Winter Storm Bears Down on Northeast

A major winter storm is threatening to hit Massachusetts, with up to a foot of snow creating dangerous road conditions, canceling flights and disrupting package delivery.

Much of the state, from Cape Cod and Cape Ann to Worcester, is under a winter storm warning, with blizzardlike conditions predicted on Cape Cod. The National Weather Service expected the heaviest amounts falling during the early afternoon.

UPS issued a service update to say there will be no pickups or deliveries in the affected areas, and flights were being canceled at Boston's Logan International Airport.

11 am #WinterStormMars radar and winds: Moderate to heavy snow falling across far eastern Mass. pic.twitter.com/f2TNzjOU4l

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— The Weather Channel (@weatherchannel) February 8, 2016

Peter Judge of the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency cautioned, “The storm will bring heavy snowfall, strong winds, blizzard conditions in the southeast areas of the state, and minor and moderate coastal flooding along the east coast and Nantucket. Impacts of the storm may include heavy snow, coastal flooding, downed limbs and power lines, and associated power outages” before winding down tonight.

Tom Tinlin, highway administrator with MassDot, called the storm the “big brother” of the Feb. 5 storm. Tinlin said plows, salt spreaders and de-icing equipment were sent out as needed in order to try to keep pace with an expected 1 to 2 inches per hour of snowfall.

“With the storm of this significance, everything we have in our arsenal will be deployed,” Tinlin said while urging people to stay off the roads.

MBTA General Manager Frank DePaola said hundreds of extra maintenance and contract workers will be pulling in overtime for the next “48 to 72” hours to keep the T running smoothly during the steady snowfall expected Feb. 8-9.

“We don’t expect major service disruptions,” DePaola said. “If people have a choice, I would avoid travel. If you have to travel, I would take public transit.”

11 am #WinterStormMars radar and winds: Moderate to heavy snow falling across far eastern Mass. pic.twitter.com/f2TNzjOU4l — The Weather Channel (@weatherchannel) February 8, 2016

Elsewhere:

• Eastern Connecticut was bracing for 4 to 8 inches of snow. Drivers were urged to be cautious on roads. "AAA rescued more than a thousand members in the greater Hartford area [Feb. 5]," AAA spokeswoman Amy Parmenter said. "Let's not start the workweek the same way we finished it."

• Several inches of snow were predicted in the Philadelphia region starting the evening of Feb. 8, with parts of the New Jersey coast already seeing flooding from a separate storm system.

• Snow fell the morning of Feb. 8 on Long Island, and New York's Suffolk County was under a winter storm warning until 6 p.m. and expecting near-blizzard conditions. It was likely to get 4 to 8 inches, with northeast winds from 15 to 25 mph and gusts to 35 mph. Many flights were canceled at LaGuardia Airport.

Pennsylvanians advised to monitor forecasts for approaching #PAWinter storm: https://t.co/tEgIsdTOON. Info from us, @ReadyPA. — PennDOT (@PennDOTNews) February 8, 2016

Contributing: Philly.com, The Hartford Courant, Newsday