Overview
- Light snow returned Wednesday with a quick clipper bringing a coating to 1–3 inches in spots, and forecasters cautioned that daytime melting followed by overnight refreezes could produce hazardous black ice.
- Power restoration advanced but Massachusetts still counted roughly 160,000–173,000 outages early Wednesday, especially on Cape Cod, where utilities said access issues could extend timelines.
- New York City intensified removal with 143 million pounds of salt spread, at least 3,500 emergency shovelers hired and warm-water melting basins prepared, while Boston used National Guard support and moved the MBTA back to regular service.
- School operations remained uneven: Boston students returned to classrooms as many districts elsewhere stayed closed or delayed, and New York City’s Tuesday reopening saw 63% attendance with about 12,000 teacher absences.
- Travel steadily improved with most regional rail on normal schedules and only a few hundred U.S. flight cancellations, as New York State sent plows and trucks to assist Massachusetts and forecasters flagged a Thursday wintry mix with an uncertain system possible next week.