It was a race against Mother Nature in Leominster Tuesday, to try and clear the last round of snow she dumped on city before the next round of heavy rain moves in later in the day.
Officials across New England were warning about flood potential from the coming mix of melting snow and heavy rain, few more urgently than areas that have dealt with extreme flooding in recent months, like the Merrimack Valley and Leominster.
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"We just have to make sure our drains are clear, open the path because with all the cars it's hard for it to drain in between with all the snow, so we're trying to just push it all, centralize it, so when it does drain out, we don't end up with a flood like we had a few weeks ago," said Bob Prescott, senior service manager with Peabody Properties.
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That meant moving cars that were buried in snow —Jackson Toxla, whose car was pushed out of the snow, said that "the issue is just that when it's cold, it wouldn't start" — and preparing for the worst-case scenario.
"I don't think we're going to get flooding, but I don't know, I thought in September and then look what happened," said Olivia Gallagher, assistant property manager with Peabody Properties.
What happened in September was 11 inches of rain in a short amount of time caused dams to breach, roads to buckle and historic flooding throughout several Leominster neighborhoods.
"We're surrounded by 12 hills, and I can tell you where all the water goes on those 12 hills, it comes down, you know and makes its way to the low point," Leominster Mayor Dean Mazzarella said.
And now, with nearly a foot and a half of snow on the ground from this weekend's storm expected to melt with the incoming rain and unseasonably warm temperatures, there are concerns about whether those temporary fixes will hold.
"That's what I'm worried about because back here puddles up, looks like a pond back here, it is what it is," said Hansen Mayard of Leominster.
"And we get a lot of water in Leominster. Usually, down the street, where it's low it floods all the time," said Larry Weaver of Leominster.
City workers have been clearing out storm drains, and they city is urging residents to do the same.
Leominster handed out two pallets worth of sandbags to residents Monday, and they say they have more available at emergency management if people need them.
In North Andover, nearly five months after flood waters swept through the Merrimack Valley in another storm, businesses are finally regaining their footing. At Good Day Cafe, Greg Lindsay re-opened his doors to customers two weeks ago.
“It took a longtime to disinfect the whole the place clean it out,” he said.
Now, the restaurant faces another storm, with several inches of snow still on the ground following weekend’s storm, which also dumped over a foot and a half of snow on some parts of the valley.
Still, Lindsay feels optimistic. A new drainage system in the building will keep the rainwater from flooding businesses and push it straight out onto the street.
In Lawrence, the August storms flooded several low-lying areas including the Parker Street. On Tuesday, firefighters worked with the police department and department of public works to clear storm drains and fire hydrants ahead of the storm.
National Grid said Tuesday it was prepared for Tuesday night's storm, saying it has secured 800 crews and more than 2,700 field-based personnel.
The utility company said customers can report power outages at nationalgridus.com or by calling 800-465-1212. Customers were advised to never touch downed power lines and to check on those who need help during an outage.
Eversource also said it will have hundreds of line and tree crews in Massachusetts ready to respond to potential tree damage. The energy company will provide an update at 2 p.m. Tuesday on how it's preparing for the second storm of the season.
Our First Alert Team expects the storm to be mainly rain and wind in the southern part of the region.
In northern New England, this storm will be a prolific snow producer. A foot to a foot and a half of snow is expected in the White and Presidential mountains through the Mahoosuc region of Maine.
With either side of two inches of rain expected to fall in southern New England, street flooding, urban flooding and hydroplaning could be a problem because of the snow and ice clogged storm drains.
Maine Gov. Janet Mills warned residents on social media to expect a "significant storm" that will bring heavy rain, high winds and wet, heavy snow to the state that could lead to flooding, power outages and slick driving conditions.
She urged residents to take precautions and to prepare "for the storm and its aftermath."
New Hampshire officials issued a statement urging residents and visitors to take action to protect themselves and their families from the storm.
“Our hard-working utility crews have brought in extra resources and are prepared to handle power outages as they occur,” Gov. Chris Sununu said. “Granite Staters should be ready to deal with a multitude of weather conditions as the storm arrives and take the appropriate actions to stay safe.”
In Connecticut, dozens of schools dismissed early to get ahead of the storm.
Steve Sullivan, Eversource's president of electric operations in Connecticut, said that with the ground being saturated from snow melting and anticipated heavy rain, trees could come down easily.
Eversource said 1,100 line and tree crews will be ready to respond to issues across Connecticut, clearing blocked roads, restoring power to critical facilities, regular customers and more. A majority of crews will be stationed in the eastern part of the state.
Eversource said 1,100 line and tree crews will be ready to respond to issues across the state. They'll be there to clear blocked roads, restore power to critical facilities, regular customers and more. A majority of crews will be stationed in the eastern part of the state.
Vermont Gov. Phill Scott said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, that "thousands of power outages are expected" across the state as a result of the storm. He urged residents to be prepared.
Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee said the state was monitoring rivers and bridges, with flooding expected to be a concern. An additional 160 line crews and over 100 tree crews were in place across the state, he said, NBC affiliate WJAR reported.
