First Snow Of Season Brings Things — Including Traffic — To Halt

Parts of Massachusetts that haven't seen an inch of snow all season are waking up to almost a foot, with more to come.

Friday morning's storm is just hitting its stride in many places, especially the southeastern portion of the state, where 1-2 inches of snow is falling per hour.

Boston had already received more than 7 inches of snow by 7 a.m., its most in a single storm since Dec. 2020, according to a WBZ meteorologist.

Meanwhile several communities, including Medfield and Bellingham, have surpassed 10 inches. Places like Waltham and Natick west of the city have seen 8 inches.

The sudden snowfall is making up for a winter lacking almost any of it. Boston had not yet received its first inch of snow before Friday morning, much later than its average date of the first inch of snow. Now it's already the snowiest January since 2018.

The Mass Pike is seeing the worst of the traffic. An MBTA bus is blocking two westbound lanes in Newton, while a crash farther up in Framingham is blocking another lane. A crash involving a tractor-trailer is blocking two westbound lanes in Boston.

There are also crashes reported on several other highways, such as Route 128 in Woburn and the Braintree southbound expressway.

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation has about 2,500 pieces of equipment out on the roads. Highway administrator Jonathan Gulliver is warning of tricky roads into the afternoon.

"Expect snow covered roads and slippery conditions," Gulliver tweeter. "Please be safe and stay off the roadways if possible."

It was an almost peaceful end to a tumultuous week for school districts across the state, one that saw some delay the return to winter break amid staffing shortages and health concerns. Most districts made the call by midday Thursday.

Patch will update this story throughout the day