‘Historic’ blizzard expected to paralyze Northeast

WEATHER
Published: January 25, 2015 11:15 PM
By W. Zachary Malinowski

Journal Staff Writer

bmalinow@providencejournal.com

PROVIDENCE — A blizzard of historic proportions is expected to descend on Rhode Island starting Monday afternoon and dump between 20 and 30 inches of snow across the state and eastern Massachusetts.

But the problem is not just snow. The National Weather Service is predicting that winds will reach 30 mph and could gust to 75 mph in coastal areas. The whipping winds will create blizzard conditions and visibility will be near zero.

The weather service said there is a one percent chance of getting less than 18 inches of snow. It is expected to be heavy and wet which could down power lines and cut electricity to homeowners.

The storm is expected to paralyze the region through Tuesday night and WPRI-Channel 12 meterologist T.J. DelSanto tweeted on Sunday afternoon that Rhode Island residents should be prepared “for potential outages which could last for at least a few days.”

The blizzard is expected to pick up steam on Monday around 7 p.m. and could last until Wednesday at 1 a.m.

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Providence Mayor Jorge O. Elorza announced that the Providence Emergency Management Agency and Office of Homeland Security will open at noon Monday at 591 Charles St.. City residents in need of help or shelter can call PEMA’s ”snow hotline” at (401) 680-8080.

On Sunday afternoon, parking bans were announced in Tiverton, Burrillville, Johnston, Middletown, Portsmouth, Hopkinton and Seekonk. By Monday morning, those bans are expected to be in effect in every community across Rhode Island.

At T.F. Green Airport in Warwick, Zamir Zaki, a spokesman, said flights will be on a regular schedule Monday morning. “Not so sure about the evening,” he said. Zaki said individual airlines make the decision about whether to fly in or out of the airport.

Governor Raimondo issued a statement on Sunday night saying that her staff will be closely monitoring the blizzard and tracking the path of the storm.

“Rhode Island will be as ready as possible, but make no mistake: this could be a very severe and dangerous weather event,” she said. “I urge all Rhode Islanders to also take the steps necessary now, ahead of the storm, to be prepared. This includes making sure to have sufficient food, water and fuel for the next few days.”

The National Weather Service recommends that all boats be in port on Monday by noon.

In the event of a power outage, call National Grid at (800) 465-1212.

Raimondo also is seeking volunteers after the storm through Thursday to help elderly and disabled residents with snow removal. Serve Rhode Island will coordinate requests from elderly and disabled residents and assign snow shovelers to help them out. Volunteers can sign up online by going to Serve Rhode Island’s website or clicking on this link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/SRI_SAFE-D. They can also call Serve Rhode Island at (401) 331-2298.

Amtrak is planning to operate a normal schedule on Monday, but it may re-evaluate its schedule as the weather worsens. The train service intends to make schedule changes as far in advance as possible. Those with reservations are urged to closely watch conditions late Monday and early Tuesday.

In the sports world, the New England Patriots plan to fly from Logan International Airport in Boston at 12:30 p.m. for Super Bowl week in Glendale, Ariz. The weather also is expected to postpone opening arguments on Tuesday in the murder trial of ex-New England Patriot Aaron Hernandez in Bristol County (Mass.) Superior Court. Judge E. Susan Garsh had hoped to have the 18 jurors — 12 seated and six alternates — on Monday.