NORTHAMPTON — Snow started falling early Thursday morning, just in time to put a light coat on the roads before the morning commute. By 4 p.m., some 10 inches of snow had fallen in the city.
Across Hampshire County, a foot of snow was reported for Amherst at 3:49 p.m, while 7 inches of snow was reported in Westhampton at 2:45 p.m. Plainfield received 10.5 inches by early evening, and 10 inches was the total in Worthington and Amherst Center at the same time, all as reported by the National Weather Service.
Snowfall amounts were slightly higher than the weather service had predicted Wednesday for eastern and central Hampshire County, when the storm was predicted to deliver 4-8 inches.
Alan Dunham, a weather service meteorologist in Taunton, said the increase was due to the snow being very light and fluffy, with temperatures topping out in the mid 20s, enhancing the inch count.
“That’s probably what happened,” Dunham said.
Gusty winds were also a factor in Thursday’s storm, and will continue over the next two days. A wind chill advisory will be in effect from Friday morning to Saturday afternoon, with gusts up to 40 mph and windchill temperatures between 15 and 20 below zero expected, according to Dunham.
The storm had a very real effect on government, transportation, education and commerce in the Pioneer Valley.
Peter Pan Bus Lines canceled all service for Thursday, according to a notice published on the company’s website that cited concerns over severe weather conditions and employee and patron safety.
All routes will resume on Friday, according to the company, and any customers with Thursday tickets can exchange them either online or at a Peter Pan ticket counter.
Easthampton police closed Mountain Road, Route 141, Thursday morning at 9, citing dangerous conditions. Detour signs will reroute travelers down East Street and Route 5 to get back onto Route 141 during the closure, according to Easthampton Officer Chad Alexander. The road remained closed Thursday evening.
The VA Central Western Massachusetts closed all but its urgent care office in Northampton at 1 p.m.
Northampton City Council chose to cancel its 7 p.m. Thursday meeting, due to the weather. The meeting would have seen the council tackle the mayor’s veto of an ordinance restricting the installation of new, permanent, municipally operated security cameras downtown.
Newly installed Council President Ryan O’Donnell wrote in a news advisory that the meeting would be rescheduled as soon as possible.
Public schools across Hampshire County were closed in anticipation of the heavy snow and strong winds. Among the many other closures were Forbes Library in Northampton, the Amherst Senior Center, state court in Belchertown and Northampton, the Five Colleges, local banks and town halls.
Friday will see a number of school districts delay opening by two hours across Hampshire County, including Amherst-Pelham regional schools and Northampton Easthampton, Granby and Belchertown public schools. Gateway Regional School District and Tri-County Regional Vocational Technical High School will both be closed.
Northampton declared a snow emergency at about 6 a.m. Thursday, and it remained in effect that evening. While it is in place the city will tow any vehicles parked overnight on city streets starting at midnight until 6 a.m., and between 2 and 7 a.m. on Main Street, until the ban is lifted.
Even brunch was affected, as popular Northampton spot Sylvester’s stopped seating people at 11 a.m.
Easthampton Department of Public Works Director Joseph Pipczynski said the storm was exactly the kind his department liked to deal with.
“This is a classic storm,” he said, noting that it didn’t feature any mixed precipitation.
“It’ll snow, it’ll stop and we’ll clean up,” he said. “This is what we like.”
He said Easthampton received about a foot of snow from the storm, and that if folks wanted to help out the department they could shovel out the area around fire hydrants.
Donna LaScaleia, director of the Northampton Department of Public Works, said her department had done an excellent job under very difficult circumstances.
Asked about the snowfall being heavier than initially predicted, LaScaleia said the department had been prepared for this possibility.
“We’re always ready for anything,” she said. “We have to be prepared.”
She also said she expected plows to be on the road in Northampton cleaning up through the night into Friday.
“I would just ask that our plows are out there trying to clear the snow, so please give them room to work and please keep your speeds down and drive safely,” LaScaleia said earlier in the day.
By evening, Northampton Police Department said no major accidents had occurred as a result of the storm. Amherst and Easthampton similarly reported no accidents.
Hadley reported at least a half dozen evening calls of vehicles sliding off the road and having to be pulled out of the snow.