PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The National Weather Service has expanded its blizzard warning to include Providence, Warwick, West Warwick, East Greenwich and Bristol.
It had earlier expanded the warning to include the coasts of Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Block Island was already under a blizzard warning.
Expect "heavy snow with blizzard conditions" the Weather Service said. "Blowing and drifting snow.
The warning is in effect until 7 p.m. Thursday.
"Be prepared for blizzard conditions with near zero visibility at times," the Weather Service says.
The Weather Service tweeted before 11 a.m. that its getting more reports of thundersnow across Southeastern New England, along with snowfall rates o f 2 to 3 inches per hour."
The Rhode Island State Police are advising people to stay off the roads. As of noon, the state police had responded to 54 calls for service and investigated four crashes with no injuries, the state police tweeted. Troopers also assisted the drivers of 36 vehicles that went off the road.
The worst of the still-strengthening nor'easter will continue until the afternoon, according to the National Weather Service.
"Overall, there will be about a 6 hr window of very heavy snowfall from about 8 am to 2 pm when snowfall rates nearing two to three inches per hour," the Weather Service says in its forecast discussion. "This snowfall intensity combined with strong (north-northeast) winds will result in a period of near blizzard conditions across eastern MA and RI."
The snow is starting to pile up. East Providence already has 8 inches, Westerly has 7.5 and West Greenwich has 7 inches, according to unofficial figures posted by the National Weather Service early Thursday afternoon.
A wind gust of 45 mph has been recorded at T.F. Green Airport in Warwick, and 51 mph in Newport. On Cape Cod, in Wellfleet, a 75 mph gust was recorded.
By 8 a.m. the police on Block Island were reporting near blizzard conditions, with windblown snow reducing visibility to less than 100 feet.
On the shore, Charlestown was reporting increasing heavy snowfall that was accumulating on the ground.
The National Weather Service is reporting a maximum wind gust of 48 mph in Charlestown, 33 mph in Newport and 64 mph on Nantucket.
North of the Washington County line most departments were reporting only flurries or just high winds, though Burrillville officials said they’d had snow falling since around 6:30 a.m.
The storm is expected to dump 11 to 14 inches of snow on Rhode Island, and 12 to 14 on much of Southeastern Massachusetts, according to the Weather Service's latest estimates.
A winter storm warning is in effect until 1 a.m. Friday.
The massive nor'easter dropped snow on Florida and Georgia Wednesday and is expected to affect the entire East Coast, hitting Maine and Atlantic Canada the hardest.
Forecasters have said the storm will undergo bombogenisis, a rapid strengthening. As the storm strengthened overnight, forecasters detected thundersnow.
"There is a good amount of lightning near the center of the storm where the dry slot is located," the Weather Service says in its forecast discussion. "Warm air/convection to the north of it with good snow bands to the northwest resulting in some thundersnow for the Virgina coast."
Forecasters say power outages are likely because of strong winds. Coastal flooding will also be a problem primarily for Eastern Massachusetts.
The Weather Service says, "Anticipate travel and economic impacts today and tonight with accumulating snow and white-out conditions. Expect downed trees and powerlines resulting in scattered to widespread outages, (especially) with the winds.
"Coastal flooding is expected during today's mid-day high tide with wave action and beach erosion. Damage to docks and marinas especially with the presence of ice."
Forecasters say the strong wind, followed by another round of arctic air could present a bigger problem than the snow accumulation.
"This storm will be a serious situation in regards to the damaging wind potential," the Weather Service says. "Winds will begin to pick up this morning out of the northeast."
The storm could bring wind gusts of 40 to 55 mph.
A big freeze will follow the storm. The temperature will plummet to 9 degrees tonight in Providence. After climbing to 15 Friday, it will drop to 3 Friday night, and a wind chill watch will go into effect Friday night.
The temperature Saturday should reach just 11 degrees in Providence before falling to 1 below zero Saturday night.
-- With report from Journal Staff Writer John Hill
-- This report was updated at 6:57 a.m., 8:18 a.m., 8:37 a.m., 8:55 a.m. and 9:10 a.m., 9:47 a.m., 10:43 a.m., 11 a.m., 12:21 p.m. and 12:58 p.m.
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