Winter storm threatens Cape Cod with up to 18 inches of snow

BOSTON (AP) — The second winter storm in four days to hit the Northeast centered on New England on Monday, bringing howling winds and coastal flooding and threatening Cape Cod and southeastern Massachusetts with up to 18 inches of snow.

The storm was accompanied by high winds that brought scattered power failures, as well as coastal flooding from south of Boston to Cape Cod and Connecticut.

In Rhode Island, crowds of mourners lined the streets amid bitter temperatures and falling snow to bid farewell to former Providence Mayor Buddy Cianci, whose hearse was carried by horse-drawn carriage from City Hall to the city's Roman Catholic cathedral.

Sean Nardone, a custodian for the U.S. Postal Service, was scheduled to spend the day shoveling and treating the front steps of several post offices south of Boston.

Milk, bread, water — a lot of people walk from their homes, so we stay open, he said.

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, which was crippled by a series of historic storms during Boston's record-breaking winter last year, was operating on a normal weekday schedule with winter routes in effect for buses.