‘We have never seen snow like this’

Another storm hammered Massachusetts Monday with up to two feet of snow in some parts of the state.

The storm marked the third significant snowfall in recent weeks; Boston is in the midst of the snowiest month-long period in its history, surpassing a record set in 1978, when a once-in-a-generation storm slammed the city.

The conditions prompted the MBTA to suspend all rail services Monday night and all day Tuesday, meaning there will be no subway, commuter rail or trolleys.

Some parts of the city saw more than 20 inches fall as of Monday afternoon and could see more than two feet before the storm ended. Some parts of the city have seen more than six feet of snow during the last two-plus weeks.

“We’ve never seen snow like this,” said Boston Mayor Marty Walsh on Monday.

Walsh expected the snow removal costs for the season to be double the city’s planned $18 million snow budget by the end of the week. Walsh implored local residents to stay home Tuesday and off the roads and for employers to allow their workers to work from home. P

Public schools in the city are closed in the city Tuesday, and Walsh said he is open to the possibility of children going to school during holidays and spring vacation to make up days lost to the recent spate of inclement weather.

“I’m open to anything,” he said.

The collective bargaining agreement between city’s schools and a teacher’s union states that teachers are not supposed to be teaching in classrooms past June 30. Interim Boston School Superintendent John McDonough said he was in talks with the union about that situation.

Walsh hinted he would be making an announcement regarding how the school district will handle the lost days on Tuesday.

The T, running on a reduced scheduled because of the snowstorm, had been hampered with delays all day Monday.

T service has been criticized recently as the region has been buried with snow. Many motors in the T’s antiquated subway cars are complicated by the extreme weather. Monday morning, a Red Line train got stuck between Quincy Center and Quincy Adams after a third rail froze. Delays plagued all lines.

Asked if the weather had brought a significant dip in reported crime, Boston Police Commissioner William Evans joked, “I hope it snows everyday.”

“Things have quieted down, obviously we haven’t seen as many people out as we normally do,” he said. “We have seen a good reduction… crime has been real slow.”