GREENFIELD — The sudden wintry blast on Monday brought some of the coldest April daytime temperatures in the last 100 years in western Massachusetts, according to the National Weather Service.
The last time the weather in Franklin County was this cold during the day in April was in 1982, with a high of 21. Monday had a high of about 22, according to Bill Simpson, a spokesperson for the National Weather Service.
The wintry swirl halted regular business throughout the area. Public schools shut their doors and kids were kept home. The Greenfield Police reported at least seven accidents on the slushy and slippery roads throughout town, according to Lt. William Gordon.
In the early morning snow, a car on Colrain Street slipped off the road and into a pole. Another car on Deerfield Street bumped into a parked car, causing a third driver to bump into the rear of the first car.
Later in the day, a tractor trailer got stuck in the snow on Mountain Road. Another car collided with a mailbox on Munson Street.
The Greenfield Department of Public Works had difficulty preparing for the wintery weather, which started around 5 a.m. and intersected with morning traffic, said Donald Ouellette, director of Department of Public Works.
There wasn’t enough snow initially to call out the plows, said Ouellette.
“This was one of those storms that was absolutely impossible to prepare for,” Ouellette said. “They are out plowing as much as they can.”
The DPW plans to remove all the snow from the road before it freezes over as temperatures drop at night.
Visibility also impacted resident’s travel plans throughout the valley. “If you have to drive, prepare for a little bit of extra time in your travel plans,” said Simpson, the spokesperson for the National Weather Service.
The snow was expected to taper off by the early evening on Monday. By midday today, the April sun will most likely have melted the snow. Temperatures are expected to rise into the mid-30s. Until then, residents can expect a total of about 3 to 6 inches of snow, according to the National Weather Service.
Local businesses were not spared from the brutal weather. The Greenfield Farmers Co-operative Exchange, which typically sees more customers coming in the spring to buy gardening supplies, got a hit to their business on Monday.
“It’s an April fools joke from mother nature,” said the store’s manager Jeff Budine. In a typical day the store gets close to 400 customers. On Monday only about 100 people made purchases at the store, Budine said.
“It will probably just make it busier tomorrow for spring,” he said.
Other parts of the county also saw a number of accidents.
Slippery road conditions also contributed to a three-car accident and a two-car accident on Millers Falls Road in Montague on Monday morning, said Turners Falls Fire Capt. Brian McCarthy. Several people were transported to Baystate Franklin Medical Center in Greenfield for medical evaluation.
A rollover crash happened on Route 63 in New Salem a few hours after the snow started, said State Police Sgt. Steven Jankowski. No one was injured in the crash.
Northampton State Police also responded to a rollover accident on I-91 in Whately on Monday, said Sgt. John Ruyffelaert. There were no injuries.
Another accident happened in Gill in the late morning, involving a pedestrian who was hit by a driver when he was pulling up to a gas pump.
Gill Police Chief David Hastings said the woman appeared to have broken a tooth. She was transported to Baystate Franklin Medical Center. She did not suffer any life-threatening injuries as far as he could tell.
Recorder staff Dave Eisenstadter and Tom Relihan contributed reporting to this story.
You can reach Lisa Spear at lspear@recorder.com
or 413-772-0261, ext. 280