We’re in a state of emergency and I hear that in some cases people will not get power until Sunday. I had no troubles in Westborough and commuting to Framingham. But a colleague lives in Worcester; the roads are completely blocked and he has no power or phones, just a cell phone. I heard of people in Leominster with the same issues.
Anyone have any helpful information or advice?
Please share widely!
Tough stuff today. A good many roads in Worcester are impassable, especially on the hills where ice started early and ended late. People in my office say Holden looks like a tornado went through.
The governor announced that those without heat or proper shelter can dial “211” to help find a safe place to stay.
<
p>The smell of pine was thick in the air this morning, and getting through the night was a bit more than scary until sleep finally took over.
<
p>We sustained some property damage but came through better than many. The crews have been making remarkable progress under tough conditions. They were out clearing this morning even while branches were still falling.
people often forget that they can get dehydrated in below-freezing weather because it is not hot outside. but sub-zero weather is dry, so keep yourselves well hydrated even if you’re in a cold house. of course, warm drinks are best if you have power. and stay away from alcohol, since it gives a false sense of warmth and can contribute to hypothermia.
That’s excellent advice, especially as the weather turns colder again over the weekend.
<
p>It is, bizarrely, warm today. The roads were not slippery at all; very little ice accumulated on the ground, espcially on pavement. Trees and power lines are another matter, and an awful lot of them came down.
<
p>On the other hand, after a day with no heat and no power and two bored house-bound children, hypothermia might be worth the risk…
we seem to be OK in Boston-metro and I’ve got a wake and funeral this weekend in New Bedford. I’ll drink your share of port and madeira.
Though I wish it could be under happier circumstances than that.
A great lady who blessed the family with many many years of stories, smiles, seafood, and sausages. There’ll be plenty of hugs, smiles, and laughter amidst the tears.
I had a client to meet in Springfield, and a case file to review, so off I went.
<
p>The trees were glittering and groaning by the side of the pike – but the pike was clear and dry.
<
p>No ice at all in Middlesex County or Hampden County or Hampshire that I saw – very strange.
…in 37 years of living in Northern Worcester County. As of about 11:00 am all of Sterling, Lancaster, and most of Clinton were without power. Many roads were impassable. Power is expected to be out at least through Sunday or Monday.
<
p>More from my blog No Drumlins. I’ll try to post pictures when I can.
here.
is to Rahm.
<
p>Come clean now. Or step down now.
Always double down on a soft 17 if the dealer’s showing a 6
Always buy the title insurance and be sure to file your homestead.
Help from a City Councilor $1,000
Help from a State Senator – $20,000
<
p>Buying a seat on the US Senate… priceless.
No electricity.
did my lawyer do it when i bought my condo?
He or she should have insisted that you spend the extra dough. You can look it up yourself at http://www.masslandrecords.com.
Just to get it and the subthread it started off of this diary. Let’s keep the discussion germane.
I’m amazed that the weather really does seem to change at 495. Littleton and Boxborough were a mess, with no power, trees down, and lots of ice. Acton had power from early this morning (when my whole neighborhood crossed the town line on a desperate run for coffee). Power is just now coming back on in my neck of what’s left of the woods.
<
p>I am really struck by the way the weather changes along the rings around Boston. If you were to drive out Route 2 from Cambridge, the first change generally occurs at the top of the big hill in Arlington. The next is almost always at Rt. 128, and the next is right at Rt. 495. Was this planned, or some cosmic coincidence?
In case you aren’t a weather nerd like me but might be wondering things like “how can it rain when it is below freezing and yet other times it snows when it’s above freezing?”, here is some info.
<
p>Wikipedia has a good page explaining freezing rain that goes into more detail.
<
p>Normally, the air gets cooler as you go up in altitude. In these cases, the precipitation starts in the clouds as snow and can hit the ground either as snow or rain. What you get depends on how warm it is at the ground level and whether or not the warmth is enough to melt the snow before it hits the ground. When it’s below freezing outside, you obviously get snow, and the colder it is, the “dryer” the snow is (powder for you skiers). If the snow starts to melt on the way down but not completely, we get that heavy “wet” stuff that is so much fun to move around. That’s how we get snow when it’s 36 degrees out.
<
p>However, sometimes there is what’s called an inversion in the atmosphere where there is a layer of warmer air above the ground. This becomes an issue if that air is above freezing (enough to melt the snow) and the ground-level temperature is below freezing. If the lowest layer is cold enough, the rain re-freezes before it hits the ground and we get sleet (which is formed much differently than hail; you need a thunderstorm for that). Otherwise, the rain hits the ground, the trees, the power lines, etc., freezes shortly after contact, and you get yesterday’s mess.
<
p>This is a bit simplified. I’ve seen sleet, snow, and rain in combinations under inversion conditions – some snow melts in the warm layer while some does not; some melted snow re-freezes in the cold ground layer while some does not).
There is real hardship in Northern Worcester County right now. People have been without heat, power, or hot water for days and will stay that way for days more.
My OTHER brother Darell in Charlton – isolated but has a generator.
I lived through the horrific ice storm of Montreal in the late 90s, and the only fatalities occurred with large sheets of ice falling from taller buildings and hitting people.
We had heavy rains and then…nothing. Sunny skies. No ice. Temperate weather. HUGE and beautiful moon, with possibility of meteors tonight. Went Christmas shoppping and bought a tree on bone dry road with just a jacket.
<
p>Cape Cod – even better in winter!