Special Machine Equipment Operator Dave Farland of the Fairhaven public works department drops the salt/sand mixture into a sander truck on Monday, 2/12/24, getting ready for the storm that hit early Tuesday morning. Photo by Beth David.
By Beth David, Editor
There may not have been a whole lot of it, but the snow that fell on Tuesday, 2/13, was very wet and heavy. Scituate hit the jackpot with more than 10 inches; Burrillville, RI got socked with 9”, TF Green got 6, and both Providence, RI, and Fall River, MA got 7. New Bedford got 3 to 4 inches, depending on which part of the city you’re talking about. West Island in Fairhaven got 4 inches, and Acushnet escaped with just an inch.
Temperatures were slated to drop into the 20s overnight and stay cold enough for a few days to cause serious headaches for anyone who did not shovel.
The forecast shows a couple of chances for some snow showers, but nothing that will need shoveling.
This storm was the biggest one we’ve had in all year, and it turned to rain in the late afternoon.
School was out, though, across the region, giving the kids a chance to make snow figures and go sledding in the nice wet snow.
Later in the week temperatures will be in the 30s allowing for some thawing, but wind will make it feel colder.
Winter is not quite done with us yet, folks. Hang in there.
In Fairhaven, Public Works Superintendent Vinnie Furtado said the salt shed was filled up with 300 cubic yards of a salt/sand mix (about 400 tons). They planned on deploying 17 plows and three sanders. The sanders each use 8–10 cubic yards and will go out four times, using up a total of about 120 cubic yards.
The truck drivers started before dawn to pretreat the roads with magnesium chloride before the snow started; and then plowed and sanded throughout the storm and after. Fairhaven only uses town employees, not contractors, for plowing.
The “Share the Road” sign on Sconticut Neck Road has snow stuck to its north facing side as snow continues to fall on the afternoon of 2/13/24, after Fairhaven got about four inches before it all got slushy, which would normally make it a good bet no bicyclists will be going by soon, however, with our own Will Gardner in the mix, we wouldn’t bet the mortgage money on that. Photo by Beth David.
The field and tree at Shipyard Farm on Sconticut Neck Road make a picturesque image with snow still coming down on the afternoon of 2/13/24, after Fairhaven got about four inches before it all got slushy. Photo by Beth David.
The gate and snowy field at Salt Winds on Sconticut Neck Road make a picturesque image with snow still coming down on the afternoon of 2/13/24, after Fairhaven got about four inches before it all got slushy. Photo by Beth David.
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Click here to download the 2/15/24 issue: 02-15-24 StormPrep
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