What To Know About The Snow In Stoneham

STONEHAM, MA — Just when you thought 2020 might let you out, it snows you back in.

With more than a foot of snow possible in the Stoneham area overnight Wednesday, here are some things to know about how the snow might affect you once you are all stocked up on milk, bread and maybe a few warm, holiday treats.

Schools

Stoneham Public Schools Superintendent John Macero said schools' first option will be to shift to remote learning on a snow day.

"When calling a snow day this year the district will utilize the day as a remote school day," Macero wrote in an email to Patch. "If the storm eliminates power, and we cannot connect remotely, then it would be a traditional snow day and made up at the end of the year."

Snow Emergency Declared

A Snow Emergency will be in effect starting at 10 p.m. Wednesday. No on street parking will be allowed. Violators may be ticketed or towed. This ban will remain in effect until Friday at 10 a.m.

Town Hall will be closed Thursday and Friday.

>>>Help us spread the news by inviting a friend to join Stoneham Patch.

Snow Removal

The Department of Public Works plows approximately 30 miles of sidewalks within the school and business district. Often times homeowners have shoveled their driveways only to find that the sidewalk plow has come through after they have left for the day, leaving a windrow of snow across their driveway.

Homeowners who have a private contractor plow their driveways should be aware of large mounds of snow being pushed onto the sidewalk area in order to clear the end of the driveway.

Fines: It is illegal to deposit snow on the sidewalk and streets. Violation of this General Bylaw is punishable by a fine of up to $200 - the owner of the property is responsible for a violation, even if a contractor hired by the owner or the tenant of the property did it.

Trash/Recycling Delayed

Trash and recycling pickup will be delayed by one day for the rest of the week. If your normal trash day is Thursday, it will be picked up on Friday this week. If your trash day is Friday, it will be picked up on Saturday.

How Much Snow Will We Get?

Snow will start falling across Massachusetts between 7 and 11 p.m. Wednesday, and by the time it ends midday Thursday, most parts of the state will have been blanketed with 8 to 14 inches, according to the latest forecast from the National Weather Service in Boston.

Snow will be light and fluffy in most parts of the state, but it could be heavier and wetter in southeastern Massachusetts and on Cape Cod.

Cape Cod will see lower snowfall totals than the rest of the state, with rain mixing in with the snow early Thursday morning. Wind gusts of up to 40 miles per hour mean several parts of Massachusetts could see blizzard conditions.

Snowfall will be heaviest between midnight and 8 a.m. Thursday. The snow will stop between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Thursday as the storm moves from west to east across Massachusetts.

(Anyone with fun, socially distanced snow photos can send them to alex.newman@patch.com for possible publication. Please include permission for Patch to publish the photos.)

Check back with Stoneham Patch for updates on how the snowstorm will impact your community.

>>>See Also: MA Snowstorm: Road Cleanup Could Take Longer Than Usual