TIMOTHY LAROCHE
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CLAREMONT — Despite blue skies and warm sunlight shrinking the remaining mounds of dirt and ice across the region on Tuesday, winter is not yet over.
A strong coastal storm is expected to move across New England today and dump more than 10 inches of snow across the region. According to a National Weather Service winter storm warning encompassing much of the region, snow is expected to pick up by this evening and become heavy overnight.
Mountainous areas in New Hampshire and Maine could see up to 20 inches of snow, with lower areas seeing a potential mix of rain and snow.
“Be prepared for snow-covered and slippery roads and significant reductions in visibility at times,” an NWS statement on Tuesday said. “Snow may be heavy and wet at times closer to the coast, and could lead to scattered power outages due to downed limbs.”
In preparation, several closings were announced Tuesday and public workers laid groundwork for the impending storm. In Claremont, the full fleet of Department of Public Works trucks were been stocked with salt and sand by mid-day. The department’s facilities were empty by 3:30 p.m. after workers were told to report back in the early morning.
It’s a similar story in Sunapee, where residents were told to take caution during the snow. A town-wide alert sent out on Tuesday cautioned residents to keep flashlights and warm clothes on hand if traveling during the storm. With the storm expected to bring up to 14 inches of snow to the town, residents should “not travel during the storm if not necessary.”
“We will begin plowing and treating the Town’s roads as soon as the storm starts,” an alert to Sunapee residents said. “Please keep in mind that the majority of our road shoulders and gravel roads are very soft due to the recent warm temperatures, and that this in conjunction with the projected storm intensity may result with increased plow route times.”
Although a streak of above-freezing days have melted most of the region’s snowpack, the expected snowfall could potentially add further strain to an already snowy season. Going into the storm, about 60 inches of snow already fell this season. With more than a month left of the historical snowfall season, snow totals have already exceeded seasonal averages by almost 3 inches.
Last year saw 78 inches of snowfall in total, with a major snowstorm blanketing the region with 12 inches of snow on March 15, just as many communities held town meetings. While no information is available yet on whether New Hampshire will see any town meeting day snow again this year, the upcoming storm comes just days after Vermont town meetings already wrapped up.
As of Tuesday evening, no school closings have yet been announced, but night meetings and events across the region are already seeing cancellations.
For instance, Superintendent Middleton McGoodwin announced on Tuesday that the Claremont School Board has cancelled its regular Wednesday night meeting in anticipation of the storm. Several candidates for the board said on Monday that they would attend the meeting to explain their positions ahead of the March 13 election.
Across the river in Weathersfield, Vt., Principal JeanMarie Oakman announced that the concert for students in kindergarten through eighth grade has been rescheduled from today to March 15 at 6 p.m. after the eighth-grade science fair.
Oakman said that extracurricular cancellations are likely today and school cancellations are likely on Thursday. Superintendent David Baker will make the call if any cancellations are necessary.
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