Walsh declares snow emergency ahead of storm that could drop more than a foot on Boston – The Boston Globe

Snowfall predictions were creeping up throughout the day Sunday.

As were getting closer to the event, our confidence has grown that the rain-snow line will stay south enough where we will get some more of those high-end snow totals, said weather service meteorologist Rob Megnia.

The potential for the heaviest snow is looking to be in the Worcester Hills area where we could possibly see 18 inches or more, he said. Closer to the coast is more like 8 to 12 inches.

Walsh declared a snow emergency in the city through Tuesday afternoon with a parking ban set to take effect Monday at noon.

Our Public Works Department will be working around the clock to pre-treat and clean our roads, and I thank them for their hard work, Walsh said in a statement. We are asking residents and businesses to do their part by staying safe, shoveling their sidewalks and walkways, clearing catch basins and the area around fire hydrants, and by offering help to your older neighbors and residents with disabilities.

Boston Public Schools announced Sunday that all buildings will be closed Monday and Tuesday and students will attend classes online with early dismissal. BPS meal sites are open Monday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Governor Charlie Baker has ordered non-emergency executive branch state employees to not report to their workplaces Monday, and he asked residents to avoid going out if they can.

Driving tomorrow will be hazardous due to the high winds and snow in the forecast, so we are asking everyone to stay off the roads, avoid traveling if possible and to use public transportation if they have to go out, Baker said in a statement.

RMV customer service centers will close at noon on Monday. The Steamship Authority warned Sunday that wind gusts could disrupt the service of ferries to Nantucket and Marthas Vineyard.

Forecasters expect hazardous road conditions Monday during the afternoon and evening commute, and a coastal flood watch is also in effect beginning Monday at 1 p.m.

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation will impose a ban prohibiting tractor-trailers from traveling on Interstate 90 beginning at 10 a.m. Monday. Connecticut and Rhode Island are also banning travel by tractor-trailers beginning at 5 a.m., according to Jonathan Gulliver, highway administrator for MassDOT.

Massachusetts State Police may also impose a 40 mph speed limit on Interstate 90 between specific interchanges if conditions warrant, the governors office said.

Gulliver said he expects trucks will begin spreading salt on the highways in some areas of the state about 10 a.m., and soon after that the plows will be put to work.

With this kind of intensity, you hit a point where salt cant keep up and you go to the plows, he said. With this storm, I think well go right to the plows really quickly.

The Department of Transportation has approximately 3,900 pieces of state and vendor equipment available for snow and ice operations, the governors office said, including 1,400 plow and spreader combos, 2,100 plows, and 460 front-end loaders.

Those trucks will be out in full force Monday, Gulliver said, and he hopes people will avoid venturing out if they can.

Messy roads arent his only concern. With heavy wind gusts in the forecast, Gulliver said travelers will likely have a hard time seeing whats in front of them as the storm ramps up.

Were really encouraging people who work remotely that [Monday] is a great day to do that, he said. If people have to be on the road, do what you can to be off it by noon. Were concerned about that time frame when things are at full peak with limited visibility and slippery roadways.

The storm reached the mid-Atlantic on Sunday and is expected to drop at least half a foot of snow from Washington D.C. to Maine by Wednesday morning, the weather service said.

Its packing a punch, said weather service meteorologist Kristie Smith. Its affecting a lot of people.

In Massachusetts, the snow is expected to be wet and heavy and could be accompanied by wind gusts of 40 miles an hour in Boston and as high as 60 on the Cape and Islands, forecasters said.

The most snow is likely to fall in the Metrowest area in a band running through Framingham and Wayland up through Middlesex County, according to Smith.

The storm could bring minor coastal flooding and scattered power outages, particularly with higher wind gusts on the Cape, she said.

Although precipitation will almost certainly start as snow in Boston, there is a chance it will turn to rain at some point Monday, depending on the exact track of the storm, Smith said.

Its a tricky system, she said.

The workweek is expected to bring some relief from the weekends bitter cold, which saw temperatures fall to single digits overnight, according to the weather service.

After a low of 7 degrees in Boston Sunday morning, temperatures increased into the 20s in the afternoon, forecasters said. Mondays temperatures are expected to climb into the 30s.

The impending storm may bode well for an early spring, at least if groundhogs are to be believed.

Groundhog Day predictions will be coming Tuesday morning, and cloudy days when groundhogs cast no shadow traditionally prophesy a shorter winter.

But Renata Pomponi, who oversees Massachusetts official groundhog at Mass Audubon Drumlin Farm in Lincoln, said it could easily go either way this year when Ms. G goes live on Facebook at 10 a.m.

One of the things we New Englanders love about nature in our region is the unpredictability of the weather, and this year will be no exception, she said.

Enough sun can sometimes peek through the clouds to cast a shadow, so it is always an up-to-the-minute situation as to what her prediction will be.

Lucas Phillips can be reached at lucas.phillips@globe.com. Nick Stoico can be reached at nick.stoico@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @NickStoico.

View original post here:

Walsh declares snow emergency ahead of storm that could drop more than a foot on Boston - The Boston Globe