SNOWFALL COLORS
Brutal winter storm smashes forecasts and slams state
A surprisingly intense snowstorm swept across the Blackstone Valley early Friday morning, clogging roads with heavy wet snow and bringing down tree limbs and power lines from Blackstone to Cumberland.
Most schools and afterschool programs closed and parking bans were also in place since midnight to help road crews clear streets without the hindrance of parked vehicles.
State Police in Lincoln reported responding a number of calls for disabled vehicles on the state’s roads but fortunately only a small number of motor vehicle accidents and none with serious injuries.
The storm came after a week of at times record high temperatures that had allowed even area ponds to become free of ice and the ground to clear of snow and appear ready for an early spring.
By afternoon in Woonsocket, the city’s highway crews had already reached pavement on most roads and were treating road surfaces for an
overnight deeper dip in temperatures expected to result in icy conditions in some areas.
Mayor Lisa Baldelli-Hunt described the storm bringing 8 to 10 inches of snow to the area as a difficult one due to its heavy wet nature. “This was a very difficult storm because you have to determine what type of snowfall you are going to have before you can attack it,” the Mayor said.
Baldell-Hunt credited Public Works Director Steven D’Agostino with getting the right read on the storm despite early variations in the forecast of from 1 to 3 inches of snow to 3 to 6 inches or more.
“This was a very heavy snowfall and the trees in the area were weighed down by the snow,” the Mayor said.
The road crews began their storm work with pretreatment on Thursday and then continued working through the morning commute, according to the Mayor.
“I really want to applaud the men and women of the Public Works Department. They have been here completing the job all day,” she said. The fact the roads would be in good shape overnight was a tribute to D’Agostino and the road crews, she noted. “It is a result of the talent that we have,” she said. “That is why it is important to have a Director like Director D’Agostino,” she added.
The cleanup work also benefited from the city’s efforts to update its fleet of plows and smaller Highway Department vehicles, Baldelli-Hunt noted. “We invested in purchases of equipment and updated our fleet and if we hadn’t bought that equipment we would not have been able to handle this storm,” she said.
The road crews also benefited from the city’s announcement of a parking ban beginning at midnight and the quick enforcement of ticketing and towing any vehicles left on the road, she said. “Without the tagging and towing vehicles, we would not be able to clear all the streets in the city,” she said.
It also helped that school was cancelled on Friday after School Superintendent Patrick McGee reviewed the weather conditions with the department’s Facilities Director Peter Fontaine and D’Agostino. “He made the decision based on the safety factor for children and the weather we were experiencing,” the Mayor said. McGee called her about his decision to close schools at about 5 a.m., she said.
Schools were also closed in Cumberland, and Mayor William Murray reported that helped the town address not only snow-choked roads but also a number of problems with roads closed by fallen tree limbs and power lines.
“I just got off the phone with our Highway Superintendent Frank Stowik and we had quite a few trees down and limbs bending to road,” Murray said.
Road crews had to clear the tree debris and await the arrival of utility crews to get some of the roads cleared, he noted.
“It was a tough storm with heavy wet snow that bent trees and some snapped bringing down power lines,” he said.
Power outages were reported in Northern Cumberland in the area of Arnold Mills and also out at Diamond Hill Road and near Phantom Farms, the Mayor said. Power crews were working on the Diamond Hill Road outage and power was expected to be restored by 5 p.m., he noted.
The road crews went out at 4 a.m. and worked through the day to get the roads plowed and in good shape for the night, Murray said.
“I told Frank Stowik I had received a number to texts from residents telling me how great they thought the roads were given the storm we had,” he said. “I am very pleased with the Highway Department’s response,” he added.
With about 10 inches on the ground in Cumberland, Murray said he was already looking ahead to the storm reported to be coming to the area Monday night and into Tuesday. The outlook is not a good one at the moment, he added. “That is supposed to be a blockbuster, with a foot or more of snow,” he said.
As residents cleaned up at their homes on Friday, the Rev. Sammy Vaughan was found outside his Campeau Street home in Woonsocket using his snowblower to clear his sidewalk. The Reverend’s wife, Gwendolyn, was warm inside the home as she watched her husband work from a window. “It’s not that bad, I can handle it,” Rev. Vaughan said as his machine rumbled in front of him. “It’s not that bad at all,” he said.
Over on Dana Street Eddie Tupper, 14, and Christian Ferreira, 14, were helping Eddie’s mom, Jeannette, shovel the driveway as the sun started to make its way through the receding clouds.
Jeannette Tupper said she though the snow was “nice since we haven’t had too much,” but it was “heavy, wet and icy stuff.” Eddie and Christian didn’t mind having a day out of school and had spent much of the day just playing card games.