The U.S. Northeast faced yet another major winter storm at the weekend, with blizzard conditions in six states’ coastal regions, much of which is already buried under record-setting snow, forecasters said. Some relief is expected for Maine in lowered total snow forecast, dropping to 9 to 15 inches of snow Sunday.
[Update at 6:30 am Sunday: The National Weather Service continues to drop the expected amount of snowfall for Maine, with it decreasing to 4 to 7 inches in most parts of the state, heavier Down East, where the forecast calls for 5 to 11 inches through Sunday evening.]
Previous snow accumulation estimates exceeded two feet. The National Weather Service continues to forecast near-blizzard conditions for Maine, with wind gusts perhaps exceeding 50 mph.
Maine Gov. Paul LePage reminded the state Saturday in a press release that the state of emergency he declared on Jan. 27 remained in effect, “giving legal authority for any emergency actions that may be necessary.”
“We also want to assure everyone although we have sent some Maine National Guard resources to assist Massachusetts, we have a robust force still here in the State,” LePage said in the release. Hundreds of businesses and organizations have already closed to wait out the storm.
More than 50 million people from Michigan to southern Canada were in the path of the storm, which was tracking east over the Great Lakes and gaining strength as it approached the Atlantic coast of New England, the National Weather Service said.
The most severe weather was heading for the New England coast, including Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut and New Hampshire, late Saturday into Sunday. Forecasters expected heavy snow accompanied by hurricane-force wind gusts of up to 75 miles per hour in some places. A coastal flood warning is in effect for southern Maine, according to the weather service.
In Boston, snow fell hard Saturday afternoon, pausing for an evening lull before picking up again. Forecasters predicted accumulations of up to 14 inches of snow through Sunday.
Boston has seen about 6 feet of snow since late January and set a record for accumulations in a single week.
About 600 members of the National Guard are helping out during the blizzard, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker said.
For many retailers and restaurants, the Valentine’s Day timing of the storm couldn’t have been worse.
“This was really going to be gangbuster weekend,” said Joe Cassinelli, 38, who owns three restaurants in Somerville, just north of Boston. “All the restaurants in the area are basically trying to survive this winter, and we were all looking to Valentine’s Day.”
Even before the brunt of the storm moved in, the weather had disrupted travel at East Coast airports, with more than 1,500 flights canceled in the United States for Sunday, according to Flightaware.com, a website that tracks air traffic.
Forecasters said the driving winds and extreme cold made this storm particularly treacherous.
The wind chill in Boston could hit minus 20 degrees Fahrenheit on Monday, with a wind chill of minus 35 degrees Fahrenheit predicted for western Massachusetts, the National Weather Service said.
As the storms continue, Boston has struggled to find places to put the snow. Mayor Marty Walsh said Thursday that the city was relying on 10 local dumping grounds, called snow farms, while seeking more.