RI, Mass. have long clean up ahead

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) - A powerful winter storm dropped more than a foot of heavy, wet snow across much of Southern New England on Wednesday, disrupting travel plans and closing schools and offices.

Rhode Island officials said accurate forecasts helped them stay ahead of the weather, but Massachusetts officials said the storm's severity caught them by surprise. Mass. Gov. Deval Patrick declared a state of emergency there at midday Wednesday.

Meteorologist Michelle Muscatello warns of slick side roads and sidewalks which remain covered and icy.

"It is a very heavy, wet snow and it's leading to sagging branches, power lines and scattered power outages," added Muscatello.

Total snowfall accumulation varied widely across the area, with up to 20 inches in northwestern Rhode Island, about 9 inches around Providence and as little as 7 inches in parts of Bristol County, Mass.

But officials warned that the heavy, wet snow could make it dangerous for some people to shovel. Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee urged residents to clear their driveways and sidewalks early before the snow turned into something more like "concrete."

RI 'in pretty good shape'

Chafee and other officials said they were pleased with Rhode Island’s response to the snowstorm, though Transportation Director Michael Lewis asked drivers to be cautious when they return to the roads.

“It looks like we’re in pretty good shape,” Chafee said at a noon press briefing at the R.I. Emergency Management Agency’s Command Readiness Center in Cranston. He also announced that second-shift state employees should report to work as normal.

• Related: EMA urges caution during storm cleanup

The DOT mobilized 94 state plows, 336 private plows and 15 front-end loaders to deal with the storm, officials said. Chafee said he would give an "A+" grade to state and local workers for their efforts during the storm. His spokesman said he would spend the rest of the day monitoring conditions remotely.

Law enforcement responded to 87 accidents and more than 100 stranded motorists across Rhode Island during the storm, State Police Col. Brendan Doherty said. No one was seriously injured in the car crashes.

In Massachusetts, officials acknowledged being taken by surprise by the amount and the severity of the snowfall brought by Wednesday's Nor'easter. Gov. Patrick said as much as 30 inches of snow could fall in the western part of the state.

Roads worse than they look

Road conditions remained a key concern for officials in both states even as the storm wound down.

Lewis warned Rhode Island roads could be treacherous if melting followed by cold temperatures causes icy conditions. “I want to caution against a false sense of security,” he said at noon.

• Related: Road still treacherous

Lewis said it would take about four hours once the storm ends for crews to finish clearing and treating the state's highways. They “should be in good shape” in time for Thursday’s morning commute, he said.

Patrick asked Bay State residents to remain off the roads until the storm ends this evening. "Stay off the roads for your own safety and also to give the plows and sanders a chance to do their best for you," he said, according to The Boston Globe.

About 200 flights in and out of T.F. Green Airport were canceled Wednesday, or about 75 percent of its traffic, officials said. Airlines said there are 5-7 planes that are expected to land Wednesday evening.

• Related: More from T.F. Green Airport

Amtrak suspended all train service between Boston and New York City Wednesday morning after an overhead power system was damaged by a fallen tree near Sharon, Mass.

Amtrak plans to operate a normal schedule from NYC to points in New England and Upstate NY on Thursday.

RIPTA also canceled some buses and delayed others.

Fallen trees, power lines feared

The heavy snow put a strain on trees and utility lines, which the National Weather Service warned would likely cause numerous power outages throughout the day and into the evening.

At the storm's height, National Grid reported about 8,000 customers without power across Rhode Island. By 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday there were only about 200 people without power in the state.

Bristol County, Mass., was one of the hardest-hit areas in the Bay State and was "experiencing significant storm-related outages" at midday, the utility said.

Trees weighed down with snow caused scattered damage, with one falling onto a home in Greenville and others whacking or nearly missing cars.

The Edgewood Yacht Club in Cranston burned to the ground in an overnight fire, the cause of which was unknown at midday. Officials did not know if the fire was related to the storm, but they said the weather hampered efforts to battle the blaze.

Stores, city budgets affected

Officials in Rhode Island thanked residents for largely staying off the roads, which they said made it easier for state and local crews to clean up. Many businesses either remained closed or delayed their openings.

Chafee said he never seriously considered declaring a state of emergency because of the storm. “I didn’t think this rose to that level,” he said. “We just stayed on top of this one from the beginning.” Accurate forecasts from local meteorologists were a big help, he added.

Major shopping centers took different approaches to the storm. Warwick Mall and the Wrentham Village Premium Outlets closed for the day. Every store at Providence Place stayed closed except Macy's and Borders. Emerald Square mall opened late.

Mail service continued, but a spokeswoman for the U.S. Postal Service asked residents to make sure there was a clear path to their mailboxes so that carriers would be able to deliver mail without injuring themselves.

The storm also dealt another blow to government budgets already strained by the recession. Fall River Mayor Will Flanagan said his city has already spent about $400,000 of its $500,000 snow budget for 2010-11. In Rhode Island, the DOT said it had already spent $4 million of its $9 million snow budget before this latest storm.

Like many local leaders, Providence Mayor Angel Taveras spent the overnight hours riding shotgun in a plow. His office reminded residents they could be fined $25 to $300 for failing to clean snow off their properties.

tnesi@wpri.com

Eyewitness News reporters Walt Buteau, Susan Hogan and Tim White contributed to this report.