Above: A contractor worked on clearing a path outside the Holmes School which will remain closed along with all BPS schools on Tuesday. Seth Daniel photo
A winter storm that dumped nearly two feet of snow to Boston on Sunday and Monday prompted Mayor Wu to declare a “snow emergency” that went into effect on Sunday, Jan. 25 at 8 a.m.
The snow emergency will be lifted on Monday, Jan, 26 at 8 p.m.
Boston Public Schools, which were closed on Monday, will remain closed on Tuesday.
The snow emrgency declaration triggered parking restrictions on marked arteries across the neighborhoods, including key routes like Dorchester Avenue, Blue Hill Avenue, and Washington Street— and many more.
“Boston is preparing for the snow, and we need everyone to help stay safe and check on your neighbors, family, and friends,” said Mayor Wu. “Our city workers will be working around the clock throughout the storm, and we ask everyone to make plans to stay inside and stay off the roads wherever possible to give our crews the space to clear the roads and respond to emergencies.”
The snow emergency overlaps with an existing “cold emergency” that was declared on Friday due to arctic temps that are now chilling the region.
If the storm lives up to expectations, the snowfall could be Boston’s biggest totals since 2022.
Gov. Maura Healey activated the state emergency operations center Friday and instructed many state workers to stay home Monday.
The governor declared Monday a remote work day for non-essential state employees and encouraged private sector employers to consider doing the same. She suggested people stay indoors, and eventually off the roads, amid a forecast that calls for dangerously cold temperatures followed by the biggest snowstorm the Bay State has seen in a couple years.
“We haven’t had one of these like this this year, so it is a big deal for the state,” Healey said, describing the preparations that include staging snow removal equipment and public safety resources ahead of the storm.
The Department of Transportation has more than 3,200 pieces of snow removal equipment ready to be put into use. Jonathan Gulliver, the state highway director, expects to deploy that full fleet at the height of the storm.
“This is a pretty big and intense storm with a long duration,” he said. “Our salt supplies for both pre-treatment and for salt during the storm are in really good shape. Our salt sheds are full. We are ready to go.”
If people must be on the roads Monday, Gulliver advised using extreme caution.
“A storm of this size, it takes us, typically, about four hours to clean up after the snow stops. So keep that in mind if you do need to be out and about on Monday,” he said.
MBTA Chief Operating Officer Ryan Coholan said the transit system anticipates running a normal Sunday schedule across the system this Sunday, followed by normal weekday service on the core system Monday. Buses will run on snow routes though, which could mean small changes to their schedules.
Commuter Rail will operate on a reduced storm schedule Monday, he said.
State House News Service reports contributed to this story.
