Businesses closed for the day, schools dismissed students early and crews prepared the roads Wednesday in anticipation of a major nor’easter.
Although the heavy snowfall didn’t hit until the late afternoon, it continued through the night as public works crews worked to clear the roads.
Northampton Highway Superintendent Richard Parasiliti Jr. started his shift at 6 a.m. Wednesday and didn’t expect to end until 7 a.m. Thursday, he said Wednesday night.
“I’ll try to get some shut-eye at some point,” Parasiliti said.
Parasiliti said crews treated the roads with rock salt in the morning, and then again in the afternoon before the heavy snowfall. Around 9 p.m., the snow was steady and no trees limbs had fallen. “Knock on wood,” he added.
“It’s supposed to pick up in intensity as the night goes on,” he said.
The wind also picked up as the night wore on, and the blowing snow cut visibility to a minimum for motorists.
Besides the MacDuffie School, which announced a two-hour delay, Hampshire County schools were expected to be operating normally Thursday.
With the above-freezing temperatures this month, the snow did not immediately stick to the roads and crews didn’t begin plowing until 6 p.m.
Parasiliti said the snow was heavy and wet, so plow drivers would have be careful not to drive too fast and pay extra attention because they could easily slide into mailboxes or poles.
At 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, National Weather Service meteorologist Benjamin Sipprell said he expected many people to wake up to a lot of snow and possibly no power. He said the snow is “wet” and “pasty,” which can cling to trees and cause limbs to break.
“Take it easy in the morning,” Sipprell said, adding that the morning commute could have hazardous road conditions.
The weather service issued a winter storm warning at 4:15 p.m. Wednesday, expecting total snow accumulations from 8 to 15 inches.
Around 5:45 p.m., Florence had 3.5 inches, Easthampton had 2 inches, Granby had 1.2 inches and South Hadley had 1 inch, according to the National Weather Service.
In Westhampton, a car slid off the road and hit a utility pole, according to the town Fire Department Facebook page Wednesday evening. No injuries were reported. A few cars slid off the road in Hadley, but were able to get moving again, according to the Hadley Police Department. Other area police departments reported no accidents or fallen tree limbs.
As the snow began to fall hard around 4 p.m., Amherst DPW director Guilford Mooring said the roads were treated, but crews had not started plowing.
“We’ve been sitting around waiting,” Mooring said, adding they expected to see more snow by that time.
About 28 employees had been on since 7 a.m. and Mooring said he expected crews to be out clearing the street until 4 or 5 Thursday morning.
Northampton DPW Director Donna LaScaleia said the forecast for Wednesday’s storm had been “variable.”
Area schools and businesses had closed early, expecting snow that was late arriving.
“We anticipated the storm would start earlier,” LaScaleia said. As of 5 p.m. there was not enough snow accumulation to plow the road.
LaScaleia said during the winter season, the DPW office is staffed 24 hours a day with a main priority of making sure roads are clear of snow as well as making sure fire hydrants and storm drains don’t get clogged with ice.
Both Lascaleia and Mooring said snow storms can get in the way of another ongoing project: Potholes.
Caitlin Ashworth can be reached at cashworth@gazettenet.com.