Heavy snow returns to New England, rain to Pacific Northwest

[February 09, 2015]  By Kevin Murphy
 
 (Reuters) - Boston and other areas of the Northeast, already buried under about a yard of snow, braced for up to two more feet through early Tuesday while more rain and high winds were in store for parts of the Pacific coast, forecasters said on Sunday.

The National Weather Service predicted a “long duration snow event” in Boston and surrounding areas of New England and issued a winter storm warning through 1 a.m. on Tuesday. The snowstorm is the third to hit the region in less than three weeks.

“We’re in this pattern now,” weather service meteorologist Bill Simpson in Boston said. “The cold air comes flying down here from Canada and interacts with moisture from the ocean. When those ingredients get together you get enough energy for a snow event.”

Snowy conditions contributed to nearly 200 flight cancellations in and out of Boston's Logan International Airport on Sunday, according to the FlightStats website that tracks air traffic nationwide.

Boston public schools announced classes are canceled for Monday and Tuesday. Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker ordered state offices closed and that non-emergency state employees stay home on Monday.

The forecast led comedian Bill Cosby to cancel a Sunday evening performance in Boston. Activists had planned to picket, angry over allegations that he sexually assaulted more than a dozen women years ago - accusations he denies.[nL1N0VI0F5]

Proceedings in the murder trial of former NFL star Aaron Hernandez in Fall River, Massachusetts, were also canceled and would resume on Tuesday. The U.S. District Court in Boston is closed Monday, postponing further jury selection in the trial of Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.

School was also closed for Monday in Providence, Rhode Island, and a parking ban was put into effect starting at midnight Monday. The weather service forecast up to a foot of new snow in the vicinity by Tuesday.

A winter weather advisory was issued for the New York area, with 4 to 8 inch of snow and a quarter inch of ice possible through Tuesday morning, the weather service said.

On the other side of the country, more heavy rain was forecast for Northern California and further up the U.S. coast line, according to the National Weather Service. Twelve inches drenched parts of Northern California, Oregon and Washington state between Thursday and Saturday.

A strong cold front approaching the coast will trigger the moisture on Sunday evening in the Pacific Northwest that will then spread over the Rocky Mountains, the weather service said.

Along with rain, sustained winds of 20 to 30 mph with gusts of 45 mph were forecast for the San Francisco Bay and Monterey areas, according to the weather service.

In Washington state, rain-soaked ground created a mudslide that shut down Amtrak train service until Monday between Seattle and Everett, Washington and between Portland, Oregon and Kelso, Washington, Amtrak announced on its website.

Meanwhile, parts of Midwest had no rain, snow or cold weather on Sunday. Kansas City, Missouri, enjoyed sunny skies and a high temperature of about 60 F.

(Reporting by Kevin Murphy in Kansas City; editing by Andrew Hay)

[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.