Baker urges remote work as non-emergency state executive employees should not report Friday due to storm

Colin A. Young

Non-emergency state executive branch employees should not report to their workplaces and other employers should be flexible and allow people to work remotely Friday, Gov. Charlie Baker said Thursday evening as a snowstorm that could drop up to a foot of snow on parts of Massachusetts approached.

“Conditions for tomorrow’s morning commute are going to be hazardous. If it’s possible for people to stay off the roads, we would ask that they do so. If you travel, please leave yourself extra time and take it slow, and give the road crews plenty of space to do their work,” Baker said at a State House press conference. He added, “This winter and, generally speaking, this kind of storm is nothing new for Massachusetts because we’ve been through this before. That said, it’s important that we take this one seriously, especially given the very difficult travel conditions it will create tomorrow morning.”

The National Weather Service said that snow will overspread the region between 1 a.m. and 4 a.m. Friday and will become heavy, in the 1 to 2 inches per hour range, through Friday morning’s commute. By Friday evening, forecasters are expecting a “widespread 8-12 [inches] of snow” north of the Massachusetts Turnpike with spots along the state’s northern border potentially getting more than a foot. South of the Pike, NWS meteorologists expect the storm to change over to sleet and/or rain for a time, keeping totals a bit lower. Forecasters also warned that the mixed precipitation will change back to snow late Friday afternoon or Friday evening, and that dropping temperatures are likely to lead to a flash freeze “along and southeast of the Boston to Providence Corridor,” creating slick driving conditions on untreated roads.

Baker said he does not expect the same kind of widespread power outages that came with recent storms, but said that his administration is coordinating with utility companies to be prepared for that possibility. Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Kathleen Theoharides said “scattered” outages are expected and that utility crews are staging on Cape Cod and the islands.

The NWS said that “below normal temperatures” are on deck for the start of the weekend with a slight warmup in store for Sunday, though that day could see a few flurries. A cold front is expected to move through the area late Sunday with more temperatures below the norm for this time of year (mid-30s to low 40s, the NWS said) to start next week.