Newport Weather: What To Know For Feb. 1 Storm

NEWPORT, RI —Much of Rhode Island will see a foot or more of snow Monday into Tuesday, with some areas forecast to see as much as a foot and a half of accumulation. A powerful nor'easter is taking aim at the region, moving schools to distance learning, disrupting coronavirus testing and vaccine sites and promising dangerous road conditions for drivers.

In Newport, all students are learning from home, and a parking ban is in place from noon Monday until 10 p.m. To help keep streets clear for plows, residents are asked to park in the free lots at the Gateway Visitor’s Center, Mary Street, and Easton’s Beach parking lots during the storm if they don't have a driveway or a neighbor with extra space.

Residents are asked to shovel the sidewalks adjacent to their property within four hours of the end of the storm.

The first flakes are already falling in much of the state, becoming heavier throughout the day. The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning statewide until 1 a.m. Tuesday. The nasty weather is expected to continue throughout the day Tuesday, before tapering off into snow and rain showers in the evening and into Wednesday morning.

Drivers are asked to stay off the road as much as possible during the worst of the storm, as road and visibility conditions are expected to be dangerous. The Rhode Island Department of Transportation issued a tractor-trailer restriction for the duration of the storm.

Additionally, the Rhode Island Department of Health closed all state-run coronavirus testing and vaccine sites Monday due to the inclement weather. This includes test sites for the general public and the K-12 school system. Anyone who had a vaccine appointment scheduled for the regional vaccine clinics in Bristol, Providence or East Greenwich will be contacted by the department directly to reschedule. The other two clinics in Smithfield and Narragansett did not have clinics scheduled for Monday.

Cities and towns across the state have issued parking bans, and many schools have opted for distance learning for Monday. Many communities have also delayed trash collection due to the storm; reach out to your local Department of Public Works with any questions.