon. Latest forecast shifts the heaviest snow additional to the south. Strong winds throughout the Cape and Islands. coastal flooding alongside east coast with early PM excessive tide. pic.twitter.com/2yAzE6It8p
— NWS Boston (@NWSBoston) February 12, 2024
Wet snow and powerful winds alongside the coast could end in energy outages.
“The biggest risk for outages will be along southeastern Massachusetts,” Pederson stated. “There certainly could be snow load issues, and the wind can be a problem.”
The wind gusts and accumulation of moist, heavy snow in some areas may harm timber and knock down energy wires.
“National Grid is closely monitoring the weather forecast, and we have crews and personnel in place across Massachusetts ready to respond to any impacts this storm may bring,” stated Tim Moore, VP of Electric Operations for New England.
“We’ll be ready to restore service as quickly and safely as possible,” Moore added. “The predicted heavy snow may make roads difficult to travel, and strong winds could have an impact on our restoration efforts. Our crews will work to restore the power systems as soon as it is safe to do so.”
Eversource has been bringing in additional energy line and tree crews upfront of the storm.
“We’ve been closely monitoring this storm using several weather forecast models and are planning accordingly, making adjustments to our response as necessary,” stated Eversource President of Regional Electric Operations Craig Hallstrom.
“The heavy, wet snow can weigh down tree limbs and branches, possibly bringing them down onto electric lines and equipment, causing damage and power outages,” Hallstrom added. “The hazardous conditions can also make travel challenging for our crews, so we’re staging extra staff and equipment across the state to ensure we’re ready to respond as quickly and as safely as possible wherever our crews are needed.”
Coastal flooding is anticipated throughout the Tuesday afternoon excessive tide alongside the jap Massachusetts coast, with vital seashore erosion. The storm surge might be 2 to three ft.
“Many coastal roads become impassable around high tide,” the NWS coastal flooding warning reads. “Flooding 1 to 2 feet deep affects some coastal roads and low lying areas from Revere and Winthrop through Boston to the South Shore and communities along Cape Cod Bay. Flooding also affects roads near Edgartown Harbor and Nantucket Harbor, and approaches Five Corners in Vineyard Haven.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com”