Snow blankets region, breaks records, in biggest storm in years
By John R. Ellement, Jeremy C. Fox and Matthew Berg Globe Staff and Globe Correspondent,Updated December 17, 2020, 10:32 p.m.
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A man cleared snow from a sidewalk in Charlestown.Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff
New England was hit Thursday with its biggest snowstorm in years, bringing freezing temperatures and gusty winds, breaking snowfall records in Boston and Providence, forcing the cancellation of some COVID-19 testing, and keeping thousands of children home for remote schooling.
In a region wracked by the coronavirus pandemic, officials and residents found themselves engaged in a familiar New England ritual: braving the elements and clearing the snow. Boston City Hall was closed, nonessential state employees did not have to report for work, and state courts shuttered their doors.
Boston ends parking ban â and 48-hour space-saver clock starts ticking as region cleans up
By John R. Ellement Globe Staff,Updated December 18, 2020, 7:49 a.m.
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Boston police recruits cleared away snow from neighborhoods in the city on Thursday, Dec. 17. 2020.Boston Police Department s website (Custom credit)
Bostonâs snow emergency ended at 7 a.m. Friday, schools reopened for those receiving in-person instruction, and the 48 hour clock started removing space savers from shoveled parking spaces in the wake of Thursdayâs storm.
The long-duration storm, the first of this winter season, dropped dropped 12.7 inches on Boston, breaking the one-day record set in 2013. Worcester, Providence and Hartford also set new one-day totals, the weather service said.
Dec 17, 2020
Weather forecasters are confident that the dumping of snow Vermont, especially the southern half, got overnight Wednesday will last to the holidays.
âI think itâs pretty much a slam dunk that the snow we have right now is going to be on the ground for Christmas Day,â said Tom Kines, senior meteorologist at AccuWeather.
The winterâs first snowstorm traveled farther north than expected, leaving snowfall that ranged from just an inch or so in Burlington, to 44 inches in Ludlow.
âWe knew there would be bands of heavy snow, we just didnât know where those bands were going to set up,â said Kines. âAs we know now some of those bands set up across southern Vermont.â
Weather forecasters are confident that the dumping of snow Vermont, especially the southern half, got overnight Wednesday will last to the holidays.
âI think itâs pretty much a slam dunk that the snow we have right now is going to be on the ground for Christmas Day,â said Tom Kines, senior meteorologist at AccuWeather.
The winterâs first snowstorm traveled farther north than expected, leaving snowfall that ranged from just an inch or so in Burlington, to 44 inches in Ludlow.
âWe knew there would be bands of heavy snow, we just didnât know where those bands were going to set up,â said Kines. âAs we know now some of those bands set up across southern Vermont.â