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Boston's Morning Newsletter
How the massive snowstorm is affecting Mass. schools, transit and power Monday
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Talk about a throwback to 2015: The Pats are going to the Super Bowl (!) and much of Massachusetts is buried under a thick blanket of snow.
Here's a look at what to expect from the storm today:
Out from the depths: Boston residents are waking up to more than a foot of snow this morning — the result of the city's largest winter storm in four years. The National Weather Service reported 16.7 inches of snow at Logan Airport as of midnight. And outside of Boston, some cities and towns are creeping toward the 2-foot mark; for example, the NWS's snowfall map shows Middleton, Holden and Newburyport with over 20 inches. But it's not over yet. 1°Outside meteorologist Danielle Noyes says the Boston area can expect an additional 2 to 3 inches of snow today. "It's going to fall lightly through much of this afternoon, with a little last gasp that comes in this evening that may be a little more intense, like moderate snow, between about 6 p.m. and 8 p.m.," Noyes told WBUR's Morning Edition. Noyes has more here on what to expect from the storm's second act today.
- School closures: Most schools in Massachusetts are closed for a snow day, including in Boston and Worcester. Some districts, like Springfield, have already called a snow day for Tuesday, too. But Boston Mayor Michelle Wu told WBUR this morning that she's hopeful kids will be back in class tomorrow. "The hope is that, with all of our crews on hand, we are really going as fast as possible today, even as the snowfall flows, so that we can be clear for tomorrow morning," Wu told Morning Edition. WCVB has the full list of school closures here.
- State offices: Gov. Maura Healey has instructed state employees to work remotely today, and has encouraged private employers to let their workers do the same.
- MBTA: The T is running its normal weekday subway schedule, but there are some delays on the Red, Orange and Blue lines this morning and shuttle buses are replacing the Mattapan trolley. The T's Commuter Rail is also running a "storm schedule," which MBTA General Manager Phil Eng says is "about one-third of the regular weekday schedule," and some lines are seeing delays of up to an hour. The Hingham/Hull and Charlestown ferries are also running reduced service today.
- Up in the air: At Logan Airport, more than 500 flights are canceled today, according to the website FlightAware; Massport expects almost all flights to be grounded at least through this morning. (Meanwhile in Maine, a private aircraft carrying eight people crashed on takeoff last night at Bangor International Airport due to the storm. There's no word yet on the passengers' conditions.)
- Power outages: Unlike other states, Massachusetts' electric grid hasn't been hit too hard by the storm. According to the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, outages statewide were down from over 2,000 to just 317 as of 8 a.m.
- In Boston, residents have until 10 a.m. Tuesday to clear their sidewalks. Boston's interim chief of streets, Nick Gove, says the city will issue tickets to property owners who do not clear off sidewalks or push snow into the street. And if you are shoveling snow, remember to lift with your legs, not your back, UMass Medical Center's Dr. Timothy Boardman told WBUR. We also dug out these tips from 2015 on shoveling big loads of snow, from a spine expert.
Click here for photos of yesterday's storm in the Boston area. Meanwhile, NPR has a state-by-state overview of the storm's impacts across the country here.
In national news: Democratic leaders in Massachusetts are condemning the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Alex Pretti by federal officers in Minneapolis on Saturday — the second fatal shooting in the Minnesota city by immigration agents this month. Gov. Maura Healey called on President Trump to end the immigration operation in Minneapolis. "This is not what ICE was intended for," Healey said when asked about the shooting during a press conference on Sunday.
- Trump administration officials are defending the shooting, alleging that Pretti, who was an ICU nurse at the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Medical Center, was attempting to "massacre" federal agents with a gun that he had a lawful permit to carry. Video and eyewitness accounts of Pretti's killing refute this claim; Pretti can be seen holding only a phone in his hand, before at least six officers tackle him, pinning him to the ground and shooting him repeatedly in the back.
- Sens. Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren have both said they will not support a funding bill for DHS and ICE that's set to come through the Senate this week. "Hold these federal agents accountable. No funding for DHS. Get ICE out of our cities now," Markey said. Congress must pass a funding bill by Friday to avert a partial government shutdown. NPR has more on the emerging standoff here.
P.S. — If you tuned into WBUR yesterday, you might have noticed a new addition to our Sunday lineup. "Left, Right & Center," KCRW's show hosted by David Greene, is now in the 11 a.m. time slot. Learn more about the show, and view the new Sunday schedule, here.
