Joke's On Mass. With April Fools' Storm

A wet, heavy snow swept through the Boston area Friday morning — April Fools' Day — making for slippery driving conditions and causing some commute spinouts. The precipitation closed schools and knocked out power across the state.

[sidebar title="Related Links:" width="270" align="right"]

[/sidebar]

In Boston, forecasts called for between 2 and 4 inches, with the precipitation tapering off in the afternoon. The central and northern parts of the state were hit hardest, with the National Weather Service reporting 7.7 inches of snow in Boylston and 7.3 in Ashburnham.

The spring storm caused more than 100 school districts to cancel or delay classes Friday, while the heavy precipitation brought also down power lines. At one point, some 14,000 were without power in the state. Those numbers fell to the low thousands in the late morning.

"We'll keep our fingers crossed because this is heavy, wet snow and it puts stress on wires and branches that are out there, but we've been very fortunate in Massachusetts — at this point so far," said Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency spokesman Peter Judge.

National Weather Service meteorologist Brian Montgomery said the storm tracked farther east than some models predicted. That meant the region's most heavily populated parts were spared from heavy snow.

But slick conditions slowed the Boston area's commute on the first day of April.

"We're asking folks to take their time, leave space between themselves and the person in front of them and take public transportation if possible," Judge advised Friday morning.

The MBTA reported some delays on various lines and a number of flights were canceled at Logan International Airport.

With reporting from the WBUR Newsroom and The Associated Press.