Winter delivers a rather sloppy Valentine

The much-hyped Valentine's Day storm arrived in New England and left parts of the region deep in snow, but was a washout in other areas.

"Winter is back," said Walter Drag, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Taunton.

Boston saw a total of only about 2 1/2 inches of snow, but much higher totals were recorded north and west of the city.

By 9 p.m., 12 inches fell in Greenfield and 11 in Ashfield. Six inches fell in Concord, Fitchburg, and Amherst, and about 4 inches in Natick.

In Walpole, N.H., weather spotters measured a foot of snow. In Maine the National Weather Service issued a rare blizzard warning, and the governor declared a state of emergency.

By late afternoon yesterday, temperatures in Boston and its southern suburbs had climbed above freezing , and the snow turned to rain. But frigid temperatures overnight and today left many areas sheathed in ice.

"We expect some flash freezing and icing over of the streets and highways. All the slush out there will be freezing solid, and door locks may be frozen," Drag said.

Yesterday the weather service received reports of street flooding in Braintree and Cumberland, R.I. State Police briefly shut down the flooded high-speed lanes on Route 128 near Gloucester.

Some schools and civic groups canceled evening programs, and employers sent workers home early.

Massachusetts State Police and local departments reported many, many accidents throughout the day, including a few rollovers. None involved serious injuries .

But by yesterday afternoon, the storm created headaches for travelers. At Logan Airport , hundreds of flights were canceled, and scores more were delayed for as long as six hours. The airport closed its runways three times yesterday, once for 80 minutes.

Massport spokesman Phil Orlandella said that the airport averages about 550 flights arriving and 550 departures on a weekday, and that about half of those were canceled yesterday. Despite that, the terminals were not crowded last night, and Massport had received no requests for cots, which the airport uses in emergencies to help stranded passengers.

"There aren't many stranded people here," Orlandella said. "The word got out pretty good yesterday."

A New York-bound bus carrying 35 passengers crashed into a guardrail at the Allston-Brighton toll booths on the Massachusetts Turnpike. No one was injured, but traffic was snarled while the bus was towed away.

Spokesman Erik Abell said MassHighway crews started "aggressively treating the roads" late Tuesday, using about 3,300 pieces of equipment. In expectation of last night's icy conditions, the state had crews on regular shifts throughout the night.

For many people, getting around was difficult -- even if they stayed off the roads.

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority dealt with numerous breakdowns. The Green Line's B branch was busing passengers yesterday afternoon after a power line went down around Boston University. The Blue Line was busing at the same time because a track needed repair, and the Orange Line was busing from Wellington to Oak Grove for the afternoon commute after a water main break flooded tracks.

T officials are working to keep one track open to Oak Grove, but some riders will be bused until the problem is fixed.

Last night, water flooded an underground vault at Harvard Square and caused three manholes to explode just after 6, officials and witnesses said.

NStar crews had to pump out the water before starting repairs, said Dennis Galvam , an NStar spokesman.

No injuries or power outages were reported, but several buildings, including the Brattle Street Theatre, were evacuated as crews determined the cause of the explosions, said fire officials.

The explosions rattled some residents.

Flora Hollinger , who lives on Brattle Street, said she was leaving a class at the Cambridge Center for Adult Education when one of the manholes blew. "It was a big bang like the Fourth of July," she said.

Christine McConville and Andrew Ryan of the Globe staff contributed to this report. Material from the Associated Press was also used.