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FRAMINGHAM – It is raining now, but Framingham DPW Director Bob Lewis said his department is ready for the first plowable snowstorm of the 2023, which is expected to begin early Friday morning, January 20.
The rain is forecasted to turn to snow sometime around 2 a.m. on Friday, said Lewis.
“It will be a wet, heavy and slushy snow,” said DPW Director Lewis.
The storm is expected to last most of Friday, January 20, according to the National Weather Service.
“We are likely looking at 1 to 3 inches here in Framingham,” said Lewis.
Lewis said Framingham will get less than the 4-8 inches the TV meteorologists are predicting, as the City uses a meteorologist who focuses just on Framingham.
“This will likely be our first plowable event for us,” said DPW Director Lewis.
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“We are hoping to fight it with salt,” said Lewis. “But there is a timing mechanism to the salt.”
Salt works quickly to lower the freezing point of ice so that it melts into a liquid. Water normally freezes at 32 degrees Fahrenheit, but when you add salt, that threshold can drop as low as 20 degrees Fahrenheit.
In regards to staffing, Framingham DPW Director said the City should be fine for a storm that is about 3 inches.
“We have a couple of volunteers from Parks & Rec to help us out with this storm,” said Lewis.
DPW crews will begin arriving at 11 p.m. for the storm, said Lewis.
“we’ll have 20 salting units out at first, with hopes we only need to burn off any accumulations with salt. We’ll keep a close eye on the forecast as it starts to switch over to all snow and adjust the plan as needed,” said Lewis, who added the rest of the DPW is on alert and ready to respond if the forecast changes.
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As long as the snow stays under 4 inches, there is likely not to be an emergency parking ban.
However, if you can get your vehicle off the street and into a garage or a driveway, that will help with the cleanup.
The City is expected to collect trash and recycling curbside still on Friday. Due to the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, the city is on a one-day delayed collection schedule this week.
Director Lewis said DPW could still use some contractors, especially when and if Mother Nature delivers a 10 to 12-inch storm.
“A storm with a foot of snow will be challenging for us at the moment, not because we can’t do it, but with fewer people it will just take us longer to clean up,” explained Lewis.
The worry on big storms, at this time with the present staffing, is that it will take longer to clear the roads, which means it will take longer to get crews to clear sidewalks, which are needed to get school children to school.
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Representative Jack Lewis 
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MassBay Community College