Winter Storm Niko was a touch more severe than expected, dropping about a foot of snow across Massachusetts and Rhode Island while walloping Cape Cod and the Islands with high winds and surging seas.
The National Weather Service extended Thursday’s blizzard warning until 10 p.m. and issued a new coastal flood advisory. Tides were as much as 2.5 feet higher than usual, flooding vulnerable basements and shore roads. Erosion is a concern for east-facing beaches on Cape Cod and Nantucket.
The storm’s highest wind gust — 70 mph — was reported in Hyannis, at Barnstable airport.
Eversource restored power to many, but more than half of customers in Yarmouth — plus thousands more across the Cape and Islands — were still without electricity. At one point Thursday, 95 percent of Provincetown was dark.
Many Cape school districts announced closures or delays.
This, however, was February as usual for year-round residents. It was a busy scene at the Barnstable Village Market, with locals getting ready for the first real snow of the winter.
Owner Cathy Smith reports that customers tend to stock up on non-essentials during a storm. “A lot of carbs go out the door," she said, "comfort food … meat for soup and stews … and, of course, wine and beer.”
The scene in and around Boston was less colorful. Officials asked the populace to stay home and off the streets, and for the most part they did.
A spot check of several Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts ranging from Jamaica Plain to Kenmore Square revealed that all were open but served mainly police, plow drivers, and other emergency personnel.
Meanwhile, the Salvation Army and other homeless shelters reported being filled to maximum capacity and making special arrangements for overflow.
And the snow did keep falling.
MBTA Acting General Manager Brian Shortsleeve said the state's investment in rail heaters, snow removal gear, and other equipment meant the T and commuter rail were running more or less on schedule. It’s true that passenger traffic was down, but there were no surprises, according to Shortsleeve.
"We've got anti-icing equipment running all over the system," he told WGBH News. "We've got rail heaters in place to make sure there's no ice forming on the third rail, and the team is fully prepared."
The T has spent more than $100 million to keep trains running in the cold, with more than 300 pieces of snow removal equipment running on the system Thursday.
"Snowzilla, which is our jet snow blower [that] generates 3000 pounds of thrust, will be out running on the Red and the Orange Lines as you get the heavy part of the snow at 4 to 5 p.m., so our team is ready," Shortsleeve said.
Boston Mayor Marty Walsh was concerned the city's snow removal crews would be overworked as the snow persisted into early Friday morning. After nearly 24 hours of snowfall, Walsh worried, plow drivers would be reaching their limits. Many plows had been working since before dawn Thursday.
"We have the truck-mounted snow blowers where we'll be taking snow off the streets. So you're going to see a lot more snow taken off the streets," Walsh said.
But Walsh said crews would get the snow out of the way to avoid the pileups Boston saw in 2015.
"As long as everyone works with us on the snow emergency and stays off the main thoroughfares, our main thoroughfares are going to be open. Obviously, they're going to be open.
Gov. Charlie Baker expected MassDOT crews to have state roads ready for the commute.
Slight delays Thursday morning were no problem for John Zona from Shrewsbury, who takes the Worcester Line Commuter Rail train.
“They said they're running a regular schedule, so hopefully it works out. There have been some issues in the past, but hopefully they're getting it under control," Zona said, adding that it could get worse as the storm continued.
The Worcester Line, one of the T's longest routes, is often plagued by some of the worst delays and cancellations. All things considered, operations were smoother than in the past.
At least on mode of transportation was shut down. Hubway, metro Boston's bike-sharing system was closed at 11 a.m. Thursday "for the safety of our riders and staff," according to an email alert.
"Once the closure has begun, no bikes can be rented at the stations, though any bikes in use at that time can be returned to any Hubway station with an available dock," Hubway told its members.
Logan Airport was a mixed bag: open but with scores of flights cancelled, rerouted, or rescheduled.
