Another Major Snowstorm Bears Down on Berkshires
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A winter storm warning has been posted by the National Weather Service beginning at 6 a.m. Tuesday through 6 a.m. on Thursday.
North Adams and Clarksburg have closed municipal offices. Mayor Richard Alcombright urges all residents to use extreme caution on the roadways and asks for patience as the city crews continue with the seemingly neverending cleanup efforts.
Pittsfield and Williamstown office are open.
The Beacon Cinema has canceled its regular movie schedule, however, it will open this afternoon from 3:30 to 5 for Pittsfield High School girl's soccer team appearance on MTV's "Made."
Have snow photos, cancellations? Send them to info@iberkshires.com or post them on our Facebook page.
A wave of frigid air proceeds the storm Monday night; the snow is expected to hit sometime Tuesday morning with accumulations up to 6 inches by late afternoon. By the end of the day, the region could see up to 10 inches — and that's just the start.
A second wave of precipitation will drop in on Wednesday. The numbers? Ten to 16 early on with up to another 4 inches that evening. The total could be another recordbreaker — 15 to 30 inches.
As of Wednesday morning, those numbers had been modified slightly by the National Weather Service. Sleet and freezing rain mixed with snow was expected through the morning with a changeover to all snow before tapering out tonight. Precipitation will be heavier in North Berkshire and Southern Vermont than in South County.
Accumluations of 5 to 10 inches today with another couple inches later tonight; total accumulation will be between one and two feet. slighl
The state's Emergency Management Center will be activated at 4 a.m. on Wednesday. Gov. Deval Patrick has informed nonessential employees in the executive branch to stay home on Wednesday.
Based on the forecast, public and private schools in the Berkshires canceled classes Tuesday night in anticipation of bad weather in the morning. A list of school closures can be found here.
Berkshire Community College has canceled all classes for Wednesday and Williams College will close its Children's Center and administrative offices. Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, which canceled classes after 2 p.m. Tuesday, will make a determination at 6 a.m. on Wednesday whether to open.
A number of businesses have indicated they will be closed, including Excelsior Printing, Guido's Marketplace and Beads, Bisque & Beyond. Berkshire Mall anticipates opening at noon. If you're going out, call ahead to see if your destination is open.
iBerkshires will, of course, be operating, possibly from a remote location.
The region's still recovering from the past several storms that have left mountains of snow in parking lots and roadways. The biggest bear was the Jan. 12 storm that dropped a record 30 inches on parts of the region and a whopping 40 on Savoy.
"Have you seen the snow piles behind Big Y?" asked Mayor Richard Alcombright when questioned if the city was ready to dig out again. Crews have been scooping up tons of snow off the streets and depositing it in the overflow lot near the river. "The major corridors are trimmed back quite a bit, the River Street sidewalk is down ... all around the churches are clear for the elderly and the whole corridor is in pretty good shape."
 A North Adams dump truck hauls away snow from the last storm. Another 30 inches could fall on the region by Thursday. |
Williamstown has exhausted its nearly $167,000 in funds; snow and ice accounts are the only accounts that can operate with a deficit, but they will have to be made up next year.
Pittsfield's looking at blizzard deficit: $250,000 to $300,000 according to a report by YNN, not counting this latest doubleheader storm.
Towns are hoping to be reimbursed for costs associated with the Jan. 12 storm. Gov. Deval Patrick declared a state of emergency and, if the amount of snowfall for each town that applies comes within 10 percent of its record, the towns could get the money back. North Adams is applying for more than $60,000; Clarksburg for more than $8,000.
If forecasters are correct, Tuesday and Wednesday could be another state of emergency.
