Published in the March 16, 2018 edition

MELROSE — The third nor’easter in less than two weeks zeroed in on the region Tuesday, dumping nearly 20 inches of snow on Melrose and bringing the city to a virtual standstill.

A parking ban was in effect from 11 Monday night, March 12, to 6 a.m. Wednesday. School was called off for two days. The Milano Center and the Council on Aging were closed. There were few vehicles on the road.

Trash and recycling collection this week followed a holiday schedule, with Wednesday’s trash collected Thursday, Thursday’s collected Friday, etc.

In anticipation of a full plowing operation once the storm got going, the police began checking for people in violation of the parking ban.

The first was around 2 a.m. Tuesday at Friends Court Lot behind Papa Gino’s on Main Street. The second was 9 minutes later on Mount Vernon Avenue. The next two were on Banks Place at 2:13 a.m.

Police received their first call for snow-related help around 8:40 a.m. The DPW asked that a parked car be moved on Mount Vernon Avenue. It was. At 8:45 a.m. a vehicle impeding snow removal was moved on Goodyear Avenue. At 9:27 a.m. a van owner moved his vehicle from its spot along the 400 block of Main Street.

At 9:40 a.m. police were told of snow building up around a vehicle parked at the intersection of Chester and Trenton streets.

A manhole cover which had been moved on Sylvan Street was put back in place around 10 a.m.

A parking complaint was handled around 10:26 a.m. on Emerson Place and a minute later another one was dealt with on Stevens Place.

At 10:44 a.m. the DPW asked that a vehicle parked in the 1000 block of Main Street be moved.

At 11:21 a.m., police were told of an accident on Berkeley Street involving a plow and a parked vehicle.

An MBTA bus was stuck at Lebanon and Grove streets around 1:50 p.m.

Around 2:20 p.m. another parked vehicle was moved on Orchard Lane.

Police assistance was needed around 4:35 p.m. because someone was plowing snow onto a Ryder Avenue property. The plow operator agreed to move the snow.

 Regionally, storm cleanup and the restoration of power to the tens of thousands of residents and businesses without electricity were the focus Wednesday, a day after a fierce nor’easter lashed the Northeast with hurricane-force winds and heavy snow.

With spring tantalizingly close after the switch to daylight saving time, many were left shaking their heads — and wielding shovels they had hoped would not be needed again — after the third major storm in two weeks buried some New England towns beneath 2 feet (0.61 meters) of snow on Tuesday.

“The groundhog was right. Six more weeks of winter, and probably then some,” said Paul Knight, of Portland, Maine, as snow accumulated on his eyebrows.

About 140,000 customers were without power in Massachusetts on Wednesday morning, while Maine, Rhode Island and Connecticut were also dealing with scattered outages. Utility National Grid, which serves Massachusetts and Rhode Island, said it could be Thursday evening before everyone is back online.

The National Weather Service, relying on trained spotters, says Tuesday’s storm brought more than 2 feet of snow to some communities.

Uxbridge, Massachusetts, was the leader with nearly 28 inches. Foster, Rhode Island, got more than 25 inches, while in Connecticut, Killingly had the most with just over 20 inches.

Rochester, New Hampshire, got 25 inches, while Limerick and Newfield, Maine had 23.5 inches each

High winds and blowing snow led meteorologists to categorize the storm as a blizzard in parts of New England, including Boston. Gusts approached 70 mph on Cape Cod, the weather service said.

Amtrak suspended all service on Tuesday between Boston and New York City. The railroad later announced that most service between the two cities would resume on sometime Wednesday.

Road and air travel also was disrupted: Slick roads were blamed for at least one death in North Carolina, and the flight-tracking site FlightAware reported more than 1,500 canceled flights. Boston’s Logan International Airport, nearly deserted Tuesday, resumed flights Wednesday.

Janice James’ house in Osterville, on Cape Cod, was in the dark again after losing power for three days in the last storm. James and her four children spent the day eating baked goods she made before the storm and hoping the lights and heat would come back soon.

“We are freezing,” the 39-year-old James said.