After Sandy, readying for Nor'easter

WESTERLY, R.I. (WPRI/AP) -- Southern New England is getting a first, serious taste of winter, with a dash of snow as well as harsh winds and rain in a Nor'easter Wednesday afternoon -- just over a week since the super-storm Sandy tore through coastal regions. It's forcing some recovery efforts to be put on hold.

A Winter Weather Advisory was issued for parts of Rhode Island through Thursday morning. Whipping winds arrived in the Providence area before noon.

Coastal flooding on the Rhode Island south shore is expected to be minimal with the Nor'easter, according to meteorologist T.J. Den Santo.

In Matunuck, a pub which had a rear staircase torn apart by Sandy, prepared a deck-full of sandbags. Tara's Pub on Matunuck Beach Road showed Eyewitness News the bags filled and stacked up, ready for rising water or crashing surf.

Westerly's Town Manager, Steven Hartford, told the Associated Press that residents in the Misquamicut area have been making some progress in recovery operations, but volunteering is now suspended until Friday. A drop-off station is also closing temporarily to people who were hauling away sand that blanketed their properties.

Instead, town crews are out cleaning storm drains. Hartford said the storm could bring some street flooding, and sand and debris could blow back into newly cleared streets.