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Dec 14, 2007 6:51 am US/Eastern
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Winter Storm Socks New England
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
Heavy snow blanketed the state Thursday afternoon, making for nightmare
commutes as drivers sat in traffic for hours. About the only ones happy were
snowplow drivers.
By the end of the storm, Middleboro had over one foot of snow
and Sturbridge and Berkley
had a foot. Boston and Worcester got 8.4 inches of snow.
Meteorologist Barry Burbank said snow fell at a rate of 1-2 inches per
hour through 8 p.m. The heavy snow tapered off by 9 p.m.
And it appeared many drivers would have been lucky to have made it home by
then. One driver who left Lowell at 1:30 p.m.,
headed for Needham, was still on Rte. 128 in Waltham at 6:30.
"It's crazy," she said.
After being towed out of a snowbank, she made it home by 10:45 p.m.
Another reported leaving Boston at 1 p.m. and
getting to the Rte. 3 rest stop in Plymouth
shortly before 6.
Route 93 and Route 128 continued to be trouble spots for drivers who
were trying to get home late Thursday night.
"I usually make here from work in 15 minutes and I've been on the road
since 1," one driver told WBZ's Joe Shortsleeve late Thursday
afternoon in Newton.
He predicted his usual 45-minute commute to Medway would take 3½ hours.
"This
is New England," he shrugged.
Friday morning's commute is
expected to be much easier. State highways are in decent shape, but state
police are still asking motorist to be very cautions and watch out for plows
and sanders treating the road.
MassHighway said it had almost 4,000 pieces of equipment on the roads
Thursday night.
"Crews will be out throughout the night to ensure that the roads are ready
for the morning commute," a spokesperson said in a released statement.
Rte. 128 South in Lexington,
near Rtes. 4 and 225, was closed entirely late Thursday afternoon because
trucks has jackknifed and blocked the road.
Vehicles were having an especially difficult time negotiating hills because
of the snow and ice.
Drivers struggled to stay in their lanes, and some northbound drivers
actually slid into the southbound lanes at times, according to Shortsleeve.
Many were running out of gas.
In downtown Boston,
traffic slowed to a crawl as workers left early in hopes of beating the worst
of the snowfall.
"The traffic outside -- isn't it unbelievable?" Jackie Collins, a
technology consultant from Boston,
said as she waited for a commuter train at South Station. "It's stop and
go."
"I'm sure my train will be packed, but we'll squeeze on it and hope for
the best," said John Kelly, a rail commuter from Weymouth.
In western Massachusetts, Interstate 90 was
off-limits to double-trailer big rigs and propane tankers and speeds were
reduced to 40 mph, said state police trooper Christopher Ware of the Westfield barracks.
"It's nasty, but so far people seem to be doing OK," he said,
adding they had responded to several spinouts by early afternoon, but no
serious collisions.
His advice to motorists: "Just stay home until this is over."
Travel was no easier by air. At Boston's Logan International
Airport, more than 100
flights were cancelled and several others were delayed.
Gov. Deval Patrick ordered state agencies to send home non-emergency employees
Thursday and encouraged private businesses to do follow suit. Many towns and
cities also shut down early.
Boston Public Schools are closed
Friday, along with several other schools throughout the state. Many schools conducting
classes today have delayed opening their doors for at least 1 hour.
And just when you thought it was over, another major snowstorm is on its
way, and should be here late Saturday night and into Sunday. Forecasters said
that storm has the potential to be a powerful Nor'easter.
Highest Snow Totals:
- Middleboro 13.0"
- Sturbridge 12.5"
- Berkley 12.0"
- W.
Bridgewater 11.5"
- Mansfield 11.5"
- Hanson 10.5"
- W.
Mansfield 10.0"
- Taunton
9.5 "
- Blackstone 8.4"
- Boston 8.4"
- Worcester 8.4"
Learn how to prepare for a
winter storm and assemble a
disaster kit.
(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)