Storm Brings Wintry Mix To Mass.
BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts roads started get to slick Wednesday night as a winter storm arrived that could drop up to a foot of snow in some parts of the state.
The wintry mix of snow, sleet and rain as well as high winds is expected to continue throughout Thursday.
In western Massachusetts, officials reduced the speed limit on the Massachusetts Turnpike from 65 mph to 45 mph on Wednesday night and several minor accidents were reported in the region.
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The National Weather predicts 10 to 12 inches of snow could fall in western and central Massachusetts.
In Boston and along the coast, the storm was forecast to arrive later Wednesday, but warmer temperatures are expected to turn the precipitation over to mostly rain, with minor snow accumulations.
A high wind warning has been issued for parts of southeastern Massachusetts, including Cape Cod. Forecasters say gusts could reach 60 mph.
In Worcester, some were preparing for inclement weather by buying rock salt, shovels and windshield wash, Barrows Hardware president Brian Barrows said.
He called the volume of customers at his Webster Street store very steady Wednesday morning.
"You do get that supermarket effect for sure," he said of shoppers stocking supplies before a storm.
WBZ-TV's Jim Armstrong reports from Fitchburg
Most flights were on schedule at Logan International Airport in Boston by Wednesday night, though there were scattered flight delays or cancellations.
At Wachusett Mountain Ski Area in Princeton, Mass., officials were hoping nature would augment the machine-made snow that's on trails now. And the storm's timing during school holiday vacations also had them pumped up.
"We love snow," ski area spokesman Tom Meyers said. "We're ready for it and this is perfect timing to give this season a little bit of a boost because it's been limping along."
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.
