As Town Continues Recovery From Last Storm, Weather Watchers Keep An Eye On Weekend Forecast

Meteorologists and weather watchers are keeping an eye on the weekend forecast, according to Gil Simmons, of WXEDGE.com. 

All eyes on Saturday late night and Sunday now with a storm sliding by to our South. The European weather model and GFS weather model both show a pretty good area of precipitation over the state. temperatures are marginal at the shoreline and colder inland for all snow there! The ECMWF has had a very good track record for this Winter so far. We will be watching this closely! 

The National Weather Service said Wednesday morning that a hazardous weather outlook has been issued for Thursday through Tuesday. 

Possibility of moderate to significant snowfall accumulations

"There is the potential for a strengthening coastal low to impact the area Saturday through early Sunday with widespread significant precipitation. Right now the precipitation is forecast to be mainly rain at the coast and mainly snow inland as well as higher elevations, with the possibility for moderate to significant snowfall accumulations."

The National Weather Service said Wednesday morning that there is still "quite a bit of uncertainty for the weekend forecast.

"Variations in track and magnitude will lead to changes in forecast amounts as well as precipitation type, and the areas where the higher amounts will occur," the NWS said. 

During and after the last big snowstorm, the Blizzard of 2013 from Feb. 9 to Feb. 11, 2013, Madison removed about 1.7 million cubic yards of snow from its 120 miles of roads, First Selectman Fillmore McPherson said. The blizzard dropped about 32 inches of snow on Madison from Friday night into Saturday, more than the average annual snowfall of 24 inches for Madison.

Snow removal operations complicated

Snow removal operations during the Blizzard of 2013 were complicated by a stubborn underlayer of ice, and by the fact that the state was also struggling to remove snow in a timely manner, leaving the town to do work on Boston Post Road/Route 1, Route 79 and Route 80, which normally are the state's responsbility.

McPherson said during a Board of Finance meeting last week that he fully expects the town will need a special appropriation to pay for part of the Blizzard of 2013 cleanup and any other storms for the rest of the season.

"It started snowing Friday night, just as weekend overtime started," McPherson said. "We brought in outside contractors and they are still working [as of Wednesday night]."

Not clear how much Blizzard of 2013 will cost altogether

McPherson said he did not yet have an estimate as to how much the Blizzard of 2013 cleanup will cost, when all the bills are in and counted. 

The town had $115,000 available for snow removal at the beginning of the fiscal year. As of Feb. 15, $66,000 had been spent and about $45,000 was encumbered for present and future billings submitted for snow removal so far, according to the town finance department. 

In addition to snow removal costs, McPherson also said "a lot of the equipment broke down" during the clean up from the blizzard.

Blizzard cleanup resulted in equipment breakdowns

McPherson said the town started with seven pieces of snow removal equipment, and got down to two or three, and still had five in "various states of disrepair" as of Wednesday morning of last week. The problems included transmissions, and other engine problems. The storm "was a lot of work for these vehicles," McPherson said.

McPherson said the town is in the market for a new plow truck and that Madison Director of Public Works & Town Engineer Mike Ott is going to review the specifications for the truck with an eye to "getting something more robust."

"We will sharpen up the specs and our expectations," McPherson said, based on the town's experience with the historic storm earlier this month.

Contractors' equipment also experienced breakdowns

Board of Finance member Sandy McKissick said that contractors' equipment also broke down during Blizzard 2013 clean up. He asked whether the town would be liable for any of that, and McPherson said the town would not.  

The Blizzard of 2013 left more than nine people dead across the Northeast, including two from carbon monoxide poisoning, and it left 350,000 without power. The Connecticut Post reported Tuesday another fatality from the storm, a pedestrian in Milford, CT who was walking along a street because the sidewalks were not accessible.

The horrific pedestrian accident that took the life of Kevin Tanski, of Milford, last week as he walked with his family on a snow-choked road has claimed another life, that of Brenda Tanski, 51. A Bridgeport Hospital spokesman said Brenda Tanski died of her injuries early Monday morning. She had been listed in critical condition. Information was not available on the family relationship yesterday, but she is believed to be Kevin Tanski's wife. Also injured in the Feb. 11 accident was Jenny Tanski, 21, who was treated and released. A fourth family member did not require medical treatment.

Read more at ctpost.com. 

Hamden, CT posted the highest snowfall amount, with 40 inches, and Massachussets logged winds that were as strong as a Category I hurricane. A state of emergency was declared for the record-breaking storm that forced roads, train service, and airports to close across the state.