Fast-moving storm causes 100-car pile-up on I 95 in Massachusetts

wbz4 ^

[Jimmyclyde]

Fast-moving storm causes 100-car pile-up

Mar 6, 2003 5:12 pm US/Eastern

(Boston-AP) -- A fast-moving winter storm is being blamed for a 100-car pile-up this afternoon that shut down the southbound lane of the main highway between Boston and Providence.

A chain-reaction crash on Route 95 south in Attleboro shut down the road for several hours. There were only minor injuries reported.

Mass Highway spokesman John Carlise says the road was reopened to traffic just after 4:30 this afternoon.

Motorists involved in the chain-reaction crash say sudden snow squalls reduced visibility to near-zero within seconds. Carlise says one woman told police it was like a sheet had been thrown on her windshield.

Countless other accidents were reported across eastern Massachusetts involving dozens of other cars.

The storm is also causing delays at Logan Airport, where departures and arrivals have been affected by the snow.

The M-B-T-A says subway and streetcar service is mostly on schedule while buses are experiencing some delays.

(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[Jimmyclyde]

This happened near were I live.

Thankfully no was hurt to bad.

Cars all over the place, jack-knifed trucks.

A real mess.

Road was closed for hours.

[SamAdams76]

Just got home after a nearly 2-hour commute. Despite it being only 6-8 inches, this was probably the worse snowstorm to hit the area this year due to the fact that the timing was so bad and nobody predicted it so the roads weren't treated like they usually are before a storm. We had a 27-inch storm a couple of weeks ago and I don't remember the driving being quite as bad. People were sliding off the roads everywhere.

[steveo]

Sounds Cirrus!

(I know but Sounds Cumulonimbus just didn't work)

[SpeakLittle_ThinkMuch]

Ahhhhhh, Massachusetts...


Can't vote............Can't drive

[Severa]

a 100 car pile up and no one was killed? WOW.

[Jimmyclyde]

I made it home in one piece, dispite driving a rear wheel drive crown vic.

[joey'smom]

Thanks! I appreciate reminders of why real estate is so expensive here in San Diego. (Luckily I own some.)

[Jimmyclyde]

LOL!!!!

[aristeides]

How many inches have you had total this winter?

[cantfindagoodscreenname]

I just got home from driving my son to work in southern NH and a car spun out in front of me a few times as I slammed on my brakes hoping not to hit the spinning car. I missed a crash by inches. Thank God for anti-lock brakes!

[duckman]

My neighbor said she got 10 inches last nite.

[TrappedInLiberalHell]

My neighbor said she got 10 inches last nite.

Is she married to Ron Jeremy?

[Semper911]

I can attest to the severity of this surprise storm. The driving was so bad because for some reason the snow was more, well, slippery than it usually is. I guess the temperature and water content was different.

I read about the pile-up story on thebostonchannel.com, and they reported it as 3 separate major accidents that involved nearly 100 cars total, not one huge pile-up. I don't have time to look it up and post the link, though.

I am normally a big fan of Winter, but now I am starting to feel jerked around by it.

[Jimmyclyde]

My neighbor said she got 10 inches last nite.

wanting so bad to be inappropriate.....

[SamAdams76]

Snowfall in the Boston area can be highly variable due to effect of the ocean warming along the coast (which turns many storms to rain while it snows inland). Boston proper has recorded so far (before today's storm) 41.6 inches due to their proximity to the coast. But that's chickenfeed compared to what has fallen just 10-15 miles away from the coast. Once you get to I-495 north and west of the city, the seasonal totals are more than double that. I believe 89 inches has been recorded out in Worcester and in Lowell, which is near my town, they have measured 82.8 inches (not including today).

[Jimmyclyde]

Hey I meant to tell you...

Great call on the "blizzard" we had here a few weeks back.

Out of all the forecasts I saw yours was the best.

And you don't even get paid for it.

[StriperSniper]

I-80 in Jersey today got a coating of ice this morning to prepare it for a half foot of snow on top.

Fun, fun, fun. At least I had 50 yard visibility. ;-)

mm OO mm

(White knuckles and wide eyes)

[-YYZ-]

I hit a snow squal like this back in January. Visibility went from excellent to about 10-15 ft (you could see hazard flashers on cars in front of you about that far) in a matter of seconds. Luckily the traffic was not too heavy or moving too fast, due to some snow that had fallen earlier, and it didn't result in collisions, at least not in front of me. My biggest concern was that I didn't know for how long it would stay like this.

[ELS]

Yeah, and the "authorities" apparently decided to wait until the afternoon to clear the roads. Sheesh.

[SamAdams76]

The weather, especially New England weather, is a hobby (more like a passion) of mine. I don't purport to be as good as the real meterologists, but sometimes I get lucky. I had a gut feeling that the President's Day storm would be a big one and I went with it.