The State of the Union is tonight. But here in Massachusetts, I can say to you this morning that the state of our commonwealth is buried in snow. According to the latest tally from Logan Airport, Boston ended up with just under 17 inches of snow from the massive nor'easter that walloped the East Coast yesterday. But some communities in Massachusetts, like Attleboro and Dartmouth, recorded more than 30 inches. And over the border in Providence, the city surpassed three feet of snowfall, breaking its longstanding record from the Blizzard of 1978. Now, we just have to shovel it. Here's a look at the lingering impacts of what will go down in history as the Blizzard of 2026, from power outages to travel restrictions: In the dark: Roughly a quarter of a million households in Massachusetts remain without power this morning. And it could take three to five days before everyone gets it back, according to Doug Foley, the president of Massachusetts electric operations at Eversource. The story is similar for National Grid, which gave a three-day timeline yesterday for restoring power to "the majority of impacted customers." - Hardest hit: The Cape and South Shore remain the most affected. For example, 100% of households in Outer Cape communities like Provincetown and Wellfleet still have no electricity, according to the state's outage map.
- Reinforcements arrive: Foley said yesterday's blizzard-like conditions, including "hurricane-force gusts," made it difficult for crews to make repairs. But they're bringing additional crews from western Massachusetts and New Hampshire to Plymouth and the Cape this morning to work on restoring power.
On the roads: Gov. Maura Healey's order banning non-essential travel in much of southeastern Massachusetts remains in effect this morning. The ban covers Bristol and Plymouth counties, all of Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard. There are lots of exemptions for emergency responders, health care workers and other people supporting "critical" infrastructure and services. But violators caught on the roads for less necessary reasons could face a $500 fine, officials said yesterday. Healey said the ban is necessary to keep roads clear so plow crews can work and to avoid tying up first responders with preventable crashes. "We've got to be able to get snow cleared as quickly as possible so that we can get power restored as quickly as possible," she said. "That's why we don't need people on the road who shouldn't be on the road." - Meanwhile: Last night, MassDOT lifted its restrictions against certain types of trucks on most interstate highways, including the Mass. Pike, I-93 and I-95. However, the rules remain in place for highways on the South Coast and Cape.
- Commuting into the office today? Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver spoke to WBUR's All Things Considered about what you should know.
On the curb: Boston's parking ban for main streets will remain in effect until at least 6 p.m. today. In the meantime, expect to see big mounds of snow in the places where cars are usually parked. "We're intentionally trying to store some of the snow away from intersections that created problems during the last event," Nick Gove, the city's interim chief of streets, said yesterday, explaining that doing so will make it easier to clear crosswalks and curb cuts. Gove said the mounds will be cleared overnight this week. - Boston officials are also asking people shoveling out cars to not throw snow into the streets. (That's Somerville behavior.) "Try to pile it in front of or behind the cars," Mayor Michelle Wu said. Click here for more on the city's shoveling rules.
- Remember: 42 inches is the minimum width that property owners in the city are required to clear from abutting sidewalks. Boston is also hosting neighborhood volunteer shoveling meetups this afternoon. (Find yours here.)
On the T: Pack your patience. All MBTA subway, commuter rail and buses will run on reduced levels again today due to the ongoing cleanup. So expect longer waits than usual. Shuttles are still replacing the Mattapan trolley as of this morning. T officials said they expect limited ferry service to resume this morning. However, the agency's paratransit service, The Ride, is canceled all day. At school: It's another snow day in Boston, Worcester, Cambridge and dozens of other surrounding communities — meaning we're now on Day 11 of February break in Massachusetts. The kids? Thrilled. The parents? Maybe less thrilled. WCVB has the full list of school closures here. Getting out of here? The bad news is the delays and cancellations are already piling up at Logan Airport. According to FlightAware, there are over 454 cancellations in and out of Logan — roughly half of all flights. The better news is Amtrak plans to resume service between Boston and New York at 8 a.m., after the route was fully suspended yesterday (though many cancellations are still being reported today). P.S.— We didn't get spared by the storm, either. The blizzard is affecting WBUR's ability to broadcast on our Cape Cod signal, 89.1 FM Brewster. For those of you on the Lower, Mid and Upper Cape, you may be able to find us on 92.7 FM Tisbury. Or tune into our livestream on wbur.org or on the WBUR app via iOS or Google Play. |
Comments
Post a Comment