'It Was A Complete White-Out': Snow Makes For Difficult Christmas Day Travel
BOSTON (CBS) – New England woke up to a white Christmas and then some on Monday, as snow made for tough travel and even temporarily shut down runways at Logan Airport.
A Massport spokesman said airport crews were not able to keep up with the snow and were not departing or landing aircraft as of 10 a.m. About an hour later, one runway was able to open but delays were expected throughout the day.
On the roads, MassDOT said it had nearly 2,000 crews out plowing around 10 a.m.
"We really advise stay in as much as you can and if you have to go out, take it slow and leave lots of space," MassDOT Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver said.
The speed limit on the Mass Pike was reduced to 40 mph from the New York border to Boston Monday morning. WBZ's Anna Meiler shared a video showing low visibility and snow-covered roads on the Pike just after 9 a.m.
Mid-afternoon, the speed limit returned to normal.
"I wish we had gotten on the road a little earlier, but I kind of like having a white Christmas --it's a fair trade-off," one driver told WBZ-TV.
"It was a complete white-out," another man said. He drove 25 mph from New Hampshire to Cambridge. "The roads were treterous, I just took it slow and easy. I've got an all-wheel drive."
The precipitation was expected to wrap up around noon, but the National Weather Service warned of a "flash freeze" in the greater Boston area as temperatures dropped.
A combination of high wind gusts and heavy snow/ice on wires could lead to power outages in the region. There were about 11,000 reported outages in the state as of 2 p.m., mostly on Cape Cod.
A steel pillar fell onto the Sagamore Bridge, closing both eastbound lanes.
In Falmouth, police said the wind brought down several trees.
WBZ-TV meteorologist Dave Epstein recommended clearing out any snow and slush because temperatures will not be above freezing for the rest of the week.
