BOSTON (AP/WHDH) — Snow snarled traffic and delayed flights as a storm that is expected to deliver up to 14 inches of snow to parts of Massachusetts in a one-two punch started to pound the Bay State Sunday night.
7NEWS meteorologist Jeremy Reiner said the storm could drop between 10 to 14 inches on the far northern part of the state and New Hampshire and 8 to 10 inches on the northern central area as it unfolds over two nights.
Much of the state, from Springfield to Boston and the North Shore, should see 6 to 8 inches, with south of Boston getting 4 to 6 inches and the Cape ultimately getting 2 to 4.
But the snow will come in waves from Sunday into Monday and Monday into Tuesday. The northern part of the state will see the most snow Sunday night, with 8 to 10 inches expected, but will only see a few inches on Monday. But while the Boston area will see 2 to 4 inches Sunday night, more snow is expected for Monday night — between 4 and 6 inches.
7NEWS meteorologist Josh Wurster said traffic will be slow Sunday night, but should improve Monday morning as the snow turns to rain. But with the second burst of snow from Monday into Tuesday, Tuesday’s commute will likely be worse than Monday’s.
Gov. Charlie Baker and other state officials urged residents to stay off the road Sunday night, but said state offices will be open at regular hours Monday. Baker said nearly 4,000 pieces of equipment — 2,100 plows, 1,400 plower-spreader combinations, and 460 front end loaders — will be on the roads, and state troopers lowered the speed limit on the Mass Pike to 40 mph.
“We’re no strangers to winter weather around here but folks should plan ahead and anticipate commutes will be impacted tomorrow morning, tomorrow night and Tuesday morning,” Baker said.
The commuter rail will have 350 personnel to respond to downed trees and other incidents, and the MBTA will operate on a regular schedule tomorrow, officials said. The emergency operations center will start running at 5 a.m. until the storm subsides Tuesday.
A winter storm warning has been issued for areas north and west of Boston along Interstate 95, through Interstate 495, parts of the Merrimack Valley and into Southern New Hampshire.
A winter weather advisory has been issued for areas including Boston and Southern Worcester County.
Near the south coast of Massachusetts, including the Cape and Islands, there are no watches, warnings or advisories, but the storm will start off as a mix of snow and sleet and then quickly transitioning over to rain.
7NEWS will continue to track this storm and provide updates as they become available.
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