Power outages reported, several school districts closed as stormy Monday sets in

Power outages were reported in parts of Massachusetts Monday morning and some schools were closed as a powerful weather system spreads through region, bringing heavy rain,

below-freezing temperatures, and concerns about a snowy evening commute. Some 5,700 customers in Middlesex, Worcester and Franklin counties were without power around 6:30

a.m. and the towns of Hubbardston, New Salem and Warwick were facing outages totaling 57 percent of customers, according to the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency. In

Boston early Monday, the storm system brought only rain. But it is expected to slowly give way to snowfall by early afternoon, with an accumulation of up to four inches expected

in the city by later today, according to the weather service. The National Weather service warned of a “tricky AM/PM commute” throughout the region due to changing weather

conditions throughout the day. Boston Public Schools are opening as scheduled Monday. But public schools were closed in Fitchburg, Gardner, Greenfield, Leicester,

Leominster, Lunenburg, North Adams, Pittsfield, Shutesbury, Winchendon, and Worcester and in the Ashburnham Westminster, Athol-Royalston, Ayer-Shirley, Gateway, Narragansett,

Quabbin, and Wachusett regional school districts, according to online postings by district officials. Also closed are school systems in Worcester and

Shrewsbury. “Forecasts have firmed up with a late morning/early afternoon changeover to snow, with some potential for icing both this morning and this afternoon,” Shrewsbury

Schools Superintendent Joe Sawyer wrote in announcing Monday’s closure.