Plows scraped around 20 inches of snow off of the roads in some parts of the North Shore during Sunday’s storm that stretched into Monday, canceling school, prompting parking bans and piling up a snow total the area hasn’t seen in several years.
The National Weather Service’s network of weather spotters reported a total of 20.5 inches in West Peabody at 5:55 a.m. Monday, and 17 inches of snow in the Beverly area by noon. On Sunday, temperatures reached a high of 27 degrees and a low of 7.
There were no reports of coastal flooding as of noon Monday, weather service meteorologist Francis Tarasiewicz said.
“Thankfully, the timing of (the storm) was better than it could be by falling on a weekend day, and the characteristics of the snow, by it being lighter, fluffier snow, makes it much easier to remove,” Tarasiewicz said.
Parking bans remain in effect in Beverly, Peabody, Salem and Danvers until further notice. Beverly’s ban extends until Tuesday morning, Public Services Commissioner Michael Collins said Monday afternoon, though he did not share a specific time.
Public services workers took a break Monday morning after working steadily since mid-Sunday to keep roads cleared. Mayor Mike Cahill said those workers would be back out later Monday when a second, smaller wave of snow was expected.
“I’ve been driving around and I think we’ve done a great job so far,” Cahill said late Monday morning. “We need the community to be careful and to be patient, but I think we’re on track.”
He expects crews will be removing snow from sidewalks, areas downtown, around schools, train stations and other areas in the city throughout the week.
School was canceled throughout the region Monday. Beverly Superintendent Peter Cushing announced the news in a creative robocall to families Sunday that began with the opening beat of the 1990s hit song “Get Ready For This.”
“That’s right ladies and gentlemen, are you ready for a snow day? The Beverly Public Schools will be closed for Monday, Jan. 26 due to the ‘wicked blizzahd’ that is descending upon us!” he said, and finished the message with “This has been Beverly Superintendent of schools, Peter Cushing, and it’s a great day to be a Panther!”
Beverly firefighters battled a blaze in a single-story home at 29 Budleigh Ave. Sunday evening, when a crack in the home’s chimney allowed embers to escape into the floor of the first story and basement ceiling after the residents lit a fire in their fireplace, Beverly fire Capt. Jon Palm said.
The home’s two residents were displaced but uninjured.
No major calls came in to Peabody firefighters during Sunday’s storm, which saw extra personnel on duty that day and Monday, fire Chief Jay Dowling said. A pickup truck belonging to a contractor plowing for the city did catch on fire, but those flames were put out before firefighters arrived.
The department was busy with typical medical calls, and also responded to a few reports of frozen pipes, he said.
Peabody Mayor Ted Bettencourt said “the storm certainly was everything it was supposed to be and more.”
“We’ve had all of our crew and contractors in since 11 a.m. yesterday,” Bettencourt said Monday afternoon. “There’s going to be a lot of cleanup ahead, but I’m happy with the work that’s taking place.”
Lighter snowfall was seen Monday afternoon as meteorologists watched a low pressure system move offshore, according to the weather service.
The weather service expects below normal temperatures to bring potentially hazardous wind chills this week, particularly on Thursday night into Friday. It also is watching for more snow along the coast this weekend, though it is not yet clear how bad that storm might be.
Salem Mayor Dominick Pangallo encouraged residents to check in on vulnerable neighbors, clear around their nearest fire hydrant, and pace themselves while shoveling.
“We got a good amount of snow overnight,” Pangallo said in a post Monday, “Salem DPS has around 80 pieces of equipment out for snow clearing work, but given the amount of snow it’s going to take some time, so please be patient!”
Pangallo also urged residents to call 911 in an emergency, and contact the Salem police non-emergency line 978-744-1212, fire non-emergency line 978-744-1235, and snow@salem.com for non-emergency issues.
Contact Caroline Enos at CEnos@northofboston.com. Michael McHugh can be contacted at mmchugh@northofboston.com or at 781-799-5202.