Snow causes school closures, delays in Mass., makes for messy morning commute

This is not a large accumulation snowstorm, but it's the fact that it's been hovering around the freezing mark.

So, throughout the day Sunday and overnight we had a mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain.

In central Massachusetts, the rain started Sunday morning and switched over to snow much earlier than anticipated.

So, you've got a heavy, wet layer of snow on the ground, followed by freezing rain, then more snow. The roads are slick – even the ones that have been plowed – because the snow is really sticking to the pavement.

Fitchburg was one of the first communities to cancel school for Monday. Worcester is also canceled, and dozens of other communities have closed or have delays.

Will Duntonleon, of Ashburnham, said, “I think we learned our lesson last year in Ashburnham because we went to school until almost July, so I think the two-hour delay was appropriate.”

Fortunately, the most impactful part of the storm is already over.

The snow had tapered to flurries as of Monday morning, so conditions are expected to improve as the day goes on.

On Interstate 95 early Monday morning, there were sloppy road conditions but things weren't looking too bad for commuters. Some areas were hit harder, however, and Massachusetts Department of Transportation officials said they received reports of snowy and icy conditions on several roadways, including the Massachusetts Turnpike. That's why they increased the amount of trucks and equipment they have patrolling the roads.

Crews are out clearing roadways today. Remember to go slow, never pass a plow truck on the right, and to leave plenty of room for snow and ice vehicles to clear the road. #MAsnow pic.twitter.com/wLWVmTRcFT

— Mass. Transportation (@MassDOT) January 29, 2024

6AM Update: All #MassDOT Highway districts are in snow and ice response.

❄️1527 pieces of equipment are patrolling, spreading, or plowing roadways.
🚫 I-90 EB/WB Speed Limit 40MPH & No Tandems/Special Permit Vehicles from NY to MM-59 #Wilbraham.https://t.co/v2W0B7nXYc #MAsnow

— Mass. Transportation (@MassDOT) January 29, 2024

There were also reports of trouble sports along the Route 2 and Route 3 corridors.

Further to the southeast, temperatures were above freezing and road conditions were much better.

The plows were busy in central Massachusetts on Monday, scraping up what remained of the messy mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain that fell overnight.

“It was really rough at the beginning because it came by really fast,” said Caroline Espinoza, of Leominster.

In Worcester, crews worked hard to keep the streets and sidewalks clear – but with wet snow followed by freezing rain, it got slick in spots.

The clean-up in Fitchburg is extensive, with many opting to shovel out.

But Fitchburg firefighters warned that although the accumulation wasn’t much, the water content of what’s left behind is deceiving.

“It’s going to be heavy snow. So, you can have the older folks just be careful, pace yourselves. You don’t want any medical problems when you’re shoveling, heart attacks, stuff like that," Fitchburg Fire Lt. Barry Hyvarinen said.

Monday night, the concern turns to the dropping temperatures, with a whole lot of slush and moisture still on the roads.

“That’s a little scary because we don’t want the freezing, you know, we don’t want the black ice. That’s definitely, I recommend people don’t go out unless they have to,” Robin Proulx of Townsend said.

That’s good advice, especially with temperatures in the area expected to drop into the teens overnight.