The second full day of recovery from the Blizzard of 2026 brings more school closings, continued street clearing, and snow possibly mixed with rain that could help melt what remains of the historic storm’s up to 34 inches of snow across Newport County.
Newport Public Schools will be closed for the rest of the week, Superintendent Colleen Burns Jermain announced Wednesday. “Due to the enormous amount of cleanup and recovery that is still underway and more importantly our focus on safety for all our students and staff, Newport Public Schools will remain closed for the rest of this week,” Jermain said, adding that the district hopes to resume normal operations next week. Other Newport County schools are also closed or virtual today.
“We’ve cleared primary roads and are actively working to reopen side streets,” the City of Newport said in a Tuesday evening update. Crews have been working in the North End, The Point, and Fifth Ward, and will expand Wednesday into the Off-Broadway and Kerry Hill neighborhoods. The city warned that streets in The Point, Yachting Village, Kerry Hill, and Fifth Ward present particularly challenging conditions due to narrow roadways, drifting, and heavy accumulation.
Ocean Drive remains closed to vehicular traffic until further notice as the city prioritizes side streets and downtown neighborhoods. Barricades are in place at Coggeshall Avenue, Carroll Avenue, and the north entrance of Brenton Point State Park.
Newport City Council Chair-Elect Charlie Holder said the city hopes to have all roads cleared through this weekend and is working to acquire additional heavy machinery for the task. “The amount of snow has been otherworldly and we as a city can not keep up with the removal efficiently enough,” Holder said in a message to residents. He asked residents experiencing emergencies or power outages to call 2-1-1, and to use the ReportIt app on Newport.gov for other plowing and neighborhood needs.
Parking update
The city has lifted the mandatory parking ban on Broadway but said restrictions remain in effect elsewhere while roads continue to be cleared. Parking bans remain in effect in all other Newport County communities:
- Newport — Lifted on Broadway; in effect elsewhere until further notice
- Jamestown — Until further notice
- Middletown — Until further notice
- Portsmouth — Until further notice
- Tiverton — Until further notice
The city urged residents to keep vehicles off the roadways unless travel is absolutely necessary, even though the statewide travel ban has been lifted.
Power nearly fully restored
Power restoration in Newport County is essentially complete. As of 11:45 a.m. Wednesday, just 12 customers remained without power in the county — down from a peak of nearly 8,000 Monday afternoon. Newport and Middletown are fully restored. Statewide, 1,450 customers were still without power, with Washington County accounting for most at 1,354.
RIPTA resuming limited service with detours
RIPTA is resuming service today after being shut down since Sunday evening, but passengers should expect significant delays, detours, and route modifications due to narrowed streets and ongoing cleanup. As of 11:45 a.m., 28 routes were on detour — up from 14 this morning — and four routes (6, 18, 27, and 31) are fully suspended. On Aquidneck Island, Routes 63, 64, and 68 are on detour with all trips remaining on Farewell Street. Route 64 service to CCRI is suspended, and Route 68 has no service to 2nd and 3rd Streets. RIPTA said it may take several days for service to return to normal levels. Updates at RIPTA.com/alerts.
Gaudet shelter demobilized
The Aquidneck Island emergency regional shelter at Gaudet Middle School in Middletown has been demobilized, the City of Newport said Tuesday evening. City teams transported individuals back to their residences. Regional shelters remain open in Pawtucket (Jenks Middle School) and Wakefield (Broad Rock Middle School), along with emergency pop-up shelters in Providence and West Warwick. For a full list of shelters, visit housing.ri.gov.
What’s closed Wednesday in Newport County
Schools:
- Newport Public Schools — Closed through Friday
- Middletown Public Schools — Closed
- Jamestown Public Schools — Closed; no out-of-town buses
- Tiverton Public Schools — Closed (no virtual instruction)
- Portsmouth Public Schools — Virtual Learning Day
- Little Compton Public Schools — Virtual Learning Day; School Committee meeting 5 p.m.
- The Met – East Bay (Newport) — Virtual Learning Day
- All Saints Academy (Middletown) — Closed
- Bradley School (Portsmouth) — Distance Learning Day
- Pennfield School (Portsmouth) — Closed
- St. Philomena School (Portsmouth) — Closed
- IYRS School of Technology and Trades (Newport) — Closed
- Salve Regina University — Remote classes and operations
- CCRI (all campuses) — Classes canceled
- URI — Closed; essential staff only
Government and military:
- Newport City Hall — Closed
- Naval Station Newport — Mission essential personnel only; MWR, CYP, NEX, and DECA closed
- Newport Public Library — Closed
- Jamestown Philomenian Library — Delayed opening; noon
- Middletown Senior Center — Closed
- Edward King House Senior Center (Newport) — Closed through Friday
- RI Judiciary — Closed statewide
Health services and community organizations:
- Head Start EBCAP (Newport) — All centers closed Wednesday and Thursday
- Child and Family Services of Newport County — Virtual appointments only
- Newport Family and Child Opportunity Zone — Closed
- James L. Maher Center (Middletown) — Closed; residential report all shifts
- Save the Bay Hamilton Family Aquarium (Newport) — Closed through Thursday
- Boys and Girls Clubs of Newport — Closed
- MLK Community Center (Newport) — Closed; all programs
- Little Compton Community Center — Closed
- Portsmouth Free Library — Closed
- Bloom (Middletown) — Closed
- Lilyfrog (Portsmouth) — Closed
- Sandpiper Early Learning Center (Middletown) — Closed
- Sakonnet Early Learning Center (Tiverton) — Closed
- Viking Bridge Club (Portsmouth) — Closed Thursday
- Norman Bird Sanctuary (Middletown) — Closed
- Tiverton Library — Closed; no AARP tax help
- Tiverton Senior Center — Closed; no buses
Religious services:
- Holy Ghost Church (Tiverton) — Closed; no adoration
- St. Mark’s Church (Jamestown) — No Stations of the Cross; food pantry open 4–6 p.m.
Businesses:
- Peoples Credit Union (Middletown) — Closed; member service center open
Trash collection:
- Newport trash and recycling — Suspended Wednesday and Thursday
The forecast
Rain and snow are moving through today, which will help with melting. Patchy fog is expected this afternoon and evening.
Today: Rain and snow, mainly before 1 p.m. Patchy fog. High near 39. Southwest wind around 14 mph, with gusts as high as 32 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. Little or no snow accumulation expected.
Tonight: A slight chance of rain and snow before midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 32.
Thursday: Increasing clouds, with a high near 41.
Friday: Sunny, with a high near 38.
Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 43.
