Second round of snow moving through, hundreds of schools canceled

A burst of heavy snow is blanketing Massachusetts with significant impacts to the Tuesday morning commute.

The heaviest snow should land between 4 and 10 a.m. with several more inches of accumulation expected as heavy bands move through. Most of the state is under either a Winter Storm Watch or a Winter Storm Warning until Tuesday morning.

Hundreds of schools are also closed for the day and some towns are delaying start times for workers.

Related: Photos: Boston 25 Viewers enjoy December's first snowfall

Related: Officials warn of hazardous travel conditions due to storm

The highest snow totals are expected to come from the inland communities while coastal towns will see more of a wintry mix, keeping totals on the lower end.

>>>MORE: Tracking a Winter Storm | MassDOT tips on driving in snowy and wintry conditions

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Service on the Orange Line is

due to a "power problem" at State Street, the MBTA said on Twitter. Riders can use the Green Line to get to around downtown.

The speed limit on the Mass. Pike has been lowered to

. Restrictions on tandem tractor-trailers and special permit vehicles are also in place from the New York border to the I-495 interchange.

MassDOT is asking drivers to take it slow this morning. The HOV lane into Boston will not be open for the morning commute

Heavy snow is falling across the state as the latest round of snow moves through. Many major roadways are snow-covered and visibility is limited.

Gov. Baker has issued a 10 a.m. delayed start time for non-emergency executive branch state employees on Tuesday.

Plows are out in full force making sure the roads are cleared and safe for drivers. Snow is expected to fall until 10 a.m., severely impacting the morning commute.

Visibility has become an issue on the roads, so drivers are advised to keep a distance of at least a car in between them and the vehicle in front of them and to take it slow.

With the weather getting worse, MassDOT officials have lowered the maximum speed limit on the Mass Pike to 40 mph. No tandem or special permit vehicles are allowed for the time being.

Schools across the area continue to announce closures and delays for Tuesday. Decisions for many will be made in the morning, depending on how much snow accumulates on top of what the first round dumped from Sunday into Monday.

Delays are being reported on the Mass Pike westbound in Weston due to a tractor-trailer in the woods. As of 3:30 p.m. the two right lanes are closed.

The Steamship Authority says the M/V Eagle's noon departure from Nantucket will board at 2 p.m., depart for Hyannis at 2:30 p.m. Due to weather, it's unlikely it will return to Nantucket.

Shiri updates the additional snow forecast through Tuesday.

Worcester County was the hardest hit by the first round of snow Sunday night into Monday morning -- even setting a record for Dec. 1 snowfall -- but the city cleared up quickly with schools canceled.

"Luckily no power outages," City Manager Ed Augustus told Boston 25 News by phone. "We're still in the clean-up phase."

The city got around a foot of snow, but had dug out fairly well by the morning commute as the snow tapered off a bit overnight.

"We had a period of freezing rain after the heavy snow came in...so there's a lot of clean-up and mop-up operations out there right now," he said.

Augustus said the goal is to get most of the side streets open and passable before the second round of snow comes through Monday evening.

"We'll be trying to get some rest for some of our guys," he said. "Most of them have been going since two or three 'o clock yesterday afternoon, and we're going to need them in the overnight."

Augustus said a decision on closing schools Tuesday could come Monday afternoon as city officials monitor the forecast.

He added it's important to check on your neighbors, particularly the elderly and disabled to be sure they are accessible for emergency services, should they need it.

Boston's Chief of Staff Dave Sweeney joined Boston 25 Morning News to discuss how the city is handling the first snow storm of the 2019-20 winter and what he expects out of the second round of snow Monday night.

"No major issues," he said, right off the bat. "In general, as all your viewers have heard, we mostly only received about an inch, which has mostly been washed away."

The city missed the brunt of the storm that dumped around a foot of snow of some parts of northwestern Massachusetts. Worcester, in particular, was hit much harder than the Boston area.

"We will have up to 650 pieces of equipment working tonight. We're expecting the snow to ramp up again this afternoon....we have 26,000 tons of salt, we're pre-treating roads, and we have more coming," Sweeney said.

Sweeney said they will be monitoring the next round of snow moving in this afternoon and expects a dinner-time decision for school, city office closings Tuesday.

The MBTA is anticipating all modes of transit operating on schedule Monday. The agency tweeted early Monday morning about some isolated Commuter Rail delays, but said all modes should be working on schedule.

A 40 mph speed limit remained in place on the Massachusetts Turnpike for the early morning commute, according to Mass. DOT.

Interstate 495 northbound has been cleared and re-opened in Lawrence.

A steady stream of delayed travelers has been making its way into Boston's Logan Airport Monday morning in the wake of some cancellations Sunday afternoon and evening. Now, travelers are just hoping to get out before the next round of snow hits Monday evening.

College student Caroline Kelly, for example, told Boston 25 News she was supposed to leave Sunday afternoon. Her flight was canceled, and she was rebooked for Monday morning. That's the story for several passengers we spoke with in Terminal A early Monday morning.

Logan saw just 1.2 inches of snow overnight Sunday into Monday. But another several inches are expected Monday night.

The northbound lanes of Interstate 495 were shut down early Monday morning in Lawrence when a tractor-trailer jack-knifed in the roadway. Traffic was being diverted off at exit 44.

Snowfall Sunday evening set records in Boston, Worcester, Providence and Hartford for the date of December 1, but don't celebrate just yet because more is on the way.

The first major storm of the season dumped around a foot of snow in many places. Plows got to work overnight to clear roads for the morning commute, but a second round is set to breeze through Monday evening leaving around 5-8 inches of snow for the Tuesday commute.

Travel in and out of Logan Airport being impacted by the current snowfall.

Gov. Baker and other officials spoke about the state's response to the ongoing winter storm.

: Gov. Charlie Baker expected to speak on storm response at MassDOT press conference.

Snow has started falling in Canton, Mass.

Gov. Charlie Baker called in and spoke about the storm preparations.

Gov. Charlie Baker talks winter storm prep Gov. Charlie Baker talks winter storm prep

Online Resources:

For additional information and resources, visit:
Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency at www.mass.gov/mema
MEMA's Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/MassachusettsEMA
MEMA Twitter: @MassEMA
Federal Emergency Management Agency at www.fema.gov
National Weather Service/Taunton at www.weather.gov/boston
National Weather Service/Albany, NY at www.weather.gov/albany
National Weather Service Weather Prediction Center: http://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov
National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center:  http://www.spc.noaa.gov/
Mass211 at www.mass211.org

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