School Closings Ma as nor’easter slams Southern New England with blizzard conditions

Community planners and families are sorting through school closings ma after a powerful nor’easter is forecast to hammer Southern New England with blizzard conditions beginning Sunday night and continuing into Monday, with warnings extending through Tuesday morning.

School Closings Ma and district notices

Districts across Massachusetts have announced delays — and at least one closing — for Monday, Feb. 23, as the storm approaches; a running list of affected school systems was posted for the Monday schedule. The National Weather Service has issued a Blizzard Warning for Boston and coastal communities and a Winter Storm Warning for the rest of the state, backing districts’ decisions for Monday, Feb. 23.

Blizzard warning, timing and expected impacts

A blizzard warning has been extended to include Boston, the North Shore, Southeastern Massachusetts, Rhode Island and southern Connecticut for Sunday afternoon through Tuesday morning, and visibility is expected to fall to a quarter mile or less at times, especially during the first half of Monday. The storm will develop off the Carolinas by Sunday morning and then rapidly strengthen into an intense ocean nor’easter.

Forecast details include heavy, blowing snow of up to nearly 2 feet in Boston and parts of Southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island, with a general 12 to 18 inches expected from Boston to Worcester and south to the coast and isolated spots up to 22 inches. By sunrise Monday, Boston to the southern coast could already see 5 to 10 inches on the ground, with 3 to 6 inches north of the Mass Pike.

Wind, visibility and power risks

Winds will increase Monday afternoon, with gusts of 50 to 60 mph likely along the coastline and the Cape facing near-hurricane-force gusts up to 70 mph; earlier guidance noted wind gusts of 40 to 60 mph that could threaten to take down trees and power lines and create a high risk of outages across the state. "Whiteout conditions are expected and will make travel treacherous and potentially life-threatening, " the National Weather Service in Norton said Saturday afternoon.

Snow rates are expected to reach 1 to 2 inches an hour during the heaviest period, which will make travel nearly impossible for the first half of Monday and amplify the risk to utility infrastructure and road clearance operations.

• 3 p. m., Sunday to midnight — light, scattered leading-edge snow showers with increasing winds.
• Midnight to 3 a. m., Monday — the storm arrives and snowfall will start to intensify.
• 3 a. m. to sunrise — heavy snow; by sunrise Boston to the southern coast may have 5 to 10 inches.

As the storm shifts from sunrise into early afternoon Monday, heavy snow will continue and coastal flooding and damaging winds are expected in exposed areas.

Massachusetts families should note that school closings ma notices reflected decisions focused on Monday, Feb. 23, when the worst travel conditions and highest winds are forecast. Many employers and residents are being advised to plan on remote work or to stay off roads during the height of the storm on Monday morning.

The blizzard warning remains in effect through Tuesday morning for the most affected coastal and southeastern areas, and the statewide winter storm warnings cover inland communities. School district announcements for Monday, Feb. 23 are the next confirmed public actions tied to the storm, and officials have outlined the overnight arrival of heavy snow between midnight and 3 a. m. as the critical window for travel disruption.