Worcester Winter Wallop: Parking Ban, Coronavirus Test Changes

WORCESTER, MA — Massachusetts will begin February with a strong snowstorm that could drop up to 18 inches of precipitation on the eastern half of the state.

The snow will begin Monday morning around noon, according to the latest forecasts. But the snow will begin to fall heavily around rush hour, and continue into Tuesday morning. The National Weather Service has issued a nearly 24-hour winter storm warning lasting into Tuesday morning.

A winter parking ban in Worcester began at 8 a.m. Monday, which means no parking on the even side of streets, and no parking at all along main arteries and bus snow routes. UMass Memorial has changed testing hours at the Mercantile Center.

Worcester Public Schools was restricting meal pickups to between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. at Woodmont, Claremont and North High schools. Students were still expected to attend remote classes on Monday and Tuesday, barring any Spectrum internet outages.

MassDOT was warning state residents to avoid highway travel on Monday, and had banned tractor trailers along I-90. On the transit side, the Worcester Regional Transit Authority had placed most buses on snow routes. The Framingham-Worcester commuter rail line was running on the regular winter schedule, but the MBTA warned riders to expect delays.

On top of the snow, wind gusts could get up to 45 mph, with the strongest winds expected in the Worcester hills and west to the Berkshires.

"Travel could be very difficult to impossible," the weather service said in Sunday's storm warning. "The hazardous conditions could impact the morning or evening commute. Gusty winds could bring down tree branches."

If power goes out, you can view estimated restoration times on the state emergency management website, and by calling either National Grid at (800) 322-3223 or Eversource at (800) 592-2000.

Locally, the storm may impact services like garbage and recycling, school, public transportation and parking.

Have a fun snow photo to share? Email to neal.mcnamara@patch.com if you head out to enjoy the snow.