English Bulldog Puppies for Sale in Boston, MA

WESTFIELD, MA (WGGB/WSHM) -- In late 1775, Boston was under siege by British forces and the American colonists lacked the firepower to break the occupation. That’s when a 25-year-old bookseller named Henry Knox caught the attention of General George Washington and embarked on a mission that would change the course of the American Revolution.

Knox had joined the American Revolution earlier in 1775 and quickly impressed Washington, who sent him on a daring and dangerous mission: travel to the recently captured Fort Ticonderoga in upstate New York and haul 60 tons of formerly British cannons through 300 miles of wilderness in winter back to Boston. “So what’s happened is the battle of Lexington and Concord, Bunker Hill has happened, Boston, at the moment in 1775, is under siege. The British troops, the royal troops are inside Boston. George Washington and his army are surrounding Boston, but they can’t get in,” said Kanisorn Wongsrichanalai, chief historian at the Massachusetts Historical Society.

Knox began what became known as “The Noble Train of Artillery” in late 1775, spending eight weeks moving through the wilderness of New York and eventually Western Massachusetts. Teams of oxen and horses, along with hired men, pulled sleds of artillery across frozen rivers and rugged terrain over the mountains of the Berkshires.

Knox recorded his journey in a diary. One entry dated January 13, 1776, from Blandford, showed Knox contracting with Solomon Brown to carry a cannon weighing 24.5 pounds from Blandford to Westfield, a distance of 11 miles, for 18 shillings. “It’s a really remarkable, logistical feat and it demonstrates not just the will Knox has to accomplish this, but also the logistical and organizational skills that the Americans have. I mean, hey, the American Army is not much of an Army in 1775. It’s puny and it’s about to take on the most powerful military force on Earth,” Wongsrichanalai explained.

Downtown Westfield features one of 56 markers along the Knox Trail, placed in 1926 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the journey. The marker reads in part: “Through this place passed General Henry Knox in the winter of 1775-1776.”

By late January 1776, Knox and his cannons reached the outskirts of Boston. The artillery was placed on the high ground of Dorchester Heights, making the British position untenable and leading to their evacuation. “If we think just about Knox rescuing his town and all the people along the way who are also trying to rescue their colony – their state – and their new nation that’s coming together, this is a critical moment. It demonstrates skill, it demonstrates the ability for the American forces to be a threat to British forces, and it liberated Boston. It liberated New England for the rest of the war more or less,” Wongsrichanalai noted.

Knox remained friends with Washington throughout his life, serving in his cabinet as the nation’s first Secretary of War. He also remembered his time in Western Massachusetts, choosing Springfield as the site of the nation’s first armory.

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NEEDHAM, Mass. —

One week after the biggest snowstorm to strike Massachusetts in years, a second storm is expected to bring additional snow to parts of the state.

Combined with the chance for strong winds and coastal flooding, the forecast has prompted StormTeam 5 to issue a weather alert for Sunday.

What to know:

Weekend bomb cyclone

The storm track keeps trending farther east, reducing snow impacts for most areas of Massachusetts.

"The offshore storm on Sunday will really be targeting southeastern Massachusetts," StormTeam 5 Chief Meteorologist Cindy Fitzgibbon said. "Along the coast, the wind will gust 40 to 50 mph, and there will be minor to moderate pockets of coastal flooding."

Southeastern communities are expected to get 2 to 4 inches, with the Cape possibly getting 4 to 6 inches.

A winter storm watch is in effect for the Cape and Islands beginning Sunday at 4 a.m. until Monday at 4 a.m.

For Boston, an inch or two of snow can be expected. Communities further west, like Worcester, will most likely not see much out of the storm.

A winter storm watch is in effect from late Saturday night through late Sunday night for Barnstable, Dukes and Nantucket counties. A coastal flood watch is in effect from Sunday morning through Monday afternoon for the eastern Massachusetts coast, including Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket.

But first, extreme cold

Ahead of the weekend storm, the coldest air of the winter has moved into the region. Morning temperatures will be in the single digits Friday morning, and wind chills will be well below zero.

Boston may see its first below-zero nighttime temperature in nearly three years by Saturday morning, while most cities and towns outside of Boston will easily drop below zero. The cold will prevent meaningful melting of the existing snowpack into the weekend.

"The wind chill throughout the entire day, even with the sunshine, does not get above zero. So it feels like it's below zero all day long. The highest temperatures will be in the teens. This will be the coldest day of the winter, so far," Fitzgibbon said. "And there will be a biting wind to go along with that cold today."

The National Weather Service issued a cold weather advisory for most of Massachusetts through Friday at 11 a.m.

Seem familiar?

If it turns out to be a big storm, it will begin to be reminiscent of the 2015 Snow Blitz, which began at this time 11 years ago and featured a recurring pattern of large snowfalls.

Coincidentally, the Snow Blitz also overlapped with the Patriots and Seahawks meeting in the Super Bowl.

The National Weather Service has issued a Cold Weather Advisory for most of Massachusetts through 11 a.m. Friday.

Air temperatures Friday morning will largely be near or below zero across the region.

There will be very little recovery during the day on Friday. Daytime highs will be stuck in the teens.

Temperatures bottom out Friday night into early Saturday, dipping well below zero in most area north and west of Boston.

Below zero with wind chill

Add in the wind and it only gets worse.

Check out the forecast for wind chills Friday and Saturday morning. It includes -20 to -10 degrees across the entire area.

Readings this low lead to frostbite on any exposed skin in 30 minutes or less.

Safe to say, you should not be outside for any extended period of time over the next two days. If you have to, cover up all exposed skin and dress in multiple layers.

In:

While the threat of a major impact from the upcoming nor'easter has decreased for much of Massachusetts this weekend, Cape Cod and the islands could still see several inches of snow on Sunday, Feb. 1, the National Weather Service said.

Days after a massive winter storm pummeled the East Coast, meteorologists began watching another snowstorm, though its path remained uncertain.

As of Friday, Jan. 30, the bulk of the storm is expected to miss Boston, but the city could still receive an inch of snow, NWS said. Hyannis, Provincetown, and Martha's Vineyard could get around 5 inches, while Nantucket could see up to 8 inches. All snowfall is expected to end by late Sunday night.

"Cape Cod and the islands are probably going to be the bullseye for any impact from this," said Bryce Williams, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Norton. "There's still some uncertainty as far as how far northwest [the storm] goes."

The Bay State's coastline could also experience some minor flooding from the morning of Sunday, Feb. 1, through the afternoon of Monday, Feb. 2, according to NWS.

Here's what to know about the weather in Massachusetts this weekend.

Winter storm watch issued for Cape Cod and islands

A winter storm watch has been issued for Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket this weekend, according to the National Weather Service.

From late Saturday, Jan. 31, through late Sunday, Feb. 1, heavy snow is possible in these areas, and winds could gust up to 45 mph, NWS said. Around 4 to 8 inches of snow is expected.

"Nantucket is probably going to see the most snow. – over 6 to 8 inches is most likely. Maybe 4 to 6 inches for much of the Cape," Williams said. "And then it gets lesser as you get further up northwest into the rest of Massachusetts."

The weather service said travel could be "very difficult" on the Cape and islands during this time, and that gusty winds could bring down tree branches.

Coastal flood watch issued for MA this weekend

The National Weather Service issued a coastal flood watch for most of the Massachusetts coastline over the weekend, including Boston. The South Coast, however, is not expected to be affected.

"It's a combination of the storm lining up with some higher astronomical tides," Williams said.

Less than a foot of flooding could impact the lowest-lying areas along the coast during the storm, including beachside roads along the North Shore, according to NWS. Morrissey Boulevard in Dorchester and Easy Street on Nantucket are also among the locations that could take on water.

"Take the necessary actions to protect flood-prone property," the weather service said in a bulletin.

While most roads will remain drivable, people should be cautious and allow extra time for any required travel, the weather service said. Drivers should not pass any barricades or through water of unknown depth.

"Fortunately, it looks like the highest surge of waters will be happening at low tide, so that helps," Williams said.

Here are the Massachusetts counties where the coastal food watch is in effect from Sunday morning through Monday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service:

Expected snowfall totals for Massachusetts

Here are the National Weather Service's expected snowfall totals for cities and towns in Massachusetts this weekend, including high-end predictions (as of 7 a.m. on Jan. 30):

MA weather watches and warnings

Massachusetts radar

With grace and humility and a wide grin he rarely flashed when he was leading the Boston Bruins back to prominence, Zdeno Chara took his rightful place among Black and Gold immortals on Thursday night when his No. 33 was raised to the TD Garden rafters.

Surrounded by Bruins royalty — including fellow number retirees Bobby Orr, Johnny Bucyk, Terry O’Reilly, Rick Middleton, Cam Neely and Willie O’Ree — Chara remained more or less stoic. But he admitted later the emotions were tugging hard at him.

When he stepped to the podium, he was greet by a single leather lung in the balcony, who screamed “We love you, Z!” At the end of his speech, the entire crowd gave a hearty chant of “Thank You, Chara!”

“I almost cried there. I was very close,” said Chara afterward.

True to his inclusive nature as a captain, Chara did his best not to leave anyone or anything out. Of course, he touched on the 2011 Stanley Cup championship, without which he estimated this night would not have happened. Championships are how athletes are measured, he said. He hit on the heartbreaking and emotional days surrounding the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013.

And he acknowledged that night in 2019 during the Stanley Cup Finals when, with his jaw shattered, the Garden crowd let out a deafening roar.

“I stood here half-broken, and you had my back,” Chara said.

The ’11 team had a huge presence on the night. Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci, Mark Recchi, Dennis Seidenberg and Tuukka Rask brought out the banner with his number on it. Before that, Chara made sure to mention every player on that team, from Bergeron and Krejci and Shawn Thornton to Shane Hnidy and Tomas Kaberle, all of them forever friends.

When it was time to raise the banner, he and his wife Tatiana let their children Elliz, Ben and Zack do the honors.

“Believe it or not, I think that’s the biggest award for me, seeing my children, my family doing it instead of me,” said Chara, fighting those emotions again in addressing reporters after the ceremony.

One of the most motivated and dedicated athletes that has come through Boston, even in retirement, Chara gave an insight on what made him tick, how he went from a gangly kid who fell and broke his teeth the first time he stepped on the ice back home in Trencin, Slovakia to a Hockey Hall of Famer.

“To be honest, I played with fear. I played with fear of failing every game,” Chara said. “That pushed pushed me to be playing with determination not to fail. I didn’t want to fail my teammates, my team. So I went into every game, every day just prove, prove, and do you job and do your best. That was my mentality….You look back and you wonder how I did it. But it helped me a lot to play with that fear.”

If Chara was the ultimate lead-by-example captain, Andrew Ference was the one who often articulated the vibe and ethic of those teams. Ference was at times Chara’s defense partner as well, so it made sense that he would be the emcee. He was a natural, hitting with humor amid the highlights in his speech.

“The hardest part is trimming it down,” said Ference before the event. “You think of Z and he’s a complicated guy. It’s not straight forward. He’s a real estate agent, he’s got a financial degree. He’s a very curious individual, running his Ironmans and playing hockey like crazy. Even the hockey part’s complicated. I go back pretty far. I played junior against him. I played in Portland, Oregon and he played in St. George. I was a 16-year-old kid and I’m looking across at this giant. Then he stayed in Edmonton to work out and train before he made the NHL.

“I got to know him pretty young. And he wasn’t good. He actually wasn’t that great of a hockey player. And to see him go from that age…and you see the progression, you see the work, you see the attitude and the construction of his career. Even when he was flying high and making All-Star games and doing all that, he was taking private skating lessons with figure skaters.

“He legitimately made me better, he made me a better professional and seeing north stars like him and a couple of others I played with that show you the way to be a professional. For an average guy like – and that’s not to put myself down – but I’m a pretty average player, I didn’t have an average career because I followed guys like that.”

Bergeron was just 21 when Chara arrived in Boston. With Chara leading the way, Bergeron, a quiet, shy Quebecois at first, grew into a player and person who would become the automatic, no-questions-asked successor as the next Bruins captain after Chara left.

“My first encounter with him was in gym, which is very fitting but the way,” Bergeron said. “I just saw firsthand his work ethic and how much he was excited to be around and so down to earth and ready to lead and learn, too. Just that conversation made me realize he was a special person. I knew he was a special player. But to see the dedication – and it was in July – to see him stay in the gym for so long, helping me with things and wanting to know more about players and what to expect. From the get-go I knew he was the right guy to lead this organization.”

Ray Bourque had left the organization in 2000 at the trade deadline, in search of the Stanley Cup that he eventually captured in Colorado. But he will always bleed the Black and Gold. While he was no longer in the room, the former Bruin captain recognized what Chara’s arrival meant to the organization.

Said Bourque: “I think we became the Bruins again.”