UPDATED: Travel Ban Will Be Lifted at Midnight

By Les Masterson (Patch Staff)

Photo credit: Patch file photo

UPDATED at 5:27 p.m. Tuesday: Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker said the travel ban will be lifted at midnight as the Blizzard of 2015 makes its way out of Massachusetts.

The MBTA will resume operations on Wednesday morning. Trains will operate on a regular schedule and buses will also operate on a regular schedule as long as the roads and stops have been properly cleared.

Logan Airport will reopen at 6 a.m. Wednesday with a small number of flights. That should ramp up by noon and JetBlue plans on resuming service by 3 p.m Wednesday.

The state will limit state workers to 22,000 “emergency” executive branch employees, said Baker.

Baker said snow will continue to fall in parts of Eastern Massachusetts into the night and possibly as late as midnight. He said another 2 to 6 inches may fall tonight.

He also warned there is still a lot of snow to be removed from roads and sidewalks and it will be a long cleanup.

Baker said a smaller storm could hit Massachusetts on Thursday and Friday that could drop another six inches.

When Baker was asked what he thought about Mother Nature after his first brush with a major storm as Massachusetts governor, Baker quipped, “She’s a big, powerful lady.”

UPDATED at 12:46 p.m. Tuesday:

Gov. Charlie Baker said the travel ban remains in place across Eastern Massachusetts and on the Massachusetts Turnpike.

Baker announced at noon that Western Massachusetts counties are no longer under the travel ban except for the Mass Pike.

Baker said parts of Eastern Massachusetts are seeing snowfall rates at the moment that are similar to when the storm first hit overnight. Parts of Eastern and Southern Massachusetts may still get another 5-10 inches of snow and could face white-out conditions.

The governor also said some snow drifts are as tall as six feet in Eastern Massachusetts.

The travel ban stays in place across Eastern Massachusetts for now, but he hopes to have more information by 5 p.m. Tuesday.

There have been “several instances” of drivers being cited for violating the ban, including a truck driver whose tractor-trailer jack-knifed on I-91.

Baker added that he expects the MBTA will not be in service at all on Tuesday.

The governor said there has been widespread moderate coastal flooding and some isolated major flooding. A seawall in Marshield was breached and “took out” an unoccupied house, said Baker.

The governor expects things to return to normal on Wednesday though he acknowledged it will be a slow start in the morning.

“This is clearly a very big storm for Massachusetts. I’m glad we had a little bit of advanced warning to plan for it,” he said.

Baker asked for residents to check on their neighbors when they can.

He said people with transportation questions can call 511.

Those with shelter questions can call 211.

Original article posted at 7:35 a.m. Tuesday:

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker updated the public on the latest information about the storm during a 7 a.m. press conference on Tuesday.

Baker said it was a “relatively incident-free night” despite parts of Massachusetts getting pummeled with two feet of snow.

Here are seven things we learned during Baker’s address:

• Though snow will continue to fall throughout most of the day, the governor said the state may not see the three feet predictions that were feared. (On hearing the governor give this statement, local weather forecasters took to Twitter to say that another foot and a half of snow may fall through the day on Tuesday. The storm has a long way to go, they said.)
• Baker said power outages have not been as severe as feared.
• Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant in Plymouth has been shut down as a precaution and after a power loss.
• The travel ban remains in place. It is working and will remain for now. Baker said he may have more information at a noon press conference.
• There are about 200 people in shelters because of the storm. There were evacuations along the south coast, including Marshfield, Scituate and Hull.
• People should spend time this morning digging out fire hydrants, sidewalks and vents. The snow will stop eventually, he said.
• State emergency management officials are feeling positive and more optimistic on Tuesday morning.

See other storm-related coverage:

• Mass Governor Issues Travel Ban
• UPDATED -- Blizzard 2015 Storm Coverage: What You Need to Know About This Potentially Historic Snowstorm
• Winter Weather Safety Tips From the Mass State Police
• Blizzard 2015: Hour-by-Hour Forecast
• Red Cross Offers Blizzard Preparation Safety Tips
• Safe Winter Driving Tips as Storm Approaches
• Going Out To Shovel In North Reading? Keep These Safety Tips In Mind