'Dangerous' blizzard winding down in RI

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) - A powerful post-Christmas blizzard was winding down Monday morning in Southern New England, but not before heavy snow and high winds left many travelers stranded while trying to return home after the Christmas holiday.

The National Weather Service has a blizzard warning in effect through noon for all of Rhode Island and all of eastern Massachusetts except Cape Cod and the islands, which are under a high wind warning until 6 p.m. The storm reached the area Sunday morning, with the worst conditions in the evening and overnight.

Motorists began returning to the roads throughout the region despite official warnings that they should stay off the streets. Snow drifts made it hard for some people to open doors and get out of driveways.

The R.I. Department of Transportation mobilized 630 pieces of equipment, including about 500 blows, to deal with the storm. The wind is making the cleanup more difficult because snow is being blown back onto cleared roads, spokesman Charles St. Martin told The Providence Journal.

"While the roadways appear to be clear in some spots, it's deceiving – there's a lot of black ice out there," J. David Smith, executive director of the R.I. Emergency Management Agency, told Eyewitness News just before sunrise. "For the most part, it's still very treacherous out there," he added.

More than a foot in Mass.

The heaviest snow was tapering off by mid-morning although some bands of light snow may continue until around 3 p.m., the Weather Service said. Skies should be clear by the evening but "very windy conditions" will continue into Tuesday, forecasters said.

The Weather Service reported 16.7 inches of snow on the ground Monday morning at its office in Taunton and 16 inches in Mansfield; 12 inches in Woonsocket, West Warwick and North Kingstown; and 10 inches in East Providence and South Attleboro. More than two feet fell in parts of New York and New Jersey.

Final snow accumulation is expected to be between 10 and 16 inches locally.

The blizzard caused maximum wind gusts of 50 to 56 miles per hour in Warwick, Middletown, Westerly and New Bedford, the Weather Service said. The wind reached 80 miles per hour Sunday night in Wellfleet on Cape Cod.

Strong winds forced officials to close the Pell Newport Bridge to high-profile vehicles such as vans and SUVs at 11 p.m. Sunday. The bridge has since reopened to all vehicles at reduced speeds.

Temperatures will drop throughout the day Monday, which will continue to make driving conditions perilous, Smith said. "It's very dangerous out there, so we're asking everybody to please stay off the road unless you absolutely have to go out," he said.

Planes, trains, buses struggle

Governors declared states of emergency because of the storm in Massachusetts, Maine, New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina. Gov. Don Carcieri has opted not to do the same in Rhode Island, where state offices were already closed in observance of Christmas Day.

More than three dozen flights in and out of T.F. Green Airport in Warwick had been canceled early Monday. The airport's website went down by mid-morning as travelers tried to check the status of their flights. Airlines said their schedules were unlikely to return to normal until Tuesday.

Amtrak resumed limited train service between New York and Maine by 6:15 a.m. Monday after suspending trips late Sunday afternoon. There was no word on when service would return to normal, and an Amtrak spokesman said to expect delays.

Commuter rail service between Providence and Boston was operating normally for the most part, an MBTA spokesman said. Bus companies canceled trips, as well.

Some malls opening later

In Rhode Island, National Grid said about 900 of its customers were without power late Monday morning. Across the border, National Grid and NStar said about 38,000 of their 2.3 million Massachusetts customers were without power.

In Massachusetts, the National Guard helped local police evacuate some homes in Scituate, Quincy and Rockport because of coastal flooding.

The blizzard also put a damper on retail sales as malls including Providence Place and other stores and restaurants closed early Sunday. The day after Christmas is one the five busiest shopping days of the year, according to the research firm NPD Group.

Providence Place and North Attleboro's Emerald Square mall both opened at 10 a.m. Monday, while Warwick Mall will open at noon and Cranston's Garden City Center will open at 1 p.m., management said on Facebook and in phone interviews.

Trash will not be picked up in Providence on Monday, Mayor David Cicilline's office said in a statement. The weekly schedule will be delayed by one day, with Monday's trash collected on Tuesday. A citywide parking ban is in effect until at least 2 p.m.

The weather is set to improve as the week goes on, with clear skies and a nice night for revelers on New Year's Eve, Eyewitness News meteorologist Michelle Muscatello said this morning. High temperatures will climb from the 30s midweek into the 40s by the weekend.

tnesi@wpri.com

Eyewitness News reporter Tim White and The Associated Press contributed to this report.