BOSTON – Just as southern New England residents finished digging out from the latest storm, forecasters say more snow is on the way.

The region, which has already had record snowfall, saw a dusting of snow Wednesday and can expect more light snowfall Thursday just in time for the evening commute, according to the National Weather Service.

The snow should taper off early Friday morning, bringing Cape Cod up to 4 inches and around 2 inches elsewhere in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and parts of Connecticut.

Forecasters are watching a more potent storm that could dump higher amounts over the Valentine’s Day weekend. The weather service says it’s too early to say how much that might ultimately bring, but the Saturday to Sunday storm could bring “plowable snow.”

Meteorologist Stephanie Dunten also warned of low temperatures Friday through the Presidents Day holiday on Monday. “The snow is not going to be melting anytime soon,” she said Tuesday. “We recommend homeowners scrape any snow off their roofs to avoid overloading, as we’ve already seen a few roofs collapsing.”

BOSTON TRANSIT CHIEF RESIGNS

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The head of the Boston-area public transit system resigned Wednesday amid commuter frustration over service disruptions during the recent snowstorms.

Beverly Scott gave no specific reason for her surprise decision to step down effective April 11, seven months before her contract with the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority was to expire. She announced her resignation in a letter to John Jenkins, chairman of the board that oversees the MBTA, sent just hours after the board gave her a unanimous vote of confidence.

The resignation came a day after Scott delivered a spirited defense of her decision to shut down the rail service Monday night and all day Tuesday, forcing hundreds of thousands of riders to make alternate travel plans.

Scott cited breakdowns in aging equipment used by the nation’s oldest public transit system, pointing to dozens of trains that became disabled during the most recent storm that dropped more than 2 feet of snow on parts of the Boston area. Boston’s subway system debuted in 1897, the first in the nation.

Rail service resumed on a reduced basis Wednesday with reports of long lines, crowded trains and buses, and lengthy commutes. The problems facing the system – known in Boston as the T – have raised questions at a time when the city is bidding to host the 2024 Summer Olympics.

YACHT GETS STUCK ON BOSTON STREET

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On Boston’s roads Wednesday, a large truck towing an even bigger boat broke down in downtown, snarling traffic in the heart of the city’s bustling Financial District.

WCVB-TV reported that the Maggie Mae, a 36-foot yacht, was being hauled to the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center for this weekend’s New England Boat Show when the truck stalled.

Boston’s narrow streets are tighter than usual because of heavy snow accumulation over the past two weeks.

Workers eventually managed to get the truck and boat out of the congested neighborhood.

With Valentine’s Day approaching, florists and other delivery drivers in New England are having a hard time getting through the snow-choked streets.

“You just can’t get down streets. Instead of a two-lane road, it’s now a one-lane road. So you do the best you can,” said Anthony Teta, a postal worker in Medford, Massachusetts. “You park and walk down. But it takes time. Stuff gets delayed.”

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Mitchell Check, owner of Check the Florist in Providence, Rhode Island, hired extra drivers and is sending a “runner” with each one of them to deliver the flowers because the driver can’t park or double-park when the streets are full of snow.

“It’s an added expense, but it’s the only way we’re going to get the deliveries out, especially with more snow coming,” Check said.

At Edible Arrangements in Brookline, worker Lisette Zayes said the store stopped taking orders for fruit bouquets that need to be delivered by Thursday to make sure the ones already in the system make it to their destination on time.

And it’s not just red roses and chocolates at stake. All sorts of businesses are having trouble reaching customers.

Delivery truck drivers bringing beer kegs and other liquor supplies to downtown Boston bars and restaurants have complained of impassable service alleys and iced-over loading ramps.

Communities continue to grapple with the aftermath of back-to-back-to-back storms in a little more than a two-week span.

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Massachusetts officials say they will be seeking federal disaster relief funds as communities like Boston say they’ve far exceeded their snow removal budgets.

SCHOOL DAYS MUST BE MADE UP

Making up for lost school days has become a pressing concern for local officials and a headache for working parents.

Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh said the city may have to consider holding classes on Saturdays or over spring break if it’s forced to cancel another day of school.

The city has received an unprecedented 6 feet of snow this year over a 30-day period, breaking a record set during the epic Blizzard of 1978, and has canceled school on eight days.

Boston has already extended the school year to June 30 and expects to hold classes on two Suffolk County holidays: Evacuation Day on March 17 and Bunker Hill Day on June 17. Suffolk County encompasses Boston and three suburbs.

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“If we miss one more school day, we’re in different territory,” Walsh said Tuesday at a City Hall briefing. “We have no place to make it up.”

Jeff Mulqueen, superintendent of the Pentucket Regional School District, which covers three Massachusetts communities near the New Hampshire state line, says he’ll be developing a plan to make up for lost class time after shutting down the district for the rest of this week.

“The winter is not over and we are considering ways to be proactive,” Mulqueen said, noting the district has already shifted the last day of school to June 29 for high school students and June 25 for elementary and middle school students. “All possible options are being considered. That includes holidays, Saturdays, April vacation, and non-traditional alternatives.”

At the same time, Gov. Charlie Baker acknowledges most cities and towns can’t go past June 30 even if they want to because of the way union contracts are structured. He said districts should consider creative solutions, including online teaching options.

“What you don’t want to end up doing is putting a whole bunch of communities that have planned for and anticipated this in a difficult spot,” Baker said Tuesday. “I think that this one’s going to require a lot more conversation.”

In Whitman, Mass., Tina Vassil said managing four children has been challenging even though she has the benefit of working in the school system and can stay home when classes are cancelled, as they were Wednesday.

“It’s been tricky, especially with our two little kids, who are four and five years old,” she said. “It doesn’t matter when you put them to bed. They get up early and they want to be entertained all day. … You can’t turn your back on them for a second.”

In Somerville, where school was also cancelled Wednesday, Antoinette Delmonico said she had to take off another day of work to tend to her two young boys.

“It just means more work when I get back,” she said. “I think we’re all ready to get back to our own space and our normal routines.”


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