Winter Storm Warning for New England
 

I'm leaving for Providence, Rhode Island tomorrow night from LAX, and will be arriving on Saturday morning. Problem is, there's a winter storm warning for New England and I am worried about delays and such. Is the storm enough to shut down the airport? I read about the possibility of ice accumulation which worries me. I have minimal winter driving experience, and I'm planning to drive from Providence to Montreal, and it seems that route (the 89) will be hammered by the storm. I have a stop in Chicago- should I look into accomodations there in case flights are cancelled? Help!

The storm is expected to hit Fri, continuing through Fri night. While it's hard to predict, the amount of accumulation, and more importantly the rate of snowfall isn't the kind that normally shuts down airports.

Another advantage is that the temperatures are expected to be warm enough where road clearing is straightforward and there won't be ice covered roads.

From your posting I take it you're taking a red eye from LAX to Chicago, then a Sat am flight from Chicago to Providence. Your flight might be delayed Sat am, but there are no indications all flights Sat will be outright canceled.

If you can make a reservation with a 6pm Sat cancellation time then sure, go ahead and reserve a room just in case.

I hope you are not planning on driving Sat to Montreal. If you are, please consider waiting at least a day or 2 so the storm can pass and crews have time to clear the highways.

Thanks for the response, J62. I will be sticking around Providence until Saturday night, when my friend's flight gets in from Detroit. Then, we plan to drive to New Hampshire (Concord) to cut down on the driving the next day. But if the roads are a mess, we may have to wait in Providence for the roads to clear. Is that a better plan?

They usually do a fairly good job clearing major highways our here, and in my experience, especially in NH, VT , Maine, and those 'ski country and winter activity' states they keep up with it if at all possible -
However, are you renting a car? Then I would call ahead and see if you can get a four wheel drive or make sure the vehicle is one you mght feel more confident driving north this time of year anyway
when you never know what is going to hit -
my son is in northern Maine, and he can get buried with snow while we get none in MA, but his roads are usually clear in no time.

Yes, I am renting a car, and I called about renting a vehicle with 4WD- unfortunately, because of the imminent storm, prices have soared to over $60/a day...I rented a compact for $140 a week! Is it worth upgrading though? It looks like I won't be able to drive to New Hampshire from Providence on Sat night, but from Providence to Montreal on Sunday- treacherous? We were thinking about stopping at the Ben & Jerry's Factory in Vermont, and going to Boston on the way back from Montreal.

You may have to put your Montreal trip idea on hold for several days. We are expecting quite a whallop from this storm, 6 inches in NYC and more heading north, as much as a foot of snow north of the city alone, so I would check with your friends in RI, to see what the forcast is there, and if it's bad there, then Boston will be worse and the storm is expected to end here and continue up there, so your trip to Montreal may not be a great idea this weekend. This is the biggest storm of the season, it's a shame it had to happen during your trip.

Hope things work out better than the forcasts.

"I rented a compact for $140 a week! Is it worth upgrading though?"

Well, I think so. I would feel much more comfortable in something better than a compact car in a New England storm - but then again, if the storm is terrible, and you have to wait until Sunday to drive, by then the roads should be cleared -
it's just hard to say - we could get tons of snow and they could clear it easily, or we could have trees down, and other problems - so hard to predict -
but they are saying (now anyway) that it is going to ice up on Saturday night....

so, sit tight with your friends, watch the news, and enjoy the snowfall and try to focus on the beauty of a New England storm if you can !

I might reserve a cancellable hotel room for Saturday night - I am right now listening to AM weather reports, and they are predicting heavy rains and wind into very late Saturday AM - with snow in northern areas. Concord area and northwest could get 10-15 inches. Not the kind of weather I would want to drive in at night, especially if I was from LAX.

I would book an airport hotel - usually you can cancel for free by 6 PM and by then you will have a better idea of actual weather - which is often very different from predicted weather, even 12-36 hours out.

With this type of spring storm - the snow/rain line makes all the difference in the world. Last storm was rain, much further north than they had thought - but could also go the other way.

correction to above - rain/snow wind into Saturday late PM (not AM)

Any chance the compact car has front wheel drive? I drove front wheel drive for many years and liked it very much. I have 4x4 now and think I still prefer front wheel for highway travel. Watch where the snow line is. This could be another storm when it will be very icy south of Concord NH and all snow north. All snow is easier to drive in and roads will be cleaner, sooner. Rain on top of frozen roads is a very bad combination. Last Sunday it warmed up to spring like temperatures but when I started out in the morning at 8 am there were black ice conditions and it was surprisingly slippery. There hadn't been a storm. Rt 93 north between Manchester and Concord (just south of Rt 89 intersection) was stopped for an accident. I agree, sit tight in Providence until you know the roads are good. Providence to Concord is about 2 hours. I would use extra caution on Rt 89 between Concord and New London. Double check to see in Ben and Jerry's tour is open on Sundays. I think you biggest concerns should be the traffic on Rt 95 in Massachusetts, then Rt 495 and Rt 3 because of the amount of traffic all the time not just during poor driving conditions. Sunday traffic should be a lot lighter. Maintenance on Rt 93 and Rt 89 is very good but there is always someone driving too fast for the road conditions. On Sunday, turn on the radio to hear traffic conditions and if there's any road icing. I would also carry a really good map that shows secondary highways. For example, north of Manchester NH Rt 3A parallels Rt 93 and intersects with Rt 89 providing you with an alternate slower road if there are any traffic problems causing backups.
Bummer. On Wednesday it was 74 degrees in Concord NH. Welcome to New England.

Since you are not experienced in snow, if you need a 4WD vehicle, you should not be one the roads - highways are almost always plowed to wet pavement within an hour or so after it stops snowing - and that is when anyone who does not have a very tight schedule should be driving.

Sleet, freezing rain, ice would be more of a concern, as conditions can change from mile to mile. But 4WD will not help in that at all.

I am very familiar with Rte 89 into NH. People drive like maniacs in the snow and it is not unusual to have multi-car pileups in bad weather. Seems that everyone must be at the ski slopes immediately after it snows.

Not trying to scare you to death - just trying to get you in the mindset of safer is more important than an extra half day on your trip.

When you pick up whatever rental car - make sure it has a full tank of windshield washer squirty stuff - that is what you will use a lot of.

I see JetBlue has already cancelled most of their NorthEast flights for today.

I'm worried about their future. JB is such a great airline-cheap and comfortable. I'd hate to see them go out of business and put us at the mercy of dinosaurs like United and American again.

You should definitely have a contingency plan all along your route. You could miss your connection in Chicago because the plane for your connecting flight was cancelled, or your outgoing plane cannot land. Expect delays and be thrilled if they do not happen.

Driving from Providence to Montreal is going to be a very long and dangerous ride if the weather is inclement.

I would not recommend switching to a four wheel drive vehicle. I live in New Hampshire and prefer front wheel drive and a smaller vehicle.

You should familiarize yourself with tips for driving in snow, etc., but do everything possible to avoid same.

If you are unavoidably driving while the snow is falling, it is critical to keep lots of distance, allow plenty of room for stopping at stop signs and traffic signals, and ignore all those, especially drivers in four wheel drive vehicles who drive as though they are omnipotent (you will see many of them off the road later on...), who are driving as though the roads are normal.

We've driven to Montreal and back many a time in the winter. It is really best not to be on the roads during snow, icy rain, etc., and not to head out until the roads are cleared and sanded. It is far better to get off the road for a few hours, or spend the night somewhere, than spend the same time off the road due to an accident or having hit a patch of ice and run off the road.

And, exit ramps are particularly dangerous, so never wait too long to get off the highway.

If you are not used to driving in snow and ice, you wouldn't believe how risky the driving. Even those experienced are not immune to the unexpected "360".

If the roads are bad enough that you need a 4WD and you aren't used to driving on snow and ice, you don't want a 4WD. You want a motel. Snow covered roads are hazardous enough to those who drive them regularly but can be deadly to those unfamiliar with how a vehicle reacts on that kind of surface.

"I would not recommend switching to a four wheel drive vehicle. I live in New Hampshire and prefer front wheel drive and a smaller vehicle"


I live in Vermont and all I can say is, huh?

if you do decide to drive, I recommend being sure your car is equipped with plenty of windshield washer fluid (already mentioned), plenty of warm clothes, water, a few power bars, a small shovel, blanket, flashlight, etc. Again, not trying to scare you, but if you get stuck on the road, even for a relatively short time, you'll be glad you were prepared.

Having a 4WD vehicle means that if you're in deep snow you won't get stuck. If you're on a slippery slush- or snow-covered highway it won't help you a bit, and there's no such thing as brakes that will keep you from sliding if you're doing 60 and it's icy. It also doesn't come with a force field to protect you from all the crazies who think nothing of doing 70 in crappy conditions. If conditions are bad and you're not familiar with driving in them (and even if you are) you're safest staying off the roads until a couple hours after it stops and the plows and salt can do their jobs.

So, now that we have all scared you half to death - how about some alternatives.

Meet friend in Providence, take train to Boston. Go see St. Patrick's Day Parade on Sunday and do a little Boston touring. Resume trip to Montreal on Monday.

Frankly, given the weather report, and your inexperience in winter driving I would say make another plan for Saturday. Don't plan to drive at all. it just won't be any fun. I think Gail is right...take the train to Boston or something.

chances are VERY good your flights will at least get delayed on Saturday morning. Reserving a room at the OHare Hilton is a good idea too. If you don't do that, and arrive at the airport to find your connection delayed, call the hotel on your cellphone as quickly as you can. DON'T wait till you get there to try for a room, they will all be full.

I"m in southern NH. Snow hasn't started yet but is forecast to begin within the next hour or so. We are supposed to get about 1 foot here before it changes to sleet and then over to rain.

I would expect for your flight into PVD to be delayed on Saturday morning. But by Saturday night when you plan to drive to NH, you should be fine. Our snow is supposed to change over to sleet around 10pm on Friday night and then to rain around 4am Saturday morning. By Saturday evening, the storm should be gone and the roads from PVD to Concord should be fine.

It appears you won't drive to Montreal until Sunday which gives the north country an extra day to clear out.

Have fun!!

OH, just watch out for flooded roads in RI and Mass.

Thanks for all the great advice, everyone! I have been checking flight statuses on United and many Providence/Boston bound flights are cancelled already!! This concerns me a great deal and I have looked into hostel reservations in Chicago already (I'm on really tight budget- starving college student :D). I worry that by tonight, the cancellations will have a ripple effect across the U.S. and my Chicago-bound flight may be delayed as well. If by some miracle, I do end up in Providence before Sat. night, I will surely sit tight and wait for conditions to improve. Snow/ice/sleet + inexperienced winter driver + nighttime conditions = not a good situation! I found a Knights Inn in Seekonk, MA for about $60/a night...good find? Any suggestions?

Due to the weather United is allowing travelers to reschedule without any fee.

www.united.com/page/article/0,6722,52164,00.html

Flights for today are being canceled. There should not be a ripple effect throughout the system for tomorrow. Chicago is an UAL hub, and canceling today is a preemptive move to make sure they can recover a full schedule sooner rather than later.

If you have the flexibility, your safest bet may be to call UAL and reschedule per their website.

"I found a Knights Inn in Seekonk, MA for about $60/a night...good find? Any suggestions?"

The Comfort Inn in Pawtucket, just north of the Providence city line, costs a little more, but will be much less confusing and scary to get to -- it's right at Exit 27 on Rt 95, heading north from the airport. The "Providence" airport is actually in Warwick, just south of the city. Seekonk will be longer to travel and also a bit in the wrong direction for heading northbound later.

If you are budget, just pack some soap and a washcloth in your carry-on, along with toothpaste and a toothbrush. Sleep in the airport and clean yourself up in the restroom in the morning. I've done it once at LAX. Not fun, but cheap and easy.

I really think the roads will be fine by tomorrow night.

Oh, that was for Chicago :)

Since my arriving in Providence at the scheduled time is looking grimmer by the hour, I decided to book a hostel bed in Chicago for the night. If, by some miracle, I am able to spend the night in Providence, I'll just lose 2 bucks or so, not bad. I read that the Radisson O'Hare isn't bad and I found rooms for $80/night...a bit too expensive, but it's good to have options.

Rizzo, it depends on the situation at the airport. If I'm delayed for 6 hours or less, I'll just hang out at the airport...but if I have more time, I'd like to get out and explore the city a bit- I've never been! O'Hare is a bit far from downtown though, right? I'll just roll with the punches, after all, this IS an adventure. :)

Oh, are toothpaste/Listerine allowed in carry-ons again?

Yes, as long as they are 3 ounces or less and put inside a clear ziploc bag.

quart size ziplock

Happy Trails brushfire fairytale!

I think you will do just fine. South has turned to sleet and rain, but things should be looking up for your arrival, and you will have a beautiful drive up north with great snow covered scenery.

I'm a believer!!!! Safe journey!

I'm leaving for the airport soon, so far my flights are on-time, and I'll stay optimistic. If I'm stuck in Chicago, then I'll get to explore an amazing city I've never been to before. I'll be bringing my computer so I'll keep anyone who's interested updated. Thanks for all your help, everyone!

I just got home a few minutes ago, and in my area of Manhattan the uppest west side there is about 6-8" of ice on the street/sidewalks and the walking is NOT alot of fun. I actually saw a bus slide through an intersection, thankfully no accident, but the traveling tonight is not alot of fun.

I heard that LaGuardia and Newark were closed tonight and won't reopen till later tomorrow, and since I am in the flight path, I'll know exactly when the airport opens, lol.

Most of the problem here at least is that what is coming down is more ice and less snow. I just shoveled the front walk and steps, and it is HEAVY and difficult to shovel, so I'm guessing that the trucks are going to have a bit of a hard time cleaning up after this storm.

Hope everyone is in front of a fireplace with a warm cup of hot chocolate, or a hot toddy.

Oh and a HAPPY ST. PATRICKS DAY!!!!!!

The storm has completely blown out to sea and UAL650 is en-route from ORD to PVD. Looks like brushfire will make it to PVD no problem.

Now, for the long drive from PVD to Montreal.

Brushfire is now en route, I hope. If she checks in again, I hope she heeds advice about road conditions. Everything south of NH is slush, big puddles which are soon to freeze into roadway skating rinks. North of NH border lots of snow - and that should actually be better. I still would not make trip at night.

Hello everyone, I'm in Providence! I was quite surprised that flights to PVD were on time, in fact, the only flights that were cancelled were bound for Newark, JFK, Baltimore, and Reagan I believe. My flight was completely full and the flight attendant said there was 74 passengers on standby...maybe because this is the first Providence-bound flight after all those cancellations yesterday. There is much snow on the ground but the roads and freeway (95) are clear, and it is FREEZING. I'm hiding out in the library because it is the only place that can feed my internet-addiction AND return my body temperature to normal. :D Ironically, my FRIEND's flight from Seattle to Detroit was delayed, so he's missing the connection to PVD and will arrive here in the morning, which is for the best since road conditions will be better by then. I am still looking for a place to stay tonight, somewhere near the airport w/ wireless but near civilization too, as in not in an industrial zone, and under $50 bucks if possible. My search has not been very successful so far. I walked around downtown for a bit and it was so cold and deserted that I gave up. Plus, the city reminds me of Kansas City, which isn't a good thing. (Oh, I'm also a "he" haha) Thanks everyone! Happy St Patrick's.

Glad you made it safely. Too bad about your friend being delayed, but as you said, you will have clear sailing tomorrow - my son north of Waterville, Maine tells me the roads were cleared by this morning, and my husband is in Portland, ME and all is well there, so you will be fine on the major roads you will be on.

Wish I could think of good accomodation for you tonight.Perhaps someone else can help you out -
enjoy your trip !

If you can't find any youth hostel type lodging, don't forget to try the YMCA - some are quite nice, depends on the city and location - and if all else fails, ask the local police or fire, they never steer me wrong on anything including the best lunch spots in every city !

Apologies for thinking you had a sex-change operation while on your flight, Mr. Brushfire.

In nice weather, Providence is lovely - but it is also extremely windy and miserable in rotten weather. I went to school in Providence and for some strange reason it seems more often to get rain versus snow than cities either north or south.

Have a safe trip and if I get any brainstorms about lodging, I will let you know.

On Travelocity website they list Extended Stay Providence/Warwick - close to airport - for $64 for tonight.