Abc40 meteorologist Dan Brown said he expects the snow to taper off by mid-morning. Watch video
SPRINGFIELD – State police report major roadways are in decent shape as varying rates of snow continue to fall in Western Massachusetts.
State police in Springfield reported a handful of minor accidents on Interstate 91 as the morning commute got underway. Their counterparts in Northampton and on the Massachusetts Turnpike in Westfield, speaking about 6:45 a.m., reported no major problems.
State Police on the Massachusetts Turnpike said conditions are a bit worse at the New York border. Speed on the turnpike has been reduced to 40 mph.
State Police Sgt. Adam Hakkarainen, who is attached to the Northampton barracks, said about three hours later that a few vehicles had spun-off into the median on Interstate 91.
“No major injuries, no major back-ups,” he said.
Abc40 meteorologist Dan Brown, reporting about 6 a.m. said the snow is expected to shut-off by mid-morning. “Don’t get me wrong, were still talking about a decent snowfall with 6 to 10 inches blowing and drifting snow,” Brown said, adding that the big weather story of the morning will be strong winds which have been gusting over 40 mph.
12.27.2010 | SPRINGFIELD - A snow blower clears the sidewalk on Main St. in Springfield Monday morning.SHARE YOUR PHOTOS
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Springfield police Lt. John K. Slepchuk reported a water main break at Sumner Avenue and Vail Street and a power outage at Pine and Central streets. Both areas will likely require excavation later this morning and should be avoided by motorists, Slepchuk said.
“Western Massachusetts (Electric Co.) has been there all night,” Slepchuk said of the outage at Pine and Central.
Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, Conn., closed for the last several hours due to the weather, is slated to reopen at 9 a.m., Rollin Tebbets, operations manager said.
About half of Bradley’s flights were canceled yesterday and the closure of the airport this morning resulted in the cancellation of some 35 flights, he said.
The airport’s peak wind gust, recorded late Sunday night, came in at over 50 mph, Tebbets said.
A falling tree penetrated a home on North Plain Road in Sunderland early Monday morning and heavily damaged a 40-foot porch. The occupants were not injured.
Brown said snowfall amounts have varied throughout the region, ranging from as little as 4 inches to a reported 11 inches in Ware.
Mountain Road in Easthampton, closed overnight, has since been reopened. City offices, meanwhile, will not open until noon today.
A number of Western Massachusetts communities have enacted winter parking bans until further notice. They include Springfield, Northampton, Holyoke and Granby.
Brown said that cold, dry air funneling in from the north has tamped down snowfall amounts in Western Massachusetts. The heaviest snowfall has been in the eastern part of the state which will receive 1 to 2 feet, he said.
Brown said, however, that Western Massachusetts will see temperatures in the 40s and perhaps even high as 50 as the new year approaches. “A lot of this will be gone by next weekend,” he said.