Snow Storm Packs Stronger Punch, Causing Outages

Snowfall totals in Rhode Island will be significant, according to the latest forecast by the National Weather Service.

Some areas could get up to a foot of snow (see map) and areas that were expecting just a couple of inches could see six or more, including Newport, Narragansett and coastal communities along Narragansett Bay and the south Atlantic-facing shore.

Inland, some areas of Rhode Island will be hit fairly hard as the heavy, wet snow falls at a rapid clip during the day Friday. By noon, some areas are already seeing about six inches, like in East Greenwich, Cranston and Coventry.

For a complete list of closings and cancellations go, including parking bans, go HERE.

The heaviest snow began falling across nearly all of Rhode Island by 10 a.m., causing road conditions to rapidly deteriorate.

As of noon, a total of 10,231 National Grid customers were without power due to outages caused by fallen tree limbs and power lines, the majority in Providence county.

A Winter Storm Warning affecting most of the state was expanded to include all of Rhode Island on Friday afternoon. On average, snowfall totals will range from 6 to 10 inches but isolated areas could see plenty more.

Snow will begin tapering off in the late afternoon.

“Plan on doubling your normal drive time Friday,” the National Weather Service said. “Travel will be slow and difficult due to snow covered roads and poor visibility.”