WORCESTER, Mass. - A snowy mess across Massachusetts canceled schools and caused some delays and crashes during Tuesday morning’s commute.
What You Need To Know
- Tuesday's snowfall canceled some schools in the region and had Worcester's Department of Public Works and Parks busy cleaning roads
- Commissioner Jay Fink said there were more than ten crashes during the Tuesday morning commute
- He urged drivers to use caution and drive slow when going down steep hills in the city
- Some students who had the day off went sledding on local hills at Quinsigamond Community College, Green Hill Park and Dean Park
While snow totals didn’t match what the region experienced from the storm earlier this month, the cold weather ahead and the potential for roads to become icy still lingers.
Jay Fink, commissioner of Worcester’s Department of Public Works and Parks, said crews arrived at 3:30 a.m. on Tuesday to get out and treat the roadways. Thirty plows were out before sunrise, and an additional 12 soon joined.
Fink said there were more than 10 crashes Tuesday morning, but fortunately, no injuries to report.
“A word to the wise, slow down,” Fink said. “Where there have been accidents, it has been people not being able to get up the hill, coming down the hill and not realizing it’s going to take a little longer to stop.”
It was a snow day for some school districts in the region, so local hills saw plenty of students arrive to go sledding.
“You’ve got to make the most of it, I could be sitting inside right now wasting by day, but I decided to come out here with a few friends to Dean Park and go sledding,” said Zayn Moselhy. “I remember the days, being five or six years old, coming out with my family to this hill.”
Moselhy and a handful of friends spent Tuesday afternoon sledding at Dean Park in Shrewsbury, also building a miniature snowman.
“I love the snow so much, so I was like, ‘we have to go sledding,'” said Lina Scheffel. “My birthday was the other week and we had a bunch of snow the day after, it was awesome.”
“A bit of a late start, but at least it’s ramping up,” said Luke Lengel. “December was warm, but it’s finally snowing again.”
With several snow events already having occurred in 2024, Fink and the Department of Public Works are ready for whatever is ahead this winter.
“I don’t want to sound like a football coach, but we’re taking it one step at a time,” Fink said. “We’ll get through this one, there’s another flurry showing up a couple of days from now. As soon as this storm is over, we put the piece of equipment that broke down back together and we’re ready for the next one.”