NORTHAMPTON — A mid-March nor’easter clobbered the region Tuesday, with more than a foot of snow and whipping winds in the Pioneer Valley.
The powerful storm brought more than 2 feet of snow to some areas in northeastern Pennsylvania and upstate New York, although New York City and Boston were spared the brunt of the storm, with Boston recording 6.6 inches.
By 4:30 p.m., according to the National Weather Service, snow totals reached 13.5 inches in Northampton, 10.5 inches in Hadley, 16 inches in Huntington and 12.2 inches in Belchertown.
In Franklin County, Deerfield saw 13 inches by 6 p.m. and Ashfield reported 18 inches at 6:30, tying Southwick for the highest snow total in Massachusetts.
In Longmeadow, a Department of Public Works employee was killed when an Amtrak train collided with his truck.
A blizzard warning was in effect until 8 p.m. Tuesday, with a winter weather advisory for Hampshire County in effect until midnight. Lows Tuesday night were expected to reach 14 degrees, while the high Wednesday was expected to be 27 degrees with a 30 percent chance of snow showers as of 9:30 p.m.
Downtown Northampton was relatively empty Tuesday morning as snow accumulated at a rapid clip.
Around 8:15 a.m. on North Street, Kyle Rowan was cross-country skiing to work.
“It’s a great opportunity,” Rowan said.
A draftsman at the Berkshire Design Group, Rowan said this is the second time this year he has skied to work.
“I think some people won’t make it in,” he said.
In advance of the snow, many schools, colleges, towns and businesses announced closures. Mountain Road in Easthampton remains closed until further notice.
As of Tuesday night, most Hampshire County schools, courts, area colleges and universities had announced delayed start times Wednesday. Most schools are opening two hours late.
The Pioneer Valley Transit Authority announced Monday that buses would not operate during the storm and urged riders to check the company’s website Wednesday for detour information. Both the Holyoke Mall at Ingleside and the Hampshire Mall were closed Tuesday.
Bradley International Airport was open but most flights were canceled Tuesday.
Police departments across the region reported no serious accidents as of 8 p.m. Tuesday.
And while power outages persisted in eastern Massachusetts throughout much of the day, Hampshire County remained mostly unaffected. About 40 households in Pelham were without power for fours hours while Eversource crews worked to restore a pole downed by a fallen tree Tuesday afternoon. As of 8 p.m., just one outage was reported out of Easthampton, according to the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency.
At Tart Baking Co. in downtown Northampton, customers trickled in despite the heavy snowfall and blustery winds. Some came on foot, like Tracy Adamski and her 20-month-old son, Adam Patstone, while Steve Casagrande showed up in a plow. Dressed in snowpants and winter boots, Adamski said she needed to get out of the house.
“We needed some fresh air so we decided to go for a walk and get some good caffeine,” she said.
Behind the counter, Robert Eastman added more hamentashen to the bakery display. Only Adamski and her son were in the bakery during what would be the normal morning rush.
“We opened a little bit later but the bakers were in at their usual time, before the snow started,” Eastman said.
Parking his plow out front, Casagrande stopped to grab a cup of coffee.
“It’s only 8:30? It’s going to be a long day,” Casagrande said.
Casagrande had already been out pre-treating some of the places he plows. Without prior sanding, he said, even in his truck he would never get up some of the hilly driveways he would have to plow.
He said he would likely have to plow his route twice because the snow was falling so quickly.
His two dogs, Annie and Bulldozer, joined him for the day of work.
Almost 17 years old now, Annie, a bichon frise, has been plowing with Casagrande since the day she was born.
Casagrande said this winter has been “absolutely average.”
“Better than last year,” he added.
Around lunchtime on Pine Street in Easthampton, residents began their first round of shoveling out cars and clearing sidewalks.
Steve Silva, a custodian at a Valley school, had the day off, but said he would have to go in later to clear snow away from the doors.
A few doors down, Michael Busa, a University of Massachusetts employee, had been out for around an hour shoveling out his driveway.
Busa said he might try to go for a hike or go sledding later in the day.
“Not worth having it if you can’t play in it,” he said. “I’m a fan of snow in general. I kind of wish the snow would have stayed from the last time.”
Passing near Busa’s home, Becky Lederman and her son Nathan Thompson, 7, were headed to the store on foot and snowshoe.
“We couldn’t go in our car, so we needed to walk instead,” Nathan said.
The pair were planning to make hamentashen, but didn’t have enough eggs, he explained.
“I’m enjoying the snow day,” Lederman said. “It’s a two-teacher family so we are all enjoying the snow day.”
Nathan said he would rather do without the snowstorm but couldn’t explain why so that’s when mom stepped in with a little help.
At school, she said, the fields were finally clear, so the kids had been excited about no coats and capture the flag.
“It looks like we’re back to sledding and blacktop — for a little bit” she said.
Amherst Department of Public Works Superintendent Guilford Mooring said crews had been able to keep up with the storm and keep roads passable, in part because so few vehicles were traveling on them.
Town Manager Paul Bockelman commended the plow crews’ efforts.
“I want to thank everyone for cooperating by staying off the roads,” he said in a statement.
The snow remained light and fluffy throughout the morning, with winds picking up in the early afternoon, Mooring said. There were no issues with downed limbs or power lines.
Mooring added that crews were getting breaks as needed so they could stay fresh and prepare for several more hours of plowing
At the Department of Public Works in Easthampton, James Kicza Jr., the highway department supervisor, said 26 city and hired plows had been out since 7 a.m.
“Trying to keep up with it: That’s the name of the game today,” Kicza said.
Kicza said crews will be on hand through the night to keep the streets clear and will be back at it Wednesday, too. With everyone off the road, plowing efforts had been going well, Kicza said.
“We’re doing the best we can,” he said. “Everybody is here with a good attitude. Hopefully that lasts until tomorrow.”
This story has been updated.
Emily Cutts can be reached at ecutts@gazettenet.com.