A wind-whipped snowy, rainy nor’easter spawned dozens of spinouts and a least one jack-knifed trailer on the state’s treacherous roadways while downed trees and limbs sparked local power outages and caused other complications across Massachusetts.
Speed limits on highways in the western and central parts of the state remain set at 40 miles an hour as the nor’easter continues to roar across the state.
Power outages totaled 27,787 at about 9:30 this morning, according to the outage map compiled by the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency.
MassDOT reports that over 1,000 pieces of snow and ice equipment are out scraping the highways with many times more that number deployed by cities and towns.
A downed tree has blocked the tracks on the Mattapan Trolley. MBTA crews are working to clear the mess from the tracks near Cedar Grove. While they work, shuttle buses are in place between Ashmont and Mattapan.
The whipping winds have also prompted the MBTA to cancel morning ferry services. The T said it expects to have the boats running again around noon.
The Massachusetts State Police reported responding to scores of spinouts on Routes 90, 290, 90, 9, and 495 in a post overnight.
“If you do not need to be on the roadways, avoid doing so,” State Police advised.
The National Weather Service, in an update posted this morning, said the rain, sleet and snow, along with gusty winds will be winding down through the day.
“It will feel more like early February today rather than early April with temps in the mid 30s, and wind chill values in the mid 20s,” the agency said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
[715 AM Radar Update] Rain, sleet and snow continue to impact the region early this morning. There was even some thunder snow/sleet currently impacting parts of western MA. pic.twitter.com/z0pdoS3fAH
— NWS Boston (@NWSBoston) April 4, 2024
Wind gusts across the state consistently hit marks above 40 miles an hour and into the 60s at locations on the coastline.
A Revere Beach observer registered a gust a 60 miles per hour, according to the weather service, and the wind sock flapped in 55 mile an hour gusts recorded at Logan Airport.
Snow and sleet totals ranged between 1-2 inches in most parts of the state, with higher totals out west and in Central Mass.
An 8-inch reading was recorded in Hawley, in Franklin County. Ashburnham, Hubbardston and Lunenburg, all in Worcester County, each recorded measures over 4 inches, according to weather observations compiled by the National Weather Service.
Across the region, the powerful storm has brought 680,000 power outages with the majority in Maine and New Hampshire. A woman was reported killed by a falling tree in a New York City suburb.
Two feet of snow is possible in parts of northern New England by Thursday evening, according to the National Weather Service.
Chris Legro, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Maine, said it was the biggest April nor’easter to hit the region since 2020. He said he had to take some detours on the way into his office Thursday morning because of downed power lines.
“It’s definitely going to be one that people remember for a little while,” Legro said.
Late Wednesday afternoon, a tree fell on a vehicle in the Westchester County, New York, hamlet of Armonk, killing a woman who was the only person inside, police said.
Heavy snow made travel treacherous in northern parts of New England and New York. A crash shut down Interstate 95 northbound near Lewiston, Maine, on Thursday morning.
Dozens of flights at airports in the region were canceled or delayed. Many schools and government offices were closed in northern areas.
State government was shutdown in Maine, where a special commission investigating the October mass shooting in Lewiston had to postpone a scheduled hearing.
“We recommend that you stay off the roads if you can, but if you must travel during the storm, be sure to give plow trucks, utility crews, and emergency first responders plenty of room as they work to keep us safe,” said Maine Gov. Janet Mills.
Utilities in northern New England said they were prepared for the storm, but power restoration could still be lengthy.
“Weather conditions are going to be hazardous on Thursday, and we ask everyone to use caution on the roads,” said Jon Breed, spokesperson for Central Maine Power.
Staff at the New England Aquarium there did a sweep of the roof to make sure nothing could blow into the sea lion habitat, which is partially exposed to the outdoors. The storm caught some visitors off guard.
“I just saw the wind and the rain and I just bought this little poncho to protect myself,” said Claire Saussol, who was visiting Boston from France on Wednesday. “I wasn’t prepared with the warm clothes. It’s worse than the north of France! Very worse, but it’s ok. It’s a pretty city.”
— Herald wire services contributed