Wednesday Winter Storm Warning issued for R.I., Bristol County, Mass.

PROVIDENCE – A Winter Storm Warning has been issued for all of Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts from 8 a.m. Wednesday through 8 a.m. Thursday by the National Weather Service.

Snow accumulations of 6-10 inches are expected as of 3 p.m. Wednesday in Bristol County, Washington County and Newport County, as well as Bristol County, Mass., including Fall River, New Bedford, Bristol, Narragansett, Westerly and Newport.

The NWS, as of 4 p.m., expected between 5-10 inches of snow in Providence and Kent Counties.

For all of Rhode and southeastern Massachusetts the weather is expected to result in difficult travel conditions, mainly during and after the Wednesday evening commute. The NWS also warned of the potential of falling tree branches, which could result in scattered power outages.

- Advertisement -

The R.I. General Assembly announced Tuesday that the planned Wednesday House and Senate sessions, as well as all committee and commission hearings in both chambers, are canceled Wednesday and will be rescheduled. The General Assembly’s Thursday schedule will remain as currently scheduled.

Providence public schools and recreation centers also will be closed Wednesday, the city announced Tuesday afternoon. The city said that the Department of Public Works is preparing all equipment for the storm.

The R.I. Emergency Management Agency warned that the snow will be both heavy and wet, accompanied by sustained winds.

National Grid Rhode Island said that nearly 200 line crews and more than 80 tree crews will be on hand to address outages in Rhode Island as the storm hits.

“It may be the first day of spring, but here we are preparing for another March nor’easter,” said Timothy F. Horan, president and chief operating officer of National Grid in Rhode Island in a statement. “No matter the season, we will be ready to address any resulting customer outages safely, and as quickly as possible.”

Chris Bergenheim is the PBN web editor.