In anticipation of a major and possibly historic nor’easter expected to pummel the Boston metropolitan area with destructive blizzard conditions, Newton government buildings and programs, alongside Newton public schools, will be closed tomorrow, Feb. 23.
“It looks like we’ll be getting another winter wallop of snow,” wrote Newton Mayor Marc Laredo in his weekly newsletter. “The latest forecast calls for as much as two feet of heavy snow to fall in Newton before the storm ends Monday mid-day.”
Governor Maura Healey declared a state of emergency for Massachusetts Sunday afternoon, activating the State Emergency Operations Center and 200 National Guard members. Healey also said non-emergency state employees should not report to their workplaces on Monday, urging employers to move to working remotely.
“This will be a severe storm that presents significant risks to public safety,” Healey said in the statement. “We need everyone to take it seriously.”
The storm is expected to bring powerful wind gusts as high as 75 miles per hour with sustained winds ranging from 20 to 35 miles per hour. The hourly snowfall rate in eastern Massachusetts, which includes Newton, could reach 2 to 4 inches between 9 p.m. and midnight Sunday, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).
“We can’t stress this enough, but this storm will likely bring extreme to destructive impacts south and east of the I-95 corridor,” the NWS wrote in their latest advisory.
The NWS issued a blizzard warning for eastern Massachusetts. The last time the NWS released a similar warning was four years ago, when Boston got 23.5 inches of snow.
“Things really go downhill overnight,” Boston 25 Meteorologist Vicki Graf said in her Sunday forecast. “Driving is going to be nearly impossible at times on Monday.”
On top of cold temperatures and strong winds, blizzards can create life-threatening “whiteout” conditions, meaning the snow makes it impossible to distinguish the ground from the sky.
“I’m urging residents to stay off the roads unless absolutely necessary and pay attention to local parking bans,” Healey wrote on Facebook.
The Snow Emergency Parking Ban in Newton for on-street parking went into effect at 5 p.m. Sunday, and the ban for parking in municipal and school parking lots will be enforced at 9 p.m.
Downed trees and power outages are expected. In the case of either, Laredo urged Newton residents to report them to Eversource.
“Heavy wet snowfall amounts up to 2 ft with damaging winds presents a serious concern for tree damage and power outages,” the NWS reported.
Colleges located in Newton, such as Lasell University, William James College, and Hebrew College, have already cancelled classes or moved them to be held remotely. Boston College has yet to cancel classes or move them online.
This storm comes almost a month after Newton’s last storm on Jan. 25, which brought in a total of 2 feet of snow.
Laredo assured that the Department of Public Works will do their best to clear the roads tonight and tomorrow.
“This is another big storm,” Laredo wrote. “Our Department of Public Works crews and contractors will be out plowing throughout the night—as long as conditions are safe—and well after the snow stops tomorrow.”
