Winter 2015

More and more snow

Fri, 01/30/2015 - 4:15pm

Just when the region finished digging out from one storm, another moved in.

And then maybe one more after that.

Just days after a blizzard blanketed the Midcoast with up to 25 inches of snow, a Friday, Jan. 30 storm piggy-backed and could add up to 10 inches more.

By 3 p.m. Friday, another four to five inches of snow blanketed the Midcoast and the region should expect that total to double before the storm eases and ends overnight, Margaret Curtis, Meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Gray said.

“The snow will end, but it looks like Saturday's going to be very cold,” she said. “It looks like the temperatures are going to be in the teens, but with windchill it will feel like zero.

“But, hey, at least the snow's stopping.”

When the snow does fall, Hagar Enterprises has been busy cleaning it up.

Seth Hagar, Vice President for Hagar Enterprises, said his crews have been working around the clock in Newcastle, Alna, Damariscotta, Nobleboro and some MDOT roads to keep things moving.

“We plow approximately 150 centerline miles of road and we have one loader and 11 trucks to take care of just the roads that we have,” Hagar wrote in an email. “This does not include our commercial side which is operated completely separate from the town work.”

That work includes getting on the roads early and often to try and limit any build-up, he said, adding that the work begins the night before a storm when crews get everything ready in preparation.

“We typically try to time our response early enough to prevent any type of bond between the snow and road,” he said. “We try to get some material out early to help the traffic flow and ultimately help us keep the roads scraped clean. Once we are out, we stay out until the storm is over or the roads are acceptable to be traveled on.”

Hagar said the public's cooperation in not driving during the Tuesday snowstorm helped tremendously, as the snowplows didn't have to worry about traffic. He said that while it may be hard to close businesses, it makes a difference when the plows can roam the snowy roads freely.

“It also allowed us to concentrate on our routes, opposed to being sidetracked by incidents in which we have to divert to in order to take care of,” he said.

But, since winter came back with a January vengeance, the crews have been working non-stop, Hagar said.

“The guys have done a great job in dealing with the conditions and the timing of all of this,” he said. After the plowing has taken place, the shop guys have been back in the shop working on fixing equipment and getting us ready for the next round.”

If patterns hold true, Hagar will again be busy on Monday, when there's a possibility of another storm, Curtis said.

“It's coming up from Virginia and West Virginia and it could bring more (snow) to the region,” she said. “But, it could blow out (to sea). Whether it's us or the fishes, looks like someone's getting more snow.”