The “Bomb Cyclone” Brought Flooding, Rivers of Ice and Slush to Boston

High tide and a "bomb cyclone" storm led to intense conditions.


photo via the Boston Fire Department

As the powerful “bomb cyclone” battered the region with powerful winds, thundersnow boomed, and high tide rolled in, Boston and other coastal areas saw roads turned to slushy rivers, T stops shuttered, drivers trapped in cars, and at least one beach was slammed with icy “shrapnel.”

The National Weather Service reports that tides were nearing historic levels, cresting to heights not recorded since 1921.

At Long Wharf, where the icy, slushy water was nearly knee deep, one entrance to the Aquarium MBTA stop had to be closed, and a man had to be rescued from his SUV.

Boston firefighters also rescued a man trapped inside a car at Neponset Circle in Dorchester.

Large swaths of Seaport Boulevard and sections of Fort Point saw currents of water flowing down the street.

One video shows the water was so intense, a dumpsters could be seen floating down the street.

Photos showed cars stuck on I-93, unable to drive up an incline.

And cars in Winthrop nearly submerged.

The situation was so dire in Scituate that Town Administrator Jim Boudreau was warning residents not to head to the shore to watch the mammoth waves role in due to the risk of chunks of ice acting like “shrapnel coming off the beach.”

The MBTA announced service on the Blue Line between Wonderland and Orient Heights was suspended after flooding at the Beachmont stop at around 1:45. Service resumed at 2 p.m.

Elsewhere, the T kept running, and crews worked to keep platforms clear.

Gubernatorial candidate Jay Gonzalez rode the T this morning, chronicling the journey he took from Needham to his campaign office in Cambridge.