Cape And Islands Battered By High Winds, Blowing Snow
CHATHAM (CBS/AP) — A spring storm blasted the Cape and Islands with high winds and blowing snow on Wednesday, roiling the North Atlantic and leaving winter-weary residents facing the prospect of digging out from more snow.
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Cape Cod, Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard bore the brunt of the storm as it hit Massachusetts, dropping up to 10 inches of snow.
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The snow had stopped by the afternoon but robust winds were expected through Wednesday night with gusts up to 80 mph on Nantucket, National Weather Service meteorologist Charlie Foley said.
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A blizzard warning was in effect and the National Weather Service also warned of coastal flooding and significant beach erosion along the Massachusetts coast. Wind gusts caused scattered power outages on the Cape and Islands.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Karen Twomey reports
Chatham Snow Storm
In Bourne, 6- to 8-foot churning brown swells crashed along Sagamore Beach, eerily vacant of its usual joggers and dog walkers. Gusts to 60 mph flung snow and sand sideways, creating near-whiteout conditions.
"It's ridiculous — utterly ridiculous," said Mark Krause, manager of Sagamore Beach Ace Hardware, where snow shovels recently were put away to make room for lawn fertilizer.
"It's supposed to be 50. Everyone's supposed to be out working in their yards. I don't get it."
"This sucks," he said, dashing to secure glass doors repeatedly blown open by swirling winds.
March is supposed to go out like a lamb, "but this is not a lamb," said George Hermanspan, who was fueling school buses in the neighboring village of Cedarville.
"It shouldn't be happening. But Mother Nature does what she wants, and there's nothing much we can do or say about it."
Offshore, hurricane-force winds were reported at sea, but the region's fishing fleet and commercial vessels already had scattered to safe harbors.
Schools across Cape Cod closed, while ferry and flight service to the islands was canceled. State courts in the region also closed. Almost no snow fell farther to the north and west in Massachusetts.
The tip of the Cape in Providencetown was a ghost town, with many businesses not opening.
"A lot of people are locked in today until the winds die down," said Mike Pickens, who works at George's Pizza, one of the few restaurants open. "We expect to see mostly snowplow drivers this afternoon."
Although spring began a week ago, it's not unusual to have storms so late in the year, weather service meteorologist Bill Simpson said.
The Boston area got more than 2 inches of snow in an April storm last year and was blanketed with almost 2 feet the same month in 1997.
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