This morning the Cape, Coast and Islands were waking up from the historic blizzard of 2026, where recovery is likely days out. Eversource has begun responding to the more 250,000 customers without power across Massachusetts—150,000 of which are on the Cape.
Eversource is reporting that crews are concentrating in the area—with help from New Hampshire—but there are trees and power lines blocking roads and snow buildup slowing down recovery efforts. In Yarmouth alone, officials reported that over 100 poles and trees were down during the storm.
Some areas are reporting more snowfall than the blizzard of 1978. More than three feet was recorded in some parts of the South Coast. Just under two feet was recorded for much of the Cape.
The National Weather Service reported that Rhode Island has the most snowfall ever recorded in the Ocean State, with 37.9 inches recorded yesterday. That’s well above the next highest report of 28 inches, from 1978.
Governor Maura Healey imposed a travel ban for Barnstable, Dukes, Bristol and Plymouth counties Monday afternoon. She lifted the travel ban at noon on Tuesday, but still encouraged people to stay home to avoid dangerous conditions and let the plows do their work. New Bedford and Fall River have their own travel bans in place still, according to the governor’s office.
Many residents without power have been seeking out warming centers on the Cape. The Hyannis warming center was filled to capacity on Monday and county officials announced the opening of an additional center in Yarmouth. There’s also a warming center at the Nantucket Intermediate School. Daytime warming centers are open at various locations across the Cape.
Eversource is reporting it will take days to get to the thousands of Cape residents without power. Multiple towns, including the entire Outer Cape, are still reporting they are completely without power.
Eversource Spokesperson Olessa Stepanova said that crews were able to start getting to work late yesterday after the winds died down.
"Now that the storm is winding down, we can start working on those restorations," she said. "And once travel conditions start improving that will make that easier as well. Our first priority will be responding to public safety issues — any kind of critical facilities that may be out."
The National Weather Service reported the highest wind gust for the Cape was 77 miles an hour, in Wellfleet; 83 miles an hour was reported on Nantucket, the highest in the state. Over 8,000 customers were without power on Nantucket at the height of the storm.
The South Coast received the most amount of snow for Massachusetts, at just over 3 feet. The National Weather Service reported 37 inches at Bliss Corner, near New Bedford.
New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell says the city could set an all-time record for snowfall, though the number to beat was not immediately clear.
CAI spoke to Mitchell as he rode along with emergency management staff, looking at city streets around the height of the blizzard Monday afternoon.
"We're seeing some emergency vehicles that are struggling," Mitchell said. "In fact, as we speak, I'm looking at an ambulance from Rochester that's struggling to get down Route 18. So they're being assisted right now."
He says the city has also helped nurses get to work at Saint Luke’s Hospital.
As for the cleanup, he says, have patience. Digging out from this storm is not a one-day event.
As of Tuesday morning, public transit was still seeing widespread disruptions. The Steamship Authority has reported cancellations, saying the issue is due to crew shortages, with staff unable to dig out and get to work.
Local officials in Yarmouth say they're looking at several days of cleanup and recovery.
Jeff Colby, director of the town's public works department, says the high winds took out over 100 trees and utility poles around town. He says the downed lines created a hazard that delayed snow removal.
"The wires are wrapped into trees that have come down and, of course, that is something our crews can't handle and we have to wait for Eversource to take care of that," Colby said.
Governor Maura Healey said yesterday that the travel ban was in place due to reports of several cars abandoned on local roads, and to help crews respond to unplowed roads.
"I encourage … I actually demand people please, stay off the roads," the Governor said on Monday. "I appreciate people who have really followed that. We've had very few crashes. We have seen, you know, snowplows go off the road because the conditions are terrible. So please, please please, do not get on the roads. Do not go out and drive."
With the record snowfall, the National Weather Service said there were periods of intense snow.
Meteorologist Andy Nash said there were periods when three to four inches of snow were falling per hour. For much of the day Monday, he said that two to three inches were falling per hour in some areas.
"In that narrow zone with the highest snow accumulations, it was impressive for how long that intense snow lasted," Nash said.
While there have been many comparisons made to the Blizzard of '78, Nash said that the region was better prepared for this storm. He added the coastal erosion was not nearly as damaging as the historic storm from a half a century ago. That said, the snow totals within the 24 hours were equally as impressive, if not worse.
Through the storm, some Cape Cod residents were helping elderly neighbors.
Joann Fishbein, of Falmouth, was hosting her friend Dolly, a Falmouth resident in her 90s.
"Because Dolly lives alone, I picked her up and I brought her to my house so if she lost power she wouldn’t be stuck by herself."
In North Falmouth, 93 year-old Virginia Johnson lost power and heat on Monday. She got help from her cousin, who walked over with gasoline and started her generator.
“My cousins came over and delivered gasoline and pulled out a generator that was brand new, but sitting in my garage doing nothing,” she said. “It's been buzzing along all night and again today, because we don't have power yet. So I'm really grateful for my cousins.”
In Middleborough, which got more than 30 inches of snow, resident Lynn Palmer said she and her brother started clearing the driveway as soon as possible, because her daughter was about to give birth.
The baby was due Monday, the biggest day of the storm.
“So I had to make sure we had a path so they could at least get in, and get her out in a gurney … if necessary,” she said. “She's okay. So far we haven't had any problems. The labor isn't that bad.”
As with most of Middleborough, they did not lose power. The town has municipal electric service.
But the pile of shoveled snow next to their driveway looked about six feet high.
Her brother, David Palmer, said he clocked about eight hours of shoveling by midday Tuesday.
“Didn't see the end in sight; couldn't see it,” he said. “It's never-ending, still. … Can't see my front yard from the driveway anymore.”
Cape Cod’s emergency preparedness director Chip Reilly told CAI that when there’s a weather emergency, it’s a good idea to stay in communication with friends and family and to help neighbors when possible.
The county website has a complete list of daytime and overnight warming centers, including hours of operation. Those who need transportation to a warming center can call the Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority at 508-385-1430 (select option 2 in the menu). Transportation is not guaranteed; it depends on road conditions.