Thursday, February 14, 2013
National Grid provided this video of their cleanup/restoration efforts during the last blizzard.
An army of crews worked around the clock to restore power to those affected by the 2013 Blizzard. As of 4 p.m. last Saturday, 147,000 had been restored, which was down from a peak of 170,000 on Friday night. Check out this video from National Grid that highlights the efforts. How do you feel the town's response to the blizzard was? Share your comments in the comments section below.
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
The Board of Selectmen approved deficit spending for the DPW.
"It's amazing what a few days can do," DPW Director Dan Nason told the Board of Selectmen on Monday night. In an budget report that was updated on Feb. 7, Nason was pleased to announce that the DPW was "in the black." "How quickly that changes," he said. "Now we're severely in the red." The Blizzard 2013 packed a wallop, with Northborough joining other communities that were severely impacted by the storm. Ice and snow removal from the storm cost the town $72,000, which leaves the department at about a deficit of $70,000. The public works department is one of the few that is allowed to deficit spend, thought it still needs the approval of the Board of Selectmen. The board approved unanimously to deficit spend. "All things considered, and …
Monday, February 11, 2013
Residents of the Northgate Road neighborhood are concerned that some of the roads still have unplowed sidewalks.
As of 2 p.m. on Monday, Northgate's sidewalks were not plowed. For some residents, they say this is a concern because students walk to and from the Proctor School using that route. "Are they expected to walk on Northgate, literally...on the street?" wrote one Northgate resident in an email to Patch. "That poses great risk to them, since folks use it as a cut-through between Route 135 and Otis Street, to get to Route 9 or the new shopping center. Middle schoolers have bus stops on Northgate. They would have to walk in the street. It is disconcerting to me. The chances of a child being hit by a car is compounded when sidewalks are inaccessible." Maria Mihalek, who also lives in the neighborhood, was so concerned that she snapped photos (…
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Our local weather specialist says our "next bit of winter weather" is coming Monday morning.
It ain't over yet. Jim Arnold, weather specialist with Shrewsbury Emergency Management, said it looks like our extra bit of winter weather is arriving Monday morning in the form of snow, sleet, freezing rain .... and then finally rain. "A warm front approaching from the west and southwest late tonight and tomorrow will bring a wintry mix of precipitation beginning around dawn Monday and continuing throughout much of the day," said Arnold. The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory, corroborating Arnold's predictions with a forecast that also calls for freezing rain and sleet. The advisory is in effect from 6-11 a.m. on Monday for Southwest Massachusetts. "Once again, we have cold air well established and it will take…
Light, fluffy snow on rooftops can act as a sponge for rain, which is in the forecast for Monday. The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency offers these tips.
With rain in Northborough's forecast for Monday, the Blizzard of '13 may not be finished wreaking havoc in Massachusetts. While temperatures dropped overnight on Friday resulting in light, fluffy snow, he Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) warns that fluffy snow piled high on roofs can act as a sponge, absorbing rain and adding additional stress to structures. Relatively flat roofs are particularly vulnerable, MEMA says. In other cases, roof ice dams have formed causing water build-up, leading to interior damage. These conditions can accelerate the snowmelt. To minimize the risk of over-stressing a building roof due to accumulated or drifting snow: Information from a release by the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (…
Saturday, February 9, 2013
The storm left 'significant damage in some areas.'
Submitted by National Grid In the Blizzard of 2013 hit New England with full force yesterday and through this morning, delivering up to two feet of snow and hurricane force winds, National Grid met the storm with a full complement of crews, plans and preparations. The storm left significant damage in some areas, particularly southern Rhode Island and the South Shore and southeastern MA. At the height of the storm, a total of more than 350,000 customers were without power in both states. As of 3 p.m. today, that number was reduced to approximately 307,000 customers – 131,000 in Mass. and 176,000 in Rhode Island. The high winds and horizontal snow generated more than 2,000 reports of wires down in Rhode Island and 1,400 in Massachusetts. …
The Saturday suspension of mail delivery debate applies to today: but not because of USPS budget problems!
You may be wondering if there'll be any new mail in your mailbox today (that is, if you can even make it to your mailbox, with all this snow.) The answer is that mail service in all of New England — not just Massachusetts — has been suspended, according to the Huffington Post. The ban extends throughout all six New England states. The unusual decision was made due to safety concerns, according to Postal Service spokeswoman Christine Dugas. The decision came after over two feet of snow falling throughout much of New England made many roads impassable, she said. Dugas reminded people to clear around their mailboxes or paths to their homes by Monday, when mail delivery will resume.
Be sure to check in with Northborough Patch for the latest developments.
Thanks to the blizzard, Northborough is expecting up to get at least 24 inches of snow this weekend. See how many inches have fallen in your area with the LIVE map below.
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Saturday, February 9
The map above, provided by the National Weather Service, shows snowfall in the past 24 hours. It is updated every 6 hours. This is not a map showing overall snow depth: It only tracks the amount of snow that has fallen in the past day. The map is centered around the red marker, which is in the middle of Northborough Patch's coverage area.
Friday, February 8, 2013
Winds and snow drifts, however, could continue through the weekend.
Snow is falling hard throughout the region and it is forecast to continue into Saturday afternoon. "I still think we'll see accumulating snow throughout the early part of the afternoon, but after 3 p.m., the storm may breath its last breath," wrote WHDH Chief Meteorologist Pete Bouchard in the Channel 7 Weather Blog. The storm will start to pull out to ocean by midday, Bouchard said. The snow will pull away with the storm, but the wind will pick up. "Blowing and drifting will be issues through early Sunday," wrote Bouchard. When all is over with, the National Weather Service is predicting, the storm will have dropped about two feet of snow on the area. Those totals were lowered from Friday morning predictions.
Brian Northborough
8:56 am on Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Well despite the need for the deficit it was good to see Northboro roads in general were in much better shape than adjacent towns...Most northboro side streets were cleared in a timely manner but as of sat. night marlboro roads were in horrible shape with several inches of snow still covering them.... Thanks for the great work Northboro DPW! more ›