It’s a weather déjà vu all over again.
Just a month after a Sunday storm dumped some 18 inches of snow on Western Mass, communities again were gearing up to deal with a repeat, with forecasters predicting anywhere between 8 and 16 inches coming again Sunday night into Monday.
Schools across the region announced cancelations Monday, extending the school winter vacation a day. Springfield announced City Hall and will be closed to all but non-emergency personnel. Multiple communities, including Holyoke and Chicopee, canceled trash and recycling collection for Monday, pushing the schedule back a day.
And mayors, public works directors and police were begging people to please, please, please stay off the roads and obey the parking bans to prevent complicating what will be an already difficult job of clearing the streets.
“Out of an abundance of caution I am declaring a State of Emergency with a citywide parking ban that will ensure the DPW can safely clear the streets and our public safety teams can get to people who need help,” said Northampton Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra. “Please check in on neighbors who may need help, and when it’s safe to do so, clear sidewalks so people can move through the city safely.”
Gov. Maura Healey declared a state of emergency Sunday for the entire state, since eastern Massachusetts and especially Cape Cod could get as much as 24 inches of snow, high winds and blizzard-like conditions. As part of that, Healey activated up to 200 National Guard members and opened the Massachusetts Emergency Operations Center.
Springfield Department of Public Works Director Christopher Cignoli was crossing his fingers Sunday afternoon that the storm will finish on the low end of the predicted range.
But one concern is flakes could fall fast and, unlike last month’s last storm, where it was in the teens and the snow was light and fluffy, this time temperatures are warmer, so the snow will likely be heavier, he said.
“If it snows 2 to 3 inches an hour, it is hard to keep up,” Cignoli said of street-plowing. “It bogs down the smaller plows especially if it is wet heavy snow.”
By Sunday afternoon, Cignoli has already reached out to his own drivers and the companies the city contracts with to clear narrower side streets. They should be out in full force an hour or so after the start of the storm, with the first focus on main roads.
Springfield and other communities across Massachusetts have been struggling to find enough private contractors to supplement their in-house plow drivers. Cignoli said one thing that has worked in his favor is that the 100 contractors on the list have consistently showed up, so the city knows what to expect. “The attendance has been great.”
Some are asking where cities are going to put another foot of snow. Cignoli said thawing over the past week has reduced banks of old snow. Temperatures are supposed to rise to the 30s and 40s later in the week, which will help slowly melt any remaining ice and snow from roads.
“We are ready,” said Chicopee Mayor John Vieau, after holding a joint online meeting with all city departments impacted by the storm, including emergency management.
Part of the planning was with Chicopee Electric Light to prepare a team to restore power in case heavy snow knocks down wires, he said.
Crews started pretreating roads with salt at about 5 p.m. and crews were on standby and ready to be called in when the flakes started falling, he said.
“We have about 50 apparatus ready to go,” Vieau said. “I thought we got an A- on the last storm and we did learn some things. It was really a lot of snow and we hope we won’t get that much.”
He echoed others, saying predictions vary, so no one is sure how long the storm will last. Even hours before it was expected to start Sunday, the forecasted amounts continue to change.
“I’m grateful for all the hard workers who will be out there during the storm,” he said, adding the goal is to be able to reopen schools, City Hall, the senior center and the libraries by Tuesday.
It took days for Holyoke to dig out and plow side streets following the last storm. Mayor Joshua A. Garcia defended his department of public works in an interview Sunday, saying it was a big snowstorm and crews worked nonstop to make streets passable. Garcia said the city is prepared for the second big storm in two months.
“DPW has a system when handling snow, from the start of the storm to the middle of the snowstorm to the cleanup at the end,” he said. “We ask that residents be patient and please cooperate by doing the best they can to keep vehicles off the road and follow the (parking) ban.”
Those crews were expected to be called in by 8 p.m. and will work throughout the night, first to maintain priority routes, which are main roads and hills, along with the goal of ensuring emergency vehicles can get through, he said.
In Holyoke, Springfield and Northampton, city garages and public lots are also open for free to residents to try to get as many cars off the public roads as possible to make plowing easier.
In Springfield, the city will offer free parking at all Springfield Parking Authority lots and garages, including the Union Station area and the Interstate-91 North and South garages off Columbus Avenue. The full list can be found on the authority’s website at http://springfieldparkingauthority.com, Mayor Domenic J. Sarno said in writing.
In Holyoke, the Ernest E. Proulx Municipal Parking Garage, which has an entrance off Front Street, is open. In Northampton, the downtown parking garage, Amory Street lot and the Hampton Avenue lot are all open.
The Northampton Department of Public Works follows a similar pattern, with plows focusing on clearing major arterial roads, Sciarra said.
“I ask everyone to practice patience, cooperation, and care for our neighbors, so that we can all get through yet another storm together. Please stay safe, only venture out if absolutely necessary, park only in the designated spaces, and help the city clean up the mess we’re told is coming our way with this weather event,” she said.
Snowiest winter
But some are welcoming the storm and celebrating what has been the snowiest winter in a number of years.
While the storm is coastal and will deliver only a few inches or altogether skip ski areas to the north, Catamount in Great Barrington and Otis Ridge in Otis were gearing up for a foot of snow. Some meteorologists have said up to 20 inches could fall.
“I hope it will be right. Eight to 16 inches would be a beautiful number,” said Rich Edwards, spokesman for Catamount.
Monday skiing, especially in the morning, may be “iffy.” High winds are expected which could force some lifts to close for safety and visibility may be limited, but Tuesday should be spectacular, Edwards said.
Edwards has a long history at Catamount and said this ski season ranks with some of the best seasons dating back 50 years. The mountain has not seen rain in seven weeks, smaller snowfalls have refreshed trails and there has been no melting. All trails with snowmaking are open and many woods and natural snow trails are skiable, too.
“We will have good spring skiing this year. I think we will get into at least the first weekend in April,” Edwards said.
