March Nor'easter: Salem Schools Early Dismissal With Snow Forecast

SALEM, MA — Salem Public Schools students will be able to call it an early day on Tuesday as the district looks to get out ahead of a change from rain to heavy wet snow on the North Shore.

All after-school activities and evening activities are canceled.

Bates will dismiss at 11:25 a.m., Bentley will dismiss at 11 a.m., Carlton will dismiss at 12:10 p.m., Collins Middle School will dismiss at 11:40 a.m., the Early Childhood Center will dismiss at 11:15 a.m., Horace Mann will dismiss at 11:30 a.m., New Liberty will dismiss at 1:30 p.m., Salem High School will dismiss at 12:45 p.m., Salem Prep will dismiss at noon, Saltonstall will dismiss at 11:45 a.m. and Witchcraft Heights will dismiss at 12:10 p.m.

According to the National Weather Service on Monday morning, forecasts said 12 to 18 inches could fall in a wide area between I-495 and the Quabbin Reservoir. Between I-495 and Route 128, totals could be in the 4- to 8-inch range, with up to 5 inches in the Boston area along North Shore coastal communities.

Precipitation will begin as rain Monday afternoon, but a changeover to snow could reach Worcester by 9 p.m., according to the weather service. That snow line will remain until the Tuesday morning rush hour, when snow will spread east of I-495, according to forecasts released Monday morning.

The biggest impact of the storm along the coast could be the high winds. Gusts could reach between 50 and 55 mph between Worcester and Framingham. Along the coast, gusts could reach 60 mph or higher, according to forecasts.

There are also coastal flooding concerns with the biggest concern being the Wednesday morning high tide.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)