EAST PROVIDENCE – A powerful winter storm could bring blizzard conditions for Rhode Island and parts of southeastern Massachusetts on Saturday, with an expected 12-18 inches of snow that could make roads impassable.
“Travel could be extremely difficult to impossible,” the National Weather Service said Friday morning. “Strong winds could cause tree damage.” Drifting snow, “along with near whiteout conditions at times,” is expected, with snowfall rates of 2 to 4 inches per hour at times that could begin in the early morning hours. Wind gusts as high as 60 mph are expected.
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Gov. Daniel J. McKee, Lt. Gov. Sabina Matos and R.I. Department of Transportation Director Peter Alviti on Friday said residents and communities should prepare for a major snowstorm.
“For those of us that have lived through the Blizzard of ’78, we always think it is an important thing to be prepared for,” McKee said. “This has the potential to be dangerous whiteout conditions. So, the No. 1 thing we can do now is prepare.”
McKee said the Department of Transportation has 155 vehicles, and access to over 350 private plow vendors, prepared to treat the state’s roads. “We have 75,000 tons of salt, and we will begin pretreating roads today,” he said, while noting that he canceled a trip to Washington, D.C., to meet with President Biden on Saturday.
“My team and I have been monitoring the situation for the last 24 hours,” said McKee. “It’s looking like the snow will begin earlier than anticipated, sometime overnight, and it is likely it will be a blizzard.”
Alviti said, “This is a big one. The biggest one we’ve had in a while in Rhode Island. But we’re very well-prepared in the amount of material that we have and the ability to be able to treat the roads during and after the storm.”
Alviti said RIDOT is staffed at 96% of its drivers, and the state is recommending a general travel ban for Saturday and in discussions with adjoining states for instituting a travel ban for tractors and trailers.
“This is for everyone’s safety,” said Alviti.
Alviti said that on Saturday morning the storm will get “very intense very quickly, which means there will be whiteout conditions. It is going to be impossible for a normal passenger vehicle to travel on those roads. The snowfall could get ahead of our capability to remove it, which means it will accumulate and make travel treacherous.”
Lt. Gov. Sabina Matos said that the public can call the United Way at 2-1-1 for helpful information, resources and shelter.
McKee said the state’s COVID-19 testing and vaccination sites will be closed on Saturday. The R.I. Department of Health will be sending a notification to people who had made an appointment for Saturday.
Cassius Shuman is a PBN staff writer. Contact him at Shuman@PBN.com. You may also follow him on Twitter @CassiusShuman.
