A calendar will tell you that spring is just over a week away, but a look out the window on Tuesday will tell you otherwise.
Winter storm “Stella” will march past the Vineyard starting early Tuesday morning, bringing heavy, wet snow, falling fast; high winds, and some coastal flooding. The National Weather Service expired the winter storm warning for Dukes County, but states that the Island could see 2 to 4 inches of wet snow. The biggest hazard may come with high winds, forecast to be 30 to 40 mph, with gusts over 60 mph.
It could have been worse for the Island — had the storm not moved west, the Vineyard might be facing the 18 to 24 inches of snow now forecast for the Worcester area.
Eight states now have a blizzard warning, with snow totals forecast to be more than a foot, falling at a rate of two to four inches per hour, and sustained winds blowing up to 50 mph, with gusts up to 70.
To find out what’s closed, cancelled, postponed, check our news ticker on our homepage at mvtimes.com.
The Steamship Authority advises travelers to check on the status of ferries before leaving home.
To make or modify a reservation, call 508.477.8600, or visit steamshipauthority.com.
Shelters
Wet snow and high winds can result in downed trees and power lines. Eversource can only use bucket trucks to fix downed lines when winds drop below 32 mph, so power outages could be prolonged.
The Chilmark town offices have helpfully listed area shelters, should Islanders without power need to find a warm place, or an outlet to power up their phones.
In Chilmark
“During regular operating hours the town hall and library are open for people to get warm, make phone calls, use the Internet, and charge their devices,” the email from Chilmark said. “When the town hall and library are closed, the Menemsha Cross Road and North Road fire stations have heat and generators for people to get warm, make phone calls, use the Internet, and charge their devices.
The Chilmark Community Center has heat, generator, Internet, a telephone and cots, should an overnight shelter be needed in town. The email from the town requested that people seeking shelter “use the door to the right of the main entrance, on the brick patio, behind the big tree.”
Chilmarkers can check the town’s website for any further information.
Elsewhere on the Island
The Good Shepherd Parish in Oak Bluffs is open as a warming center each weekday from 12 pm to 2 pm.
For overnight shelters, three churches are open from 7 to 8 pm for “intake” for overnight sheltering down-Island, until 7 am the next day. The churches rotate the service: Monday is the Federated Church in Edgartown (45 South Summer street), Tuesday is St. Augustine (56 Franklin street) in Vineyard Haven, and Wednesday is St. Andrews (51 Winter street) in Edgartown. The churches cannot accept pets, but might help make arrangements.