Here is the National Weather Service alert: (Bold highlighting is mine)
SEVERE WEATHER ALERT FOR NEWTON, MA
Blizzard Warning – URGENT – WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR SOUTHEAST MIDDLESEX COUNTY VALID FROM SAT JAN 22 2005 05:50 PM EST UNTIL SUN JAN 23 2005 01:27 AM EST.
BARNSTABLE MA-BLOCK ISLAND RI-BRISTOL RI-CENTRAL MIDDLESEX COUNTY MA- DUKES MA-EASTERN ESSEX MA-EASTERN KENT RI-EASTERN NORFOLK MA- EASTERN PLYMOUTH MA-NANTUCKET MA-NEWPORT RI-NORTHERN BRISTOL MA- NORTHWEST PROVIDENCE RI-SOUTHEAST MIDDLESEX MA- SOUTHEAST PROVIDENCE RI-SOUTHERN BRISTOL MA-SOUTHERN PLYMOUTH MA- SOUTHERN WORCESTER MA-SUFFOLK MA-WASHINGTON RI-WESTERN ESSEX MA- WESTERN KENT RI-WESTERN NORFOLK MA-WESTERN PLYMOUTH MA- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF … ATTLEBOROUGH … BARNSTABLE … BARRINGTON … BEVERLY … BOSTON … BRISTOL … BROCKTON … BROOKLINE … CAMBRIDGE … FALL RIVER … FALMOUTH … FRAMINGHAM … FRANKLIN … GLOUCESTER … LAWRENCE … LOWELL … LYNN … MILFORD … NANTUCKET … NEW BEDFORD … NEWBURYPORT … NEWPORT … NEWTON … NORTH ATTLEBOROUGH … PLYMOUTH … PROVIDENCE … QUINCY … SOMERVILLE … SOUTH KINGSTOWN … TAUNTON … VINEYARD HAVEN … WALTHAM … WARWICK … WEYMOUTH … WOONSOCKET AND WORCESTER 540 PM EST SAT JAN 22 2005 …
BLIZZARD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM EST SUNDAY… TWENTY TO 30 INCHES OF SNOW WILL ACCUMULATE IN EASTERN MASSACHUSETTS INCLUDING THE CAPE AND ISLANDS AS WELL AS ALL OF RHODE ISLAND BY LATE SUNDAY…MAKING IT HIGHLY PROBABLE THIS WILL BE ONE OF THE FIFTH WORST SNOWSTORMS IN RECORDED HISTORY FOR BOSTON AND PROVIDENCE. DRIFTS OF AT LEAST 6 FEET ARE EXPECTED IN PARTS OF EASTERN MASSACHUSETTS AND RHODE ISLAND WITH WIND GUSTS AFTER MIDNIGHT ALONG THE COAST REACHING 55 TO 65 MPH…EXCEPT POSSIBLY TO 75 MPH ON NANTUCKET AND CAPE COD SUNDAY MORNING. THE STRONG WINDS WILL CAUSE SEVERE BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW WITH WHITEOUT CONDITIONS AT TIMES. THE WINDS LIKELY WILL ALSO TRIGGER AT LEAST SCATTERED POWER OUTAGES NEAR THE COAST…AND TO A LESSER EXTENT INLAND. OVER CAPE COD…NANTUCKET AND MARTHAS VINEYARD…THE SNOW WILL LIKELY BE OF A SOMEWHAT WETTER CONSISTENCY…AND THUS CREATE THE RISK FOR WIDESPREAD POWER OUTAGES SUNDAY MORNING. SNOW WILL TAPER TO SNOW SHOWERS LATE SUNDAY AFTERNOON OR EVENING. CONSIDERABLE BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW WILL PERSIST INTO LATE SUNDAY EVENING ACROSS EXPOSED AREAS. AMOUNTS AS HIGH AS 3 FEET POSSIBLE. THE MOST VULNERABLE LOCATIONS FOR 30 INCHES OR MORE OF SNOW ARE ESSEX…PLYMOUTH…NORFOLK AND BARNSTABLE COUNTIES IN MASSACHUSETTS AND PROVIDENCE COUNTY IN RHODE ISLAND. ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATING SNOWFALL MAY CONTINUE ON THE CAPE AND ISLANDS INTO SUNDAY NIGHT. ANY TRAVEL IS STRONGLY DISCOURAGED UNTIL LATE SUNDAY OR SUNDAY NIGHT. IF YOU LEAVE THE SAFETY OF BEING INDOORS YOU ARE PUTTING YOUR LIFE AT RISK.
severe weather alert for newton, ma
Blizzard Warning – URGENT – WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR SOUTHEAST MIDDLESEX COUNTY VALID FROM SUN JAN 23 2005 08:59 AM EST UNTIL SUN JAN 23 2005 04:38 PM EST. 846 AM EST SUN JAN 23 2005
…BLIZZARD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM EST THIS EVENING… AN EXTREME SITUATION IS OCCURRING IN EASTERN MASSACHUSETTS. FOUR INCHES OF SNOW WAS REPORTED IN 25 MINUTES AT CHELMSFORD MASSACHUSETTS SHORTLY AFTER 7 AM AS THE LAST EXCESSIVE BAND OF POWDERY SNOW SWINGS SOUTHEASTWARD. THE NORTH SHORE IS BEING BLITZED BY SNOWFALL RATES OF ALMOST 4 INCHES PER HOUR. IT MAY LAST ONLY ANOTHER HOUR OR TWO BUT ITS A COMPLETE SHORT TERM PARALYSER. IT IS SPREADING EAST SOUTHEAST AT 15 MPH INTO BOSTON NOW AND WILL CONTINUE THERE THROUGH AT LEAST 11 AM. THIS BIG SNOW BAND WILL ARRIVE ON THE SOUTH SHORE BETWEEN 10 AM AND 11 AM AND THEN CROSS THE UPPER CAPE BETWEEN 11 AM AND 2 PM. IT TENDS TO LAST ABOUT 2 HOURS. THAT MEANS 8 INCHES OF SNOW MAY FALL IN PORTIONS OF THE BOSTON AREA IN A 2 HOUR PERIOD DURING MID AND LATE MORNING. FINAL BLIZZARD TOTALS FOR MOST OF EASTERN MASSACHUSETTS WILL RANGE BETWEEN 28 AND 38 INCHES SETTING A NEW SINGLE STORM RECORD FOR BOSTON… SURPASSING THE AMOUNT FROM THE GREAT BLIZZARD OF 78 AND THE PRESIDENTS DAY STORM OF 2003. ISOLATED TOTALS OF 40 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE. EVEN IF THIS STORM COMES UP SLIGHTLY SHORT OF RECORD… IT IS A DANGEROUS STORM WITH THE WORST OCCURRING NOW INTO EARLY THIS AFTERNOON AS WINDS STRENGTHEN AND TEMPERATURES FALL TO NEAR 10 ABOVE. NORTHERLY WINDS WILL BE GUSTING AROUND 75 MPH ON BARNSTABLE AND NANTUCKET COUNTIES. THIS IS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS LIFE THREATENING STORM BECAUSE OF SEVERE BLOWING AND DRIFTING OF THE NEWLY FALLEN SNOW AND TUMBLING TEMPERATURES. SCATTERED POWER OUTAGES HAVE OCCURRED THIS MORNING AS WINDS ALL ALONG THE COAST GUST BETWEEN 55 AND 65 MPH ON BOSTONS NORTH AND SOUTH SHORES AND EVEN ON NARRAGANSETT BAY. A 78 MPH WIND GUST WAS REPORTED IN EAST FALMOUTH BY A SPOTTER. THERE HAS BEEN ISOLATED DAMAGE REPORTED TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. DRIFTS OF AT LEAST 6 FEET ARE OCCURRING. ALL THE HEAVY SNOW WILL TAPER TO SNOW SHOWERS LATER THIS AFTERNOON OR EVENING…BUT CONSIDERABLE BLOWING AND DRIFTING WILL PERSIST INTO LATE THIS EVENING ACROSS EXPOSED AREAS. A BLIZZARD WARNING IS ISSUED WHEN SUSTAINED WIND SPEEDS OR FREQUENT GUSTS OF OVER 35 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH CONSIDERABLE FALLING AND/OR BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW. WHITEOUT CONDITIONS OCCUR AT TIMES. THOSE VENTURING OUTDOORS MAY BECOME LOST OR DISORIENTED…SO PERSONS IN THE WARNING AREA ARE ADVISED TO STAY INDOORS.
Dan and I went out into this this morning with a brisk walk into Newton Centre. We estimated about 30″ of snowfall in our neighborhood. The wind was fierce, blowing snow into our eyes with stinging intensity. Plows were out but almost no one else. Peets and Starbucks were closed. In fact, everything was closed. It was beautiful.
A stack of delivered Sunday papers was waiting in front of the closed door of the convenience store across from Starbucks. Dan opened the pile and took a paper, leaving $5 — but not before he (or, coincidentally, someone) had set off the building alarm. Never mind. We had the Sunday paper with coffee this morning. Headline: Blizzard wallops N.E.