WORCESTER, MASS. (WHDH) - Local communities were getting plows ready and stocking up on salt and sand Friday as a new round of winter weather gets set to roll across parts of New England beginning late Friday night.
In a slow winter to date, some cities and towns have been saving money set aside in their snow budgets. But as more snow approaches, local officials and community members alike have also cautioned that winter is not over yet.
“We’ve been known to have blizzards in April,” area resident Pat Raye said.
In Worcester, officials expect 300 pieces of equipment will be on the road trying to stay ahead of the storm, which could dump several inches of snow and sleet in the area.
Worcester Commissioner of Public Works Jay Fink said the storm could be “a little bit of a repeat” of winter weather earlier this week.
He continued, however, noting forecasts that call for “fast and furious” snow overnight in comparison to slower, drawn-out snowfall in the region’s previous storm.
At the state level, crews with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation were also getting ready for an all-night response Friday.
The timing of this storm is good in the eyes of many officials, with snow forecast to peak when many are at home asleep and off local roads. Still, officials said the cleanup may continue until midday on Saturday.
“It will be a great time to sleep in,” Fink said. “Have that extra cup of coffee.”
In Marshfield, Town Administrator Michael Maresco told 7NEWS the town has spent about half of its $400,000 snow budget. If the town can get through the next four weeks unscathed, Maresco said there could be leftover cash to go into Marshfield’s stabilization fund or to go toward one time expenditures.
Back in Worcester, the city has $6 million in its snow removal budget. Fink said that the city has only gone through roughly a third of that total so far this winter. Snow heading into the weekend this week could be expensive, though, with Fink estimating a cost of $500,000 or more if forecasts during the day Friday hold.
Beyond finances, some have viewed this year’s mild winter as a gift from above.
“It has been very light, very mild,” Worcester resident Jason Messenger said.
“Sun has been doing the work melting the snow,” Messenger continued. “Everything has been great so far.”
For others, the winter has been cause for concern.
Raye said she is worried about water levels come spring.
“You go by the reservoir and they’re so scary low,” Raye said. “It’s really frightening if it continues.”
Snow is expected to ramp up around midnight moving from west to east.
The snow is set to hold on longest across northern Massachusetts, as sleet mixes in for many before dawn on Saturday. The highest snow totals are expected to favor northern Massachusetts, where between six and nine inches are expected. View our latest weather blog for updates.
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