In Rhode Island, the whiteout snowfall on Monday shattered records and overwhelmed even local snowplows, which were called off the roads at some points by local and state officials as conditions deteriorated.
By the afternoon, 32.8 inches of snow had fallen at T.F. Green International Airport near Providence, obliterating the two-day snowfall record of 28.6 inches set 48 years ago by the infamous Blizzard of 1978.
“It completely smashed it,” said Candice Hrencecin, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Boston. “We were just as shocked as everyone else.”
And still it kept on snowing.
Gov. Dan McKee of Rhode Island declared a state of emergency in advance of the storm and enacted a travel ban as conditions deteriorated. State officials on Monday predicted that power outages could take days to restore, as high winds and heavy snow continued.
Josh Estrella, a spokesman for the city of Providence, said on Monday afternoon that a majority of plows in the city were out of commission because of dangerous road conditions and limited visibility.
Adding to the hazards on the roads, state officials said at a briefing on Monday that some traffic signals had stopped working because of power outages, that some roads were blocked by fallen trees, and that some traffic signs had blown down.
Jenna Russell is the lead reporter covering New England for The Times. She is based near Boston.
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