PROVIDENCE – It will be a return to a typical New England winter on Tuesday after the region enjoyed well-above average temperatures this past weekend.
The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning for the entire state of Rhode Island through Tuesday with the exception of Block Island.
Snowfall is expected to begin at 6 a.m. Tuesday and could be as heavy as 1-2 inches per hour.
The fast-moving storm is expected to dump as much as 12 inches of snow in the northern part of the state, while Providence County and the midsection of the state could see between 6 to 8 inches of snow before the storm is over Tuesday evening. Southern coastal areas are expected to see only between 2 and 3 inches of snow.
"Our message to Rhode Island is to prepare now, anticipating there will be travel restrictions. Prepare now and through the rest of the day,” Gov. Daniel J. McKee said Monday. “We know the routine.”
McKee said R.I. Department of Transportation crews will begin treating the roads three hours before the storm’s expected arrival. He added that the state has 450 plows available and 60 tons of salt to combat the storm.
Rhode Island Energy is bringing in an additional 75 line crews from out of state and adding an additional forestry crew to help with downed trees, McKee said.
Providence, Warwick and Cranston already have canceled school on Tuesday. Parking bans have been issued in more than a dozen cities and towns across the state, including Cranston, Woonsocket, North Kingstown and Newport.
The R.I. Public Transit Authority has canceled its public hearing on Tuesday in Pawtucket on proposed service changes due to its critical driver shortage. That meeting has been rescheduled for Feb. 20 at 5:30 p.m. at the Blackstone Valley Visitor Center.
On local college campuses, Providence College, the Rhode Island School of Design, the Community College of Rhode Island, Salve Regina University in Newport, the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, Stonehill College in Easton and all of Bristol Community College's campuses have canceled all activities, including classes, and suspended operations for Tuesday due to the storm.
The Providence College men's basketball game scheduled for Tuesday night against St. John's University at the Amica Mutual Pavilion is currently up in the air. A post on X by the team on Monday stated that it is "waiting on communication" from state officials regarding any travel restrictions related to Tuesday's storm, and a decision on the game's status will be made "once the travel restrictions have been determined."
An X post by WJAR-TV NBC 10 stated that the game would be postponed to Feb. 14 if the state implements a travel ban. No such ban has been announced by the state at this time.
(UPDATE adds the last three paragraphs with information about canceled activities on local college campuses and the potential postponement of the Providence College men's basketball game against St. John's University.)
