BOSTON – The third major winter storm in less than two weeks inflicted fresh snow – and misery – across New England and portions of New York state on Monday. Boston, which broke records set during the epic Blizzard of ‘78, grappled with a conundrum: Where to put it all?
Doug Buckley, a truck driver delivering food to restaurants in Boston, captured the city’s winter weariness: “I want to take a plane to Florida.”
The National Weather Service issued winter storm warnings for central New York, the western Catskills and much of New England through early Tuesday.
Some areas of Massachusetts had about a foot of snow before dawn, and the storm was expected to last all day Monday. The weather service reported an unofficial measurement of more than 21 inches in Norwell, while other communities south of Boston including Weymouth, Quincy, Milton and Rockland got 18 inches or more. Fitchburg, Leominster and Ashby in north-central Massachusetts all had about 15 inches. Logan Airport in Boston had a foot, and the city was forecast to get as much as 2 feet.
“You can’t change it. The snow is there,” said Helen Ferullo, a Weymouth social worker resigned to the onslaught. “You can’t do anything about it.”
In New York, the snow stretched from Buffalo to the Hudson Valley, one day after 6 inches of snow fell on parts of the region. Much of Connecticut braced for 6 to 12 inches.
In Massachusetts alone since last month’s blizzard struck, state workers have removed enough snow to fill Gillette Stadium 90 times over, Gov. Charlie Baker told reporters Monday morning, calling the situation “pretty much unprecedented.”
Boston set a record for the most snow recorded in a 30-day period, with 61.6 inches by 7 a.m. Monday, breaking the record of 58.8 inches set in February 1978.
Bangor, Maine, tied its own 30-day snowfall record with 53 inches, which hasn’t been seen in such a short period since 1969, the National Weather Service said.
Amtrak canceled portions of its passenger train service in upstate New York because of the storm. It said some trains linking New York City to Albany-Rensselaer and Niagara Falls, New York, were canceled. New York’s Metro-North Harlem line had delays of up to 45 minutes.
Boston’s Logan International Airport was allowing only a limited amount of flights to arrive and depart Monday. Travelers were urged to check with their airlines. Dozens of flights in and out of Connecticut’s Bradley International Airport were canceled, as well as flights at Maine’s Portland International Jetport and Bangor International Airport.
Boston’s transit system, the nation’s oldest, has been particularly hard hit this winter. The buildup of snow and ice on trolley tracks combined with aging equipment has stalled trains, delaying and angering commuters. On Monday, nearly 50 commuters were rescued from a Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority train that became disabled between stations in Quincy, just south of Boston. Parts of Boston’s Red and Orange subway lines shut down and passengers were being loaded onto buses.
A frustrated Baker called that “unacceptable” and said he’ll meet with top transit officials once the weather subsides.
Associated Press radio correspondent Julie Walker in New York City; AP writers Rodrique Ngowi, William J. Kole and Mark Pratt in Boston; Rik Stevens in Concord, New Hampshire; and Mary Esch in Albany, New York, contributed to this report.
