Major Winter Storm Threatens New England And Boston, Several Flights Cancelled, Schools Closed

Update as of 6:15 a.m. EST: The Midwest and northeastern United States are set to experience icy temperatures all week and into next weekend, as the third winter storm in as many weeks moved through the northeast early Monday, CNBC News reported.

The year’s coldest air is expected to move across the Northeast on Friday, The Weather Channel reported early Monday. Several Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority trains were cancelled, while some faced delays due to snow.

Original story:

About 1,000 flights have been canceled in New England ahead of another major winter storm that could bring up to 2 feet of snow in some areas in the northeastern United States. The snowstorm is the third to hit the region in less than three weeks.

The National Weather Service (NWS) reported that Boston's Logan Airport received 7.4 inches of snow on Sunday, and over 400 flights were canceled at Boston area airports, while authorities warned drivers to stay off roads on Monday. A snow emergency has been reportedly declared in Boston and authorities announced that all public schools in the city will be closed on Monday and Tuesday. Central Massachusetts received over 9 inches of snow on Sunday, and NWS forecast up to 24 inches on Monday.

“We’re in this pattern now,” Bill Simpson, a NWS meteorologist in Boston, said, according to Reuters. “The cold air comes flying down here from Canada and interacts with moisture from the ocean. When those ingredients get together you get enough energy for a snow event.”

The NWS reportedly also issued winter storm warnings for central New York, the western Catskills and New England through early Tuesday, predicting a “long duration snow event” in surrounding areas. Upstate New York is expected to receive between 9 and 18 inches of snow, authorities reportedly said.

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker reportedly said that state offices would be closed Monday. The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency also said that traveling would be difficult from Sunday night through Tuesday morning.

Meanwhile, the country's west coast was dealing with heavy rainfall, and the NWS predicted more rains for Northern California and points further north along the coast, with winds of 20 to 30 mph and gusts of 45 mph forecast for the San Francisco Bay area and Monterey.

"Flooding and mudslides are a possibility for Northern California, and for parts of Oregon and Washington as well,” Dan Pydynowski, a senior meteorologist, told USA Today.