Mass. cities stocking up on salt before winter storm

Preparations are underway for the first major snowfall Boston has seen in almost two years.

In Massachusetts and portions of Rhode Island, the National Weather Service declared a winter storm warning from 4 p.m. Saturday through 1 a.m. Monday with snow accumulations of six inches up to a foot and winds gusting as high as 35 mph.

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The weather service is predicting much the same levels of snow in portions of Maine and New Hampshire with slightly less — three to six inches — in areas of Vermont.

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said the city was preparing for the snowstorm but wasn’t expecting it to be a major event, and the timing of the snow means it would likely have less of an impact on city life. Storm surges were also not expected.

Wu said she hopes the snow will be cleaned up in time for school Monday morning.

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey said while the state isn't expecting record-breaking snow, she urged residents to protect themselves and their loved ones by making sure homes stay safely heated.

“Please also take some time to check in on your neighbors to make sure everyone stays warm and safe,” she said.

While crews are filling up their trucks with salt at Eastern Minerals to treat the roads, people are filling up on gas, ice melt and groceries -- getting ready to hunker down.

Officials are asking everyone to avoid driving if possible, but we have some safety tips for those of you who do have to hit the roads.

• Be sure to clear all the snow and ice from your windows, lights, hoods and roof.
• Make sure to leave extra room between you and the car in front of you for breaking and stopping.
• Don’t crowd the plow. Give crews the space they need to do their work. And finally, plan ahead. Expect travel to be slow-going.

“That first storm of the year – all the equipment comes out of moth balls, whether it’s city equipment or contract equipment, it gets moved up, gets maintenance then we roll it out. Some of those pieces of equipment get out there and in an hour we break down. That’s sort of expected. The good news is because it’s only a medium sized storm, if we have a few break-downs it’s not going to be crippling to the operation.” said Worcester DPW Commissioner Jay Fink.

“We’re anxious but we’re ready. You know, we do this every year.” said Luke Beaulac of the Leominster DPW.

The Department of Fire Service is also reminding people to check their CO alarms and to keep their vents clear from snow.

“Carbon monoxide is a leading cause of fatal poisoning, and home heating equipment is the primary source of carbon monoxide in the home,” State Fire Marshal Davine said. “As part of your storm planning, check your CO alarms to be sure they’re working properly, and if an alarm is past the manufacturer’s recommended lifespan, replace it.”

National Grid is securing additional crews and personnel as part of the company's emergency response operations and preparedness activities.

This includes overhead line, forestry, contractors, underground, damage assessment, wires down, transmission, and substation workers.

"National Grid is closely monitoring the weather forecast, and we have crews and personnel in place across Massachusetts ready to respond to any impacts this weekend's storm may bring," said Tim Moore, Vice President of Electric Operations for New England. "We'll be ready to restore service as quickly and safely as possible. The predicted heavy snow may make roads difficult to travel and strong winds may make restoration challenging and sometimes slow. Our crews will work to restore the power systems as soon as it is safe to do so."

Meanwhile the city of Somerville is declaring a snow emergency that goes into effect Saturday at 4 p.m.

City parking lots are also available for snow emergency parking. For more information, click here.

The city of Framingham is issuing a snow emergency parking ban starting at midnight on Sunday, January 7.

This parking ban is in addition to the citywide year-round odd/even parking restriction on all streets. For more information, click here.

More on the snow storm headed to the Boston area

Boston Jan 6

Winter storm warnings in effect, first wave of snow hits Massachusetts on Saturday night

Weather Jan 5

Timeline, snowfall totals: Tracking this weekend's winter storm