Tuesday evening: Heavy snow. Damaging wind gusts. Cooling to the 30s. Tuesday Night: Periodic snow with continued damaging gusts. Lows 30-35. Wednesday: Morning wind-whipped snow showers to emerging sun. Highs 40-45. Thursday: Sunny, mid 40s.
Our nor’easter kicked into high gear Monday evening, bringing heavy snow to the hills around Worcester. Elsewhere, the rain pounded down. The rain/snow lines held pretty steady through the night, but with our storm looping offshore in the Gulf of Maine, we saw that line migrate toward the coast in the late morning and early afternoon.
The northern Berkshires had received over two feet of snow as of Tuesday afternoon, and the Worcester Hills saw nearly 30 inches too.
When Will It Stop Snowing?
Snowfall rates will range about an inch per hour through the mid-afternoon but will slowly maintain rates of over half an inch per hour. Boston, on the other hand, will see snowfall rates around half an inch that will slowly decrease Tuesday night. Wind and snowfall rates will keep visibility low inside MetroWest and spots near Worcester on Tuesday afternoon and evening.
The system will slowly push out overnight, limiting the snowfall amounts in eastern Massachusetts.
Heavy Wind Gusts Expected
As the storm moves through, the winds have been increasing. Gusts of 45-60 mph plus are possible along the immediate water’s edge. Elsewhere, we’ll see gusts of 35-45 mph. It’s the combo of wet, heavy snow and wind that could cause numerous communities to lose power across central Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire.
We’ll see the winds continue on the backside of the storm through early Wednesday. Speaking of, the coastal flood threat should culminate in a period of MINOR flooding during the Wednesday morning high tide cycle. Thanks to astronomically low tides, we won’t see much else.
Massachusetts School Closings
Over 300 school districts across New England canceled classes, planned early dismissals or shifted to remote learning on Tuesday due to the weather. Some schools could also announce cancellations or delays for Wednesday. An updated list of school closings can be found here.
Slick Road Conditions
Low visibility and slippery highways were being reported Tuesday across New England. Authorities urged drivers to use extra care when traveling. Over 100 crashes and slide-offs were reported in New Hampshire alone, and downed power lines temporarily shut down Interstate 93 in Londonderry.
Eversource, National Grid Power Outages
There were almost 70,000 power outages in Massachusetts as of around 3 p.m., in addition to tens of thousands more in other New England states.
Flights in New England Canceled
The blast of winter weather hitting New England on Tuesday was not only turning driving into a headache, but flying as well, and hundreds of flights across the region were canceled or delayed.
