National Weather Service cancels blizzard watch, still forecasting between 10 and 16 inches of snow on Tuesday

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE said snow will start falling around 4 or 5 a.m. / COURTESY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE said snow will start falling around 4 or 5 a.m. / COURTESY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE

(Updated 4:12 p.m.)
PROVIDENCE – Spring is just a week away, but winter refuses to let go, as at least a foot of snow is expected for Tuesday in the Providence area.
“The snow is moving in tonight,” Alan Dunham, National Weather Service meteorologist, said Monday. “The morning commute is not going to be any fun and neither will be the afternoon commute.”
Snow will start falling around 4 or 5 a.m., Dunham said, with a winter storm warning in effect for southeast Providence County from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. Between 10 and 16 inches of snow is expected, he said.
Snow is expected to fall at a rate between 2 and 4 inches per hour, with near-whiteout conditions at times. The National Weather Service is warning about “dangerous travel conditions” and strong winds that may result in power outages.
Dunham said rain could mix with snow in the afternoon in southern Rhode Island but change back to snow. The heaviest precipitation is expected to come to an end late afternoon or early evening.
Accuweather said the storm could cause people to be stranded on highways.
“For thousands of miles of roads in the region, this will be an unusually cold storm for the middle of March. Much of the snow that falls will rapidly accumulate on the roads across the interior of the mid-Atlantic and New England,” Accuweather said.
The total snowfall this season, as of midnight, for Providence is 42.6 inches, Dunham said. The normal level is 29.9 inches.
Providence Public Schools and after-school activities already have been canceled for March 14, according to a news release from the city. Recreation centers also will be closed, and there will be a citywide parking ban beginning at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday and will remain in effect until further notice.
A list of closings can be found HERE.
T.F. Green Airport said on its website that travelers should check with their airlines about March 14 flights.
The Rhode Island Public Transit Authority is urging passengers to sign up for electronic News Updates at http://www.ripta.com/detours-news. RIPTA will e-mail detours and service disruption notices to passengers on this distribution list. RIPTA said passengers also should check news reports, www.RIPTA.com and RIPTA’s social media outlets (Facebook @RideRIPTA and Twitter @RIPTA_RI) for service advisories and updates throughout the storm.
Dunham said this still might not be the last the region sees of snow. The National Weather Service is watching another potential storm system for Saturday.
Temperatures will remain below normal all week, meaning Tuesday’s snow will stick around. The mercury will hover in the lower 30s; the normal high for this time of year is 47 degrees.

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