The Boston Globe
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Heavy, wet snow may hit
sagging roofs, limbs today
By Peter Schworm
With
yesterday’s snowstorm landing another
bruising blow to a winter-weary region,
today’s encore is expected to bring a messy
mix of snow, ice, and rain to challenge
commuters of all kinds.
The first blast of the two-fisted storm
descended on Greater Boston yesterday,
snarling traffic, canceling hundreds of
flights, and sending children home early
from school. After an evening lull, snowfall
was expected to intensify overnight, and
road crews across the state were put on
alert for an exhausting encore....
Forecasters said the storm will probably
linger through the day before tapering off
in the evening. Many school systems,
including Boston, canceled school in
anticipation of more snowfall....
Several roofs collapsed under the weight of
heavy snow, including a warehouse roof in
Holliston. About 20 workers escaped
unharmed. Worried homeowners rushed to
hardware stores to buy roof rakes, buying
out stocks at some stores.
But as the region muddled through another
snowy day, emergency officials cast a wary
eye toward this morning, when the light,
fluffy snow could turn to an icy mix. The
forecast raised fears of treacherous road
conditions, widespread power outages, and
roof collapses.
“That’s the worst-case scenario,’’ said
Peter Judge, a spokesman for the state’s
emergency management agency. “Ice will stick
to the wires and the trees, and the light,
fluffy snow that’s been falling will act
like a sponge.’’
Caroline Allen, a spokeswoman for NStar,
which has 1.1 million electric customers in
Eastern Massachusetts, said a predicted
snow-sleet mix could pose problems with so
much snow already weighing down limbs and
power lines.
“We have all line crews reporting to work at
6 a.m.,’’ she said. “We’re gearing up for
the worst in the afternoon.’’
Like many communities, Worcester was
scrambling to handle the back-to-back
storms, said Bob Moylan Jr., public works
commissioner in Worcester, who hoped the
snow would let up long enough for plow
drivers to catch some much-needed sleep.
“Our guys have been at this 24-7 for weeks
now,’’ he said. “With budget cuts,
everyone’s down people, so there’s no bench.
“
In Fitchburg, officials planned to stagger
crews throughout the day so they could make
it through the lengthy storm.
“We’ve called in everyone,’’ said Lenny
Laakso, public works commissioner. “It’s
getting old.’’
In Holliston, Fire Chief Michael Cassidy
said workers inside the flat-roofed
warehouse at the time of the collapse
reported a “cracking and a very loud boom.’’
“That building is still shifting, still
creaking and groaning,’’ he said.
Owner Pete MacDonald said it was too early
to tell about the extent of the damage or
when the building might be ready for use.
“We’re glad nobody got hurt,’’ he said....
In Boston, the relentless snowfall has
nearly filled the city’s six “snow farms,’’
where dump trucks lug mounds of snow
excavated from streets with massive
front-end loaders. But the city just secured
additional dumping grounds, including an
acre in South Boston that is larger than the
other snow farms combined.
“We can come here and dump 30 trucks across
and really increase productivity,’’ said
Elmo Baldassari, the deputy commissioner of
public works. “The more we remove, the
better it will be for the rest of winter.’’
“But we’re into February,’’ Baldassari added
in a hopeful note. “I hope Mother Nature
takes care of it pretty soon.’’
Martin Finucane, Lisa Kocian, Eric
Moskowitz, and Andrew Ryan of the Globe
staff contributed to this report.
The Lynn Daily Item
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Groundhog sees more
snow
By Robin Kaminski
With a
massive storm delivering a one-two punch to
the region, winter-weary New Englanders are
beginning to feel as if every day is
Groundhog Day.
With an estimated two-day snowfall total of
nearly 15 inches, morning and evening
commutes were brought to a slow crawl as
cars skidded over icy and snow-packed
roadways.
"We're all starting to get tired," quipped
Lynn Department of Public Works Commissioner
Jay Fink. "We've just been inundated with
complaints about the snow, and they're
right, there's too much snow, but there's
only so much we can do."
The storm, which blanketed the Midwest with
snow and ice before it moved on to the
greater Boston area Tuesday morning, is
expected to linger in the area until this
evening with a mix of snow and ice.
Charlie Foley, a meteorologist with the
National Weather Service, said by the time
the first segment of the snowstorm ended on
Tuesday night, nearly eight inches had
blanketed the Lynn area.
"The next round will last until the late
afternoon, early evening today, but the snow
won't be the same dry, puffy, powdery snow
that fell on Tuesday, it will be wetter with
occasions of sleet, freezing rain and
freezing drizzle," he said.
Foley said when all is said and done,
upwards of 16-20 inches will have coated the
already snow-burdened region.
"The good thing is when this storm kicks
off, there will be sunny and cold weather on
Thursday and Friday," said. "There is
another storm forecast for Saturday, but our
efforts are concentrated on this storm right
now. But I can see that it's in our future."
Since a post-Christmas blizzard, the region
has been clobbered with one storm after
another. While this season's snowfall is
above normal, the region has seen similarly
snowy seasons, such as the record breaking
115.2 inches in the 1995-96 season.
As a result of the relentless snowstorms,
Fink said the weather has all but plowed the
city's snow removal budget.
"The money is long gone," he said. "And
since no other money has been budgeted or
set aside, we're in to the free cash now.
Depending on how much federal aid or
reimbursements we get, that will dictate how
much of the free cash will be spent."
With overflowing mounds of snow on nearly
every street in the city, Fink said plow
drivers have been working overtime to push
back the piles to make it easier for
pedestrians and drivers to get around.
However, only so much can be done when cars
are parked on narrow streets, Fink said,
which ends up causing an issue for medical
professionals to get to emergencies. As a
result, one-sided parking will be
implemented on residential streets.
"No wonder people's car mirrors are hanging
off with the way people are parking in the
streets," he said. "Just because there is
three feet of snow next to the curb, it
doesn't mean that people shouldn't park
there and leave an eight-foot wide roadway."
Snow emergencies were declared Tuesday in
Nahant at 10 a.m., in Swampscott at 2 p.m.,
and in Lynn at 5 p.m....
The Salem News
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Despite snow totals,
trouble minimal
By Bruno Matarazzo Jr.
Yesterday
was the quick jab from the left. Today is
the hard blow from the right. It's a one-two
combination that threatens to dump about a
foot of snow, leaving the North Shore
bruised and battered.
The second part of the storm was poised to
continue throughout much of the day today,
dropping 6 inches of snow, according to
Salem State meteorologist Arthur Francis.
But that's not all.
"We're going to have a chance of not only
snow, but sleet," Francis said. He added the
North Shore is likely to be spared any
freezing rain, which could wreak havoc on
the roads and power supplies.
Yesterday and last night, the roads remained
mostly clear of any havoc or even
significant accidents.
"He haven't sent our officers out on any
accidents, yet," Hamilton police Lt. Scott
Janes said.
Area police reported a few accidents, but
none with serious injuries.
Most of the storm-related calls were about
parking complaints, according to Beverly
Patrolman David Costa.
Peabody did have a number of crashes, but
the drivers exchanged paperwork even before
police arrived, according to police Capt.
Dennis Bonaiuto.
Weather buffs have called the storms
historic, but Francis said only one of the
two is impressive.
"The one (yesterday) wasn't, to me, that
significant," Francis said. But today's
storm does have some merit.
"It's monstrous," Francis said of the storm
that stretches across much of the country as
it makes its way east.
The snow from today's storm will be much
heavier than yesterday's light, fluffy snow.
There is more snow expected Saturday, but
the details are still up in the air.
"It's too early to tell," Francis said.
