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From Boston Globe
As intense snow begins, roads already treacherous
Email|Print| Text size ? + February 22, 2008 12:58 PM
By Andrew Ryan, Globe Staff
A nasty winter storm expected to dump up to 8 inches of snow today has already caused havoc, sending dozens of cars skidding off roads on the South Shore and triggering a five-car pileup on Cape Cod.
Governor Deval Patrick has sent home all nonemergency state employees, and officials are urging private businesses to do the same so snow crews can safely clear the roads.
Mayor Thomas M. Menino declared a snow emergency, triggering a parking ban in Boston that went into effect at 2 p.m. Parking will be barred on main roads, a list of which can be found here. The city has also canceled all evening activities.
The ?quick-hitting, intense storm? will blast the region with up to an inch of snow an hour this afternoon, said Bill Simpson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Taunton.
?As far as the timing for the heaviest, we are thinking between 1 and 5 inches this afternoon, Simpson said. ?That is not good for commuters.?
?We?re recommending for folks to get on the road ahead of this if possible,? said Peter Judge, spokesman for The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency. ?If the snow starts to pick up to 1 to 2 inches an hour, stay put.?
?We?re trying to avoid the travel problems that people experience in the Dec. 13 storm when everyone was out in the middle of the event,? Judge said.
Mass Highway trucks were out hours before the storm started, treating roads with liquid calcium chloride, which prevents snow from sticking to the streets, said spokesman Adam Hurtubise. By noon, the state had 2,637 plows, sand spreaders, and salters out across the state.
"You have to treat it as it comes," Hurtubise said. "As soon as it starts sticking, they'll [the plows] drop their blades."
Mass Highway officials were recommending commuters leave later and keep the roads clear for plows. "We're urging people to stay as late as possible to wait out the storm or take public transportation," he said.
In New York City, the same storm dropped 6 inches of snow in six hours. The system was still forming as it moved into New England so it was not immediately clear where the highest concentration of snow would fall in Massachusetts, Simpson said. In Boston, the streets and sidewalks have already been dusted white.
The National Weather Service is urging travelers to stay put until early Saturday, when a winter storm warning expires at 1 a.m. Drivers in the southern part of the state should already heed the advice to stay home.
?That whole South Shore area is getting hit pretty good,? said Lieutenant Eric Anderson of the State Police. ?People don?t realize they have to bring it down a notch or two in their vehicles. At this point, we urge a lot of caution, especially on the South Shore.?
Route 24 North in Fall River is down to one lane between Airport Road and Route 79 because more than a dozen cars have skidded out, Anderson said. Interstate 195 in
Mattapoisett and Marion is also treacherous, with several cars sliding off the roadway.
On Cape Cod, the five-car crash was on Route 6 east near Willow Street in Yarmouth. Drivers reported other problems on Route 3.
The storm has disrupted air travel down the eastern seaboard. Airlines are already cancelling flights in droves at Logan International Airport in expectation of the storm throwing flight schedules into chaos. By 1:30 p.m., at least 54 arriving flights and 68 departing flights had been cancelled, according to the Massachusetts Port Authority website. Logan normally handles about 1,100 incoming and departing flights daily.
its 225 right now... aren't they setting everyone up for the SAME thing as that december storm? didnt they send people home early then too? did they learn nothing? I know they don't have a crystal ball, but maybe they could have told people not to come in today? I guess we will see how this debacle unfolds...
As intense snow begins, roads already treacherous
Email|Print| Text size ? + February 22, 2008 12:58 PM
By Andrew Ryan, Globe Staff
A nasty winter storm expected to dump up to 8 inches of snow today has already caused havoc, sending dozens of cars skidding off roads on the South Shore and triggering a five-car pileup on Cape Cod.
Governor Deval Patrick has sent home all nonemergency state employees, and officials are urging private businesses to do the same so snow crews can safely clear the roads.
Mayor Thomas M. Menino declared a snow emergency, triggering a parking ban in Boston that went into effect at 2 p.m. Parking will be barred on main roads, a list of which can be found here. The city has also canceled all evening activities.
The ?quick-hitting, intense storm? will blast the region with up to an inch of snow an hour this afternoon, said Bill Simpson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Taunton.
?As far as the timing for the heaviest, we are thinking between 1 and 5 inches this afternoon, Simpson said. ?That is not good for commuters.?
?We?re recommending for folks to get on the road ahead of this if possible,? said Peter Judge, spokesman for The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency. ?If the snow starts to pick up to 1 to 2 inches an hour, stay put.?
?We?re trying to avoid the travel problems that people experience in the Dec. 13 storm when everyone was out in the middle of the event,? Judge said.
Mass Highway trucks were out hours before the storm started, treating roads with liquid calcium chloride, which prevents snow from sticking to the streets, said spokesman Adam Hurtubise. By noon, the state had 2,637 plows, sand spreaders, and salters out across the state.
"You have to treat it as it comes," Hurtubise said. "As soon as it starts sticking, they'll [the plows] drop their blades."
Mass Highway officials were recommending commuters leave later and keep the roads clear for plows. "We're urging people to stay as late as possible to wait out the storm or take public transportation," he said.
In New York City, the same storm dropped 6 inches of snow in six hours. The system was still forming as it moved into New England so it was not immediately clear where the highest concentration of snow would fall in Massachusetts, Simpson said. In Boston, the streets and sidewalks have already been dusted white.
The National Weather Service is urging travelers to stay put until early Saturday, when a winter storm warning expires at 1 a.m. Drivers in the southern part of the state should already heed the advice to stay home.
?That whole South Shore area is getting hit pretty good,? said Lieutenant Eric Anderson of the State Police. ?People don?t realize they have to bring it down a notch or two in their vehicles. At this point, we urge a lot of caution, especially on the South Shore.?
Route 24 North in Fall River is down to one lane between Airport Road and Route 79 because more than a dozen cars have skidded out, Anderson said. Interstate 195 in
Mattapoisett and Marion is also treacherous, with several cars sliding off the roadway.
On Cape Cod, the five-car crash was on Route 6 east near Willow Street in Yarmouth. Drivers reported other problems on Route 3.
The storm has disrupted air travel down the eastern seaboard. Airlines are already cancelling flights in droves at Logan International Airport in expectation of the storm throwing flight schedules into chaos. By 1:30 p.m., at least 54 arriving flights and 68 departing flights had been cancelled, according to the Massachusetts Port Authority website. Logan normally handles about 1,100 incoming and departing flights daily.
its 225 right now... aren't they setting everyone up for the SAME thing as that december storm? didnt they send people home early then too? did they learn nothing? I know they don't have a crystal ball, but maybe they could have told people not to come in today? I guess we will see how this debacle unfolds...