Hampshire County residents spent Monday digging out their driveways and rediscovering their cars under a foot and a half of snow, after a powerful winter storm that impacted millions across the country overwhelmed the Pioneer Valley.
The snow, however, is just the first strike in a one-two punch, with frigid temperatures coming this week.
The storm was anticipated as one of the largest winter storms to hit the United States in years, bringing heavy snow and layers of ice to certain regions.
In Hampshire County, many residents hunkered down Sunday, watching the heavy snowfall through windows before reemerging Monday to see persisting flurries — a reminder of what a “New England winter” looks like.
While most of the snow is cleared off roads, driveways and sidewalks onto slivers and patches of grass, the white stuff will stick around for a while, says National Weather Service Meteorologist Francis Tarasiewicz.
“With the cold week ahead, the snow is not going anywhere for the foreseeable future,” Tarasiewicz said.
Tarasiewicz said high temperatures will be in the lower 20s this week, with lows falling into single digits every night. Thursday and Friday will be the coldest days, with windchill making temperatures feel below zero from Thursday night into Friday.
“If you work outside or you enjoy the cold, wear layers, covering extremities and your face and be aware for any frostbite signs,” Tarasiewicz said.
Tarasiewicz said that as of 1 p.m. on Monday there was about 14 inches of snow in the Northampton area, a total he predicted would end up being closer to 18 inches by the time the storm ended later Monday. The snowfall was the largest in Massachusetts in four years, since a winter storm in late January of 2022.
Though Tarasiewicz said there could have been more for neighboring areas in the county such as the hilltowns. As of 8 a.m. on Monday in Southampton, 19 inches were reported. National Grid has no reported power outages, according to its website.
“It’s not bad,” said David Vanasse, who was clearing snow in his John Deere snow blower in Easthampton Monday morning. “We haven’t had a really bad winter in 10 years, like a New England winter.”
Vanasse, who has lived in Easthampton for more than 40 years, said he loves living in the area and the snow, but his main complaint is that plows will push snow back onto the front of people’s driveways.
Vanasse said his snow blower “is like a toy” on days like Monday and he will go around helping his neighbors clear snow from their sidewalks and driveways.
In Northampton, Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra lifted the city’s state of emergency as of 7 a.m. on Tuesday and usual parking fees where applicable will resume at 10 a.m.
“The snow continues to fall and there’s still a ton of work to do to dig out from this storm …,” Sciarra wrote in a statement at 4:30 on Monday afternoon. “We will safely get to the rest of the cleanup as quickly as possible. In the meantime, I ask everyone to stay safe and to do their part as we recover as a community from this storm.”
Sciarra thanked Northampton’s Department of Public Works, Parking Management and Public Safety for the work they have done, but said there is still significant snow removal to be done throughout the city.
At the emergency shelter center at St. John’s Episcopal Church in the city, which provides shelter to people experiencing homelessness in situations such as the storm, Kaitlyn Ferrari said the shelter is at capacity.
“We’re trying not to close,” said Ferrari, the development director of Manna Community Kitchen, a resource center for guests of St. John’s and the Edwards Church.
Ferrari said as of Monday, Manna along with other groups providing shelter during the storm are trying to provide as many options as possible for visitors. She said she can’t be certain but she would assume that “most tents have collapsed,” that are occupied by people experiencing homelessness.
Easthampton Fire Prevention Captain Dan Constantine said as of Monday at 10 a.m. the Fire Department had not been experiencing many calls, and for the most part it seemed as though people stayed in on Sunday. Though, he said the department starts to get many calls the day after “post-storm” when people begin coming out and going back to their ordinary activities.
Easthampton Mayor Salem Derby said he had been messaging with city officials in other towns during the storm to discuss best practices during the storm. For the upcoming cold temperatures he said it is important for residents to prepare accordingly when going outside.
“Our roads are in great condition,” Derby said on Monday. “(Our) Department of Public Works is doing a fantastic job.”
Similar to Derby, Amherst Town Manager Paul Bockelman praised the work of their public works team and those in neighboring communities for working throughout the storm to keep the area’s roads clean.
“We ask people to stay off the roads as long as they can to let our crews do their work safely and successfully,” Bockelman said.
Bockelman called the storm a “big one,” and asks Amherst to be patient moving forward as communities recover from the storm, drive slowly and help fellow residents.
“It reminds us that we do live in New England,” Bockelman said.
In his home in Easthampton, resident David Ram said he spent Sunday morning ice-skating before hunkering down for the day. As the snow progressed on Monday he said “I’ll probably be out on my snow shoes or skis today.”
“I love the snow,” Ram said.
