Three-peat: Major winter storm slams East Coast again
BOSTON -- The third major nor'easter in two weeks slammed the storm-battered Northeast on Tuesday, bringing blizzard conditions and 2 feet of snow to some communities and knocking out power to tens of thousands of homes and businesses. The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a blizzard warning for much of the Massachusetts coast, a winter storm warning for most of New England and a winter weather advisory for portions of New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
"We're not out of winter yet, that's for sure," Portland resident Paul Knight said as snow accumulated on his eyebrows during a stroll. "The groundhog was right. Six more weeks of winter, and probably then some."
Late Tuesday, snowfall totals began to climb. In New Hampshire, the NWS says 25 inches of snow was reported near Derry. In Franklin, Massachusetts, at least 23 inches of snow was reported while East Killingly, Connecticut, saw 20 inches and Kezar Falls, Maine, reported 20 inches.
A large tree fell on a home in Foxboro, Massachusetts, CBS Boston reports.
"Three nor'easters in less than 2 weeks isn't easy on anyone -- and we are extremely grateful for the hard work of our first responders, utility and road crews, and municipal officials who have been working nonstop to clean up after these powerful storms," Republican Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker wrote on Twitter.
But CBS Boston reports many area residents have had it with the nasty winter weather. There are flooded basements, no electricity, downed trees and no school, the station notes. And people are getting sick of it. Some call it "storm fatigue," and it can take a toll, increasing stress levels.
Many school districts across New England will be closed for a second day Wednesday as the region begins to dig out. Meanwhile, the storm has been disrupting road and air travel.
The flight-tracking site FlightAware already reported more than 1,300 canceled flights within, into or out of the U.S. on Tuesday.
The terminals are mostly empty at Boston's Logan International Airport at the height of the winter storm, with security workers and cleaning crews outnumbering passengers.
Miami residents Ashley Pozo, 21, and Ray Milo, 25, who we visiting friends in Boston, were stuck at the airport after their Tuesday flight was canceled. Rather than risk getting stranded in the city, they plan to stay another night in the airport, sleeping on chairs, watching Netflix and munching on supplies they picked up from a CVS drug store.
Amtrak suspended service from Boston to New York's Penn Station Tuesday due to inclement weather. Two trains traveling between Washington and New York were also canceled. Officials expect to restore service Wednesday.
While the first two storms of the month brought coastal flooding and hundreds of thousands of power outages, this one is expected to be different.
"This one's main impact is going to be snow," said Kim Buttrick, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Taunton, Massachusetts.
So far power outages have climbed to more than 250,000 just in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut. The vast majority are in Massachusetts, where more than 237,000 utility customers were without power Tuesday.
The blizzard warning means sustained winds of greater than 35 mph along with visibility of less than a quarter mile for prolonged periods, according to the weather service. Wind gusts as high as 65 mph are forecast in coastal areas.
CBS News weather producer David Parkinson says Boston could see about a foot of snow, with up to 18 inches along the southern coast of Massachusetts and in the Merrimack Valley. "It is entirely possible that we could get to 2 feet in this storm in some spots; it's also possible nobody hits 18 inches," he said.
"I feel that we haven't really seen this type of storm since 2015," Democratic Boston Mayor Marty Walsh said at a Monday night news conference. "We've had storms in '16 and '17 and a couple this year, but it seems like this one is gonna be a big one."
The Mourne, Massachusetts, police department shared dashcam video of a tree falling just up the road from where one of their cruisers was headed, CBS Boston reports.
The officer behind the wheel drives up to the fallen tree to show it stretching across Bournedale Road.
Maine also braced for a hard hit. The Portland International Jetport has had 75.5 inches of snow, far above the normal for the date of 51.8 inches, with another 12 to 18 inches on the way, said James Brown, of the National Weather Service. NWS reports that southern Maine remains under a blizzard warning until early Wednesday morning as the heaviest snow will continue to fall through Tuesday evening with 1 to 3 inches per hour possible. At least 14 to 18 inches of snow was expected.
In New Hampshire, where as much as 14 inches of snow is forecast, the storm is wreaking havoc with the age-old town meeting tradition. But Secretary of State William Gardner and Attorney General Gordon MacDonald said under state law, town meeting elections must go on.
More than a foot of snow is expected in parts of Connecticut, where Democratic Gov. Dannel P. Malloy is urging people to "take it slow and remember their winter weather driving skills."
In New York, heavy, wet snow is forecast for Long Island, which could get 5 to 10 inches of accumulation.
In Connecticut, the top snowfall goes to Norwich, where more than 20 inches of snow have fallen so far.
Slick roads were blamed for at least one death in North Carolina, which got snow Monday.
