<p style="text-indent:0px; line-height:12px;"><span style="font-weight:bold;">Boston, MA-</span><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">By ANUK Staff<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">2.8.13</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p><img src="https://cdn.andnowuknow.com/legacyWriterImages/northeaststormbody.jpg" alt="Storm Imges" /></p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p>Two massive storm systems are expected to join forces across the Northeast on Friday, creating conditions that could spawn a blizzard of historic proportions and a major headache for travelers as well as shippers.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">The storm has the potential to dump as much as a foot of snow in New York and up to three in Boston. The system is a product of the marriage of a cold front moving across the country with a frigid blast working its way up the East Coast.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">The storm will also likely disrupt ships coming into port globally. Even if products make it safely to ground, transportation will be severely impeded.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Industry professionals note that such extreme conditions could create a negative ripple affect. A lack of sales in that region for an extended period of time could cause supplies to back up at shipping points and market prices to fluctuate, typically downward, while still more inventories accumulate for all commodities.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">"Travel may become nearly impossible with blowing/drifting snow and near zero visibility during the height of the storm (Friday afternoon into Saturday morning)," the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency said in a statement. "Motorized vehicles are asked to stay off the roads if they can during the storm to allow snow plows to clear the roads."<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"> In anticipation of the storm, over 1,800 flights were canceled as emergency crews prepared for the inclement weather expected late Friday and into Saturday, according to CNN.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Snowfall in Boston could reach two to three inches per hour due to the wintry conditions. The system has already drawn comparisons to the “Great Blizzard” of 1978, which left thousands stranded as snow drifts blanketed highways and left several people dead.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">The most severe weather is expected to hit Massachusetts between 2 and 5 p.m. on Friday.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Many airlines, including United, Delta, and Southwest, are offering customers in storm-affected cities the ability to reschedule their itineraries without having to pay a fee.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Stay tuned for more to come on the potential effects of the incoming weather system.</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p><a class="btn btn-sm btn-primary col-lg-12" style="white-space: normal;" href=" http://www.mass.gov/eopss/agencies/mema/" target="_new">Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency</a></p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">
