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Hartford, Conn. (AP) – Parts of the Northeast were bracing for a coastal storm Monday that was expected to pack high winds and dump a foot or more of snow in some areas, prompting school closures and warnings against road travel. was given. Disruption in flights.
The nation’s largest school system in New York City said it was switching to remote learning and closing its buildings Tuesday because of the impending storm.
“With several inches of snowfall, poor visibility on roadways, and potential coastal flooding, New Yorkers should prepare in advance for tomorrow’s storm and take the necessary precautions to stay safe,” New York City Mayor Eric Adams said in a statement. ” , “If you don’t have to be on the streets tomorrow, please stay home.”
According to the National Weather Service, the heaviest snowfall was forecast in the northern suburbs of New York City and southwestern Connecticut, where 12 to 15 inches (30 to 38 centimeters) of snowfall were possible. Gusts could reach 60 mph (100 kph) along the Massachusetts coast and 40 mph (65 kph) in interior parts of southern New England.
“Commuting will be chaotic tomorrow morning,” Christina Speciale, a meteorologist with the weather service in Albany, New York, said Monday. “It’s a fast-moving storm, so things should clear up by tomorrow afternoon.”
Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey told all non-essential executive branch employees not to come to work Tuesday. Boston schools were closing and a parking ban was in effect. Similar closures and restrictions were imposed in other cities and towns. Emergency officials had equipment on hand to help keep roads clear.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said the city’s homeless shelters would remain open.
“With the arrival of our first major snow storm this winter, city teams are prepared to clear our streets and respond to any emergencies during the storm,” Wu said.
Healy warned of downed power lines and coastal flooding, saying the heaviest snowfall would occur between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m.
FILE – New York City Department of Sanitation workers use a front-end loader to fill a salt spreader at one of the department’s salt sheds in lower Manhattan, New York, on January 7, 2022. Parts of the Northeast were preparing for a coastal storm on Monday, February 12, 2024, which was expected to bring high winds and drop a foot or more of snow in some areas, leading to school closures, travel by road against Warnings were given and potential disruption occurred. Of flights. (AP Photo/Mary Altafer, File)
“Let’s be smart and not get too careless about things,” Healy told reporters. “We haven’t seen big storms for quite some time but teams are predicting this is going to be a real storm.”
Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee signed an executive order Tuesday closing state government offices and banning tractor-trailer travel on all interstate and state roads starting at midnight.
McKee said he issued the tractor-trailer ban in coordination with Massachusetts, Connecticut and New York.
Transportation officials in Pennsylvania warned against unnecessary travel and said vehicle restrictions on the Pennsylvania Turnpike and other major roads would go into effect Tuesday morning.
The city of Scranton said City Hall would be closed Tuesday, a public meeting on stormwater projects was canceled, and parking in the city was banned to allow for faster plowing of streets.
Airports in the region asked travelers to check with their airlines in case of cancellations and delays.
Power companies said they are preparing to respond to possible outages caused by trees and branches falling on power lines.
Steve Sullivan, president of Eversource’s Connecticut Electric operations, said, “Hazardous conditions can make travel challenging for our crews, so we are deploying additional personnel and equipment across the state to ensure we can respond as quickly as possible. Ready to respond.”
The storm was expected to bring mixed weather to New Jersey. 8 to 12 inches (20 to 30 cm) of snowfall was expected across much of the north and center of the state, with some places even more.
Rain was expected elsewhere in the state, with about an inch of snowfall possible by the end of the storm if temperatures get cold enough. The forecast was for rain to start late Monday night and then turn to snow in northern areas early Tuesday. Officials said travel into North Jersey would be risky.
On Monday afternoon, dozens of shoppers filled their cars with snow shovels and bags of melted snow at the Lowe’s Home Improvement store in Stony Brook, New York, where up to 10 inches of snowfall was forecast.
“I’m just trying to make sure I get ready early,” said Mark Richardson, 29, as he unloaded a yellow shovel into the back of his SUV. “This will be the first major snowfall this year. I just need to get to the highway and I’m fine.”
Richardson, an ironworker, said he planned to clear his way early Tuesday morning and try to make it to his regular commuter train in New York City.
At a news conference, New York City officials said they had no plans to move people out of several large, heated tent shelter complexes built to house thousands of homeless migrants, despite predictions of snowfall.
“Those structures are designed to withstand extreme weather,” said Zachary Iscol, the city’s emergency management commissioner. He said the city was not expecting the kind of high winds or coastal flooding that forced the evacuation of one of the tent shelters last month.
To the south, flooding hit much of Alabama and central Georgia on Monday. The National Weather Service warned that up to 5 inches (12.7 centimeters) of rain was expected in parts of Georgia and Alabama.
There were thunderstorms across both states on Monday, and the severe weather even extended to the Florida area.
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Associated Press writer Steve LeBlanc in Boston; Jeff Martin in Atlanta; Mike Balsamo in Stony Brook, New York; Bruce Shipkowski in Toms River, New Jersey; and Ron Todd in Philadelphia contributed to this report.
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