Governor Healy urges residents to stay home as state activates emergency operations ahead of major snowstorm

Governor Healy urged residents to stay off the roads and take safety precautions as the Commonwealth prepares for a fast-moving, long-duration snowstorm forecast to produce heavy snowfall and poor visibility.

Healy said he has activated the state emergency operations center and directed state agencies to deploy as needed to "get us through the next couple of days." He cautioned that snow could fall at rates of 1 to 3 inches per hour and described the event as the most significant storm in several years, advising people who are on the road to "get off the road" because visibility and road conditions will rapidly deteriorate.

Dawn Brantley, director of the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, said MEMA has opened 40 warming shelters with capacity for 1,998 people as of about 9:40 a.m., activated emergency support functions and is coordinating closely with regional and municipal emergency management. "This will be our most significant snowstorm in several years," Brantley said, and she urged residents to charge devices, secure batteries for medical equipment, check appliance exhaust vents and test smoke and carbon monoxide alarms.

Transit and highway operations

An unidentified MBTA official described steps to protect transit infrastructure and maintain service where possible, including indoor storage of vehicles, prepositioned crews and generators at key locations, switch heaters and snow-fighting equipment on commuter rail, and contractor assistance to clear parking and station areas. The official said the system is running a weekend schedule today and will move to a storm schedule tomorrow — typically about one-third of a regular weekday schedule — to prioritize service for emergency responders and essential workers. The blue line was reported out of service from Bowdoin to Orient Heights and being replaced with buses and ferries; service restoration was expected before the heaviest snow. The MBTA also warned Mattapan Line riders that trolleys may be replaced by buses if snow accumulates above the top of the rail.

Jonathan Gulliver, under secretary and state highway administrator, said the highway division currently has 1,700 pieces of equipment deployed and expects that to grow toward 2,500 and potentially up to about 3,000 with a full call-out. Gulliver announced a ban on large tractor-trailer travel (exceptions for essential deliveries such as medical supplies, food and fuel) and said the state has reduced speed limits on portions of the turnpike (for example, a reduced limit to 40 mph on a section reported during the briefing) to reduce the risk of closures caused by disabled heavy vehicles.

Formal directives and practical advice

Healy declared Monday a work-from-home day for all nonessential state employees and encouraged private employers to adopt the same practice. He emphasized giving plow operators space, noting that four-wheel drive helps acceleration but not stopping. He also warned of the risk from space heaters and shoveling-related medical events and asked residents to dig out nearby fire hydrants so emergency vehicles can access them.

Forecast and impacts

Officials said snowfall totals will vary across the state — with localized higher-elevation amounts of up to 18–24 inches reported in some briefings and much of the rest of the state likely to receive at least a foot — and warned of gusty winds that could cause blowing and drifting, even after plows have made passes. The National Weather Service had a winter storm warning in effect through Monday evening.

Political remark

In response to a question unrelated to the storm, Governor Healy described the recent Minneapolis shooting as "gut-wrenching" and criticized the culture at Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), saying the agency "poses a real threat" and calling for federal action and retraining. Those comments were made in response to a direct question and were not part of the storm response directives.

What happens next

State and local agencies said they will continue to monitor conditions and provide updates; the administration advised residents to follow local parking bans and school closure announcements, call 211 if they lose power and need warming shelter assistance, and follow transit provider alerts for service changes. Officials said they planned to remain active through the most intense period of snowfall today and into tomorrow, with tapering expected in early morning hours after the event.