For the most part, southern New England is grounded until Sunday.
State officials reinforced state wide travel bans remain in effect throughout Massachusetts and Rhode Island, as well as parts of Connecticut, as of mid day Saturday due to last night's mega blizzard that dumped over two feet of snow in Boston. By 3 P.M., they said the ban will be lifted at 4 P.M. and re-assessed every hour with a chance of being re-instated due to high winds and blowing snow.
In the meantime, authorities in both states said that fines upwards of $500 and a year in prison are possible for drivers caught venturing out in what has been the worst snow storm in the region since 2003.
At least a foot and a half of snow has fallen throughout southern New England Friday and Saturday. Widespread power outages persist and are likely to continue for as much as three days, area utility companies like National Grid are currently warning.
In Warwick, RI, TF Green Airport is open and runways are being cleared for some flights. Travelers will have to get in touch with their airline to see if those birds are flying today.
In Boston, Logan Airport said that no flights will be taking off or landing until 11 P.M. today. The airport reported it had 21.8 inches of snow, making it the 6th biggest blizzard in the last 100 years.
Amtrak service from Boston to New York is also down all day Saturday due to snow covered tracks and debris. Amtrak said it would provide further details later in the day as to whether or not service will be started on Sunday. Trains are operating from New York to Washington DC, however. Passengers who have paid but choose not to travel due to this service disruption can receive a refund or a voucher for future travel, Amtrak said today.
The areas largest bus line, Peter Pan, is also down both Saturday and Sunday.
In the region, heavy wet snow has pine trees bent over to the ground and power lines torn free from houses. Homes in the area are buried in snow drifts as high as five feet, with snow caked on windows. People are sledding down city side streets that remain blanketed in white as official state and local transportation departments work on getting the main roads cleared.
Meanwhile, I'll be waiting for a crazy person to get arrested because they have to get to a Dunkin Donuts or want to see if Walmart is open.
