Dozens of Boston flights canceled as snow storm mucks up holiday travel
Friday's winter storm is set to drop up to 8 inches of snow across Massachusetts during what experts are projecting to be "one of the busiest travel days of the year," creating logistical difficulties and travel conditions that may be unsafe.
On Friday afternoon, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation issued a winter weather advisory from Friday through Sunday and urged travelers to allow for extra time and check forecasts.
More than 60 flights into and out of Logan Airport in Boston have already been canceled on Friday, according to FlightAware.com .
The flight tracking site reports 65 cancelations at Logan as of Friday afternoon.
Snow is expected to start falling late Friday afternoon and get heavier through the evening, especially in Western Massachusetts, where the National Weather Service has issued winter weather advisories for Hampshire, Franklin, Hampden and Berkshire counties. Springfield is predicted to receive up to 5 inches of snow, while Worcester is in line for 3 to 5 inches.
Boston and Cape Cod & the Islands will see less snow, with most coastal areas expected to get around an inch.
Holiday travelers planning to drive back home could be met with icy roadways and reduced visibility as snowfall intensifies through Friday night.
Mark Schieldrop, a spokesperson for AAA, said the volume of road traffic could complicate things as the snow accumulates.
"There could be some disruption," Schieldrop said. "We expected [Friday] to be one of the busiest travel days of the year for folks returning home. Saturday and Sunday were expected to be pretty busy, as well. With the weather in the forecast now showing snow, there is some chance people who were going to be leaving on Saturday may be leaving [Friday] instead, and that could shuffle things around a little bit."
Schieldrop said AAA's New England chapter has been fielding a lot of reports of dead batteries in recent weeks. He said he expects that to increase over the weekend and suggested people travel with jumper cables, as well as extra blankets and warm clothing in case they find themselves stranded.
The best course of action for drivers, Schieldrop said, would be to reconsider their plans and allow time for workers to clear and salt roads.
"I know everyone has some place to be, and there is pressure to drive in the snow," Schieldrop said, "but if people have the luxury of waiting through the weekend and traveling on Monday or Tuesday, that may be a good idea."
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