The heavy snowfall that dropped 10 inches in Amherst by noon is expected to let up by late afternoon Thursday, but gusty winds will still cause problems, according to an official with the National Weather Service in Taunton.
Western Massachusetts had a “ton of heavy snow” move across the region earlier Thursday, Meteorologist Hayden Frank said around 2 p.m.
“It’s still snowing,” he said. “The good news – the back edge of the heavy snow is pushing to the east.”
In Belchertown, 16 inches of snow fell in seven hours, according to Steven Williams, director of the town’s Department of Public Works.
Around 30 snowplows, a mix of town plows and private contractors, have been on the roads since the first snowflakes started to fall around 6 a.m.,Williams said.
“We’re behind. There is no doubt about that,” Williams said around 1:30 p.m. “With the intensity of the storm, that was to be expected.”
With the snow beginning to lighten up a bit by mid-afternoon, Williams said he expected the department would be able to catch up and road conditions would improve “significantly” by nightfall.
“Right now they are pretty poor,” he said.
Snow will continue through the afternoon with blowing and drifting snow, Frank said.
“Things should wind down this evening,” he said.
As well as dropping two to four inches an hour, the storm system also brought widespread thundersnow across the region which is caused by a rapidly strengthening storm system, according to Frank.
“Obviously, it’s less common than regular thunderstorms you get in spring and summer,” he said.
Frank said the storm should “pretty much come to an end” by 6 p.m. although it may still be snowing lightly by that time.
The biggest concern late in the afternoon will be the blowing and drifting snow coming back on roadways and reducing visibility for motorists, according to Frank.
Emily Cutts can be reached at ecutts@gazettenet.com.