Storm slows traffic, cancels flights

February 22, 2008 04:40 PM Email| Comments (0)| Text size – +

By Andrew Ryan, Peter J. Howe, and Tania deLuzuriaga, Globe Staff

A blinding storm has shrouded Massachusetts in a white blanket of snow, slowing traffic to a crawl and causing spinouts across the state.

What began this morning as a dusting has roiled into a near blizzard that is expected to dump up to 8 inches of snow. Despite the intensity of the squalls, however, few major accidents or traffic jams have been reported.

Traffic is “definitely lighter today being a school vacation week,” said Lieutenant Eric Anderson of the State Police. “I think people also realized the storm was coming. The state and businesses let people go home early. I think that really helped.”

There are reports of cars skidding on Cape Cod and the South Shore. In Boxborough and Action, eastbound Route 2 has been treacherous between Interstate 495 and Route 27. Other accidents have been reported in Needham, and I-495 South in Hopkinton was at a complete standstill.

The MBTA reported that about a half-dozen trains were delayed by 20 to 30 minutes during the afternoon rush hour, including the 2:45 p.m. train to Worcester from South Station. Usually running express as far as Natick, the train was making stops at every station in Newton and Wellesley to accommodate a crush of passengers leaving the city as the snowstorm began to intensify and was expected to be at least 30 minutes late in Worcester.

Governor Deval Patrick sent home all nonemergency state employees, and officials urged private businesses to do the same so snow crews can safely clear the roads.

Mayor Thomas M. Menino declared a snow emergency, triggering a parking ban in Boston that went into effect at 2 p.m. Parking is barred on main roads, a list of which can be found here. The city has also canceled all evening activities. The state Department of Conservation and Recreation also issued a ban parking on its roadways in Greater Boston posted with “snow emergency” signs.

The “quick-hitting, intense storm” will blast the region with up to an inch of snow an hour, said Bill Simpson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Taunton.

The storm has smothered the east and is expected to hit New York City with the most snow it has seen in two years. Air travel has been thrown into chaos from Philadelphia to Boston.

Peter Judge, spokesman for the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, urged people to stay put until the snowfall slows.

“We’re trying to avoid the travel problems that people experienced in the Dec. 13 storm when everyone was out in the middle of the event,” Judge said.

Mass Highway trucks were out hours before the storm started, treating roads with liquid calcium chloride, which prevents snow from sticking to the streets, said spokesman Adam Hurtubise. By noon, the state had 2,637 plows, sand spreaders, and salters out across the state.

"You have to treat it as it comes," Hurtubise said. "As soon as it starts sticking, Mass. Highway starts plowing."

Mass Highway officials were recommending commuters leave later and keep the roads clear for plows. "We're urging people to stay as late as possible to wait out the storm or take public transportation," he said.

The National Weather Service is urging travelers to stay put until early Saturday, when a winter storm warning expires at 1 a.m.