BOSTON — The third major nor’easter in two weeks started to slam the storm-battered Northeast early Tuesday, with blizzard conditions expected in some areas.
The National Weather Service 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.
“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 Monday night.
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.
The latest storm is expected to last through most of the day Tuesday, disrupting road and air travel.
The flight-tracking site FlightAware already is reporting more than 1,300 canceled flights within, into or out of the U.S. on Tuesday. Amtrak suspended service from Boston to New York’s Penn Station until 11 a.m.
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.
More power outages are possible, but they aren’t expected to be as widespread as last week’s. Only minor coastal flooding is predicted.
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 says.
Schools across the region announced they would be closed Tuesday, including those in Boston and Providence, Rhode Island.
“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.”
Maine also is bracing 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.
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, while 2 to 4 inches are possible in New York City.
In New Jersey, the storm is expected to start out as light rain before changing over to all snow by early Tuesday, leaving behind up to 4 inches.
