GREENFIELD — While snow before Thanksgiving is not uncommon, six inches was a surprise, said Greenfield Department of Public Works Director Marlo Warner.
The storm began around 8 p.m. on Thursday night, and continued steadily until soon after noon on Friday. In Franklin County, minor car accidents with no injuries seemed to be the worst of it, including seven reported in Greenfield throughout the night, according to police reports.
Roads in Greenfield were pretreated well before the snow started, Warner said, and maintenance continued through the night. Extra work was necessary when the weather changed briefly to freezing rain around 2 a.m. Problematic hilly areas on Mountain Road and South Shelburne Road required regular attention into late Friday morning. By noon, resources had largely been shifted to side streets and walkways.
The most intense part of the storm was likely the panic beforehand. Local retailers were happy to capitalize.
At Aubuchon Hardware in Greenfield, a run on shovels, ice melt and roof rakes began early this week when people started getting nervous, an employee said, noting that the surge in business usually doesn’t start this early in the year.
Foster’s Supermarket in Greenfield was “crazy busy” with customers stockpiling on Thursday, said co-owner Matthew Deane. Other than the always-popular milk and bread, customers chose items that would be easy to prepare without electricity.
“It’s nice,” Deane said. “It’s good for business.”
Light snow and flurries continued into Friday afternoon. The National Weather Service in Taunton expected a mostly cloudy evening on Friday, with a low temperature of 31 degrees Fahrenheit. Today is expected to be partly sunny with a high of 44 degrees and a low of 27 degrees. The National Weather Service is forecasting a 20 percent chance of snow showers on Sunday night after 8 and before Monday morning at 8.